City Ham

Adapted from John Martin Taylor’s “City Ham,” published on Hoppin’ John’s®, John Martin Taylor’s Personal Blog, December 2007; the recipe was originally published in Fine Cooking 38, May 2000 (The Taunton Press).

John Martin Taylor says this ham is so good that “during parties I have to make sure no one’s around when I carve it because folks will flat-out pull the thing to death.”

He’s right.

It’s nice to have a baked ham on hand when you have company coming and going, especially around holidays. It’s perfect sliced thin and tucked into Tiny Corn Muffins, or served with scrambled, poached, or fried eggs. With leftovers, in addition to the obvious sandwiches, you can serve thick slices alongside macaroni and cheese and buttered peas, or sizzle them in a skillet with a little butter for breakfast.

John Martin Taylor, originally from Charleston, calls this a “city ham” — wet-cured — to distinguish it from a “country ham” — dry-cured. Both are delicious, but country ham is best eaten like prosciutto: sliced paper thin and savored sparingly.

The caveat here is that you need the right kind of ham: fully cooked, smoked, preferably not spiral-sliced or glazed, and definitely not canned.

1 whole bone-in fully cooked smoked ham, or
½ bone-in fully cooked smoked ham, shank end preferred but butt end is fine

Preheat the oven to 275°F.

Remove the ham from its packaging. Place it on a flat rack in a roasting pan, and loosely crumple a piece of aluminum foil over the top. You want a soft tent, not a tight seal.

Bake at 275°F for 7 to 8 hours for a whole ham, or 3 to 4 hours for a half ham.

Let the ham rest before carving. Serve warm or at room temperature.