Baked Ham Slice

I was able to pick up a fairly thick slice of ham at the grocery store recently.  It was all vacuum packed and was called a Hickory Smoked Ham Slice.  The origin was America.

I had not seen one of these before and it was reasonably priced and so I bought it. I think I paid less than $15 for it.  If you have looked at the cost of meat lately, this was quite reasonable.

This is a photograph of it. It was bone in.  I like buying a bone-in slice of ham. It just tastes better to me.  I took it out and rinsed it off. I had a recipe that I had been wanting to try for a while now from the Modern Family Cookbook by Meta Given, which was published in 1953. 

As you know I have a great love for these older cookery books and some of the older cooking methods.  Looking at this recipe I thought to myself, this is probably how my grandmother would have cooked a ham slice.

 

 

Mine was actually about 2 inches thick, so a nice hefty slice of ham.  Center cut and with the bone in, not pre-formed like most of the hams you see today.  I was really looking forward to this.

I thought an old fashioned piece of meat like this deserved to have an old fashioned sort of preparation.  Simple food cooked simply. You can't beat it!

 

Most hams you buy these days, unless they are green, are already cooked.  You are really only heating them up. It is important though that you heat them thoroughly.  The internal temperature when done should be at least 145*F/63*C.

This cut of ham is ideal for the smaller family looking to cook some ham for their holiday meals or Sunday lunch. Not so big that you will be eating ham forever, but not too small either.  Unless I am having a whole crowd of people over, I never cook a whole ham these days.

 

I was intrigued by the simplicity of the cooking method.  You rub the surface of the ham with dry mustard and brown sugar, and then bake it in milk

The milk gets semi-absorbed by the ham, making for a very delicious and tender, flavor filled result.  The dry mustard powder gives it a bit of a zip and the brown sugar adds a nice level of sweetness without going over the top.

Covered tightly and baked resulted in  ham that was tender and juicy and succulent.  Too often pork and ham ends up over cooked, dry and unpalatable. This was perfect.

Perfect to serve with a few choice sides.  I chose a Twice Baked Mashed Potato Casserole, some mashed sweet potato, roasted beetroot, baked beans and some of my Million Dollar Relish to serve on the side.  Oh, and a Pillsbury biscuit.  It was a beautiful meal and yielded some tasty leftovers as well.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BAKED HAM SLICE

Very simple uncomplicated ingredients.

• 1 (1 inch thick) center ham slice
• 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• milk to cover the ham

 

I had a lovely friend called Leona back in the day. We are still friends actually, although she is in her 80's now and lives in another province.  Leona was a good cooker.

This reminded me very much of how she might have prepared a ham slice.  When you were invited to Leona's for supper you knew you were in for a real treat. She was not a fancy cook, but everything she cooked was fabulously delicious.  I learned a lot about cooking from her.  We met about 43 years ago now. So she was in her 40's and I was in my 20's.

 

I lived quite far away from my own mother at the time and Leona was a bit like a Mother figure to me, as well as being a very good friend. We were both married to military men.

The fact that we have managed to stay friends though all these years speaks volumes. What I wouldn't give to be able to sit down at her table now and have a nice hot cuppa and a natter.  I am sure it would seem as if we had last talked just yesterday. The intervening years would just melt away. That's what a real friendship is all about.

 

HOW TO COOK BAKED HAM SLICE

There is nothing complicated about this. Nothing complicated at all.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a deep baking dish large enough to hold the ham slice comfortably with some space all the way around.

Rub the dry mustard powder into the surface of the ham along with the brown sugar. Place into the baking dish.

Add milk to come about halfway up the ham slice. Cover tightly and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes until tender.

Notes

Timings are for a ham slice which is 1 inch thick. If your slice is thicker it will take a bit longer. (15 minutes per pound of ham is the usual.)

 

This was absolutely delicious. The ham was really lovely and tender and not overly salty with a beautiful slightly sweet flavor.  I loved the tiny bit of heat and spice that the dry mustard gave to it.

The milk was mostly a clear liquid by the time it was cooked.  I wasn't really sure what to do with it, so I just poured it away. I did enjoy some of that brown milk crust however.  It was super good!

Tender, juicy, delicious. This was one right tasty supper!

Leftovers have never been a problem for me. Just an opportunity to make something new and delicious to eat. Here are some of my favorite ways of using up cooked ham:

DEVILED HAM SPREAD - This is rich, tangy, a touch sweet with a bit of heat. In short, delicious. Ready to spread on crackers or crisp breads or to fill a sandwich. This is perfect.  I love this and could eat it with a spoon. 

HAM & CHEESE CASSEROLE -  ham, noodles and green beans in a rich and cheesy sauce.  A bit of cracker crumbs and cheese provide a nice crunchy topping. I love a crunchy topping on a casserole, don't you? 

CABBAGE & HAM SOUP WITH CHEESY DUMPLINGS -  You can't beat a delicious bowl of soup with some cheesy dumplings on top.  This is especially tasty. Its one of my favorite soups to make with leftover ham.

Baked Ham Slice

Yield: 5

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 5 M

Tender and juicy. This makes for a lovely weeknight supper or for a Sunday dinner. You could even have this for an alternative Christmas lunch depending on what you choose to serve with it.

Ingredients

• 1 (1 inch thick) center ham slice
• 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar
• 1 tsp dry mustard powder
• milk to cover the ham

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Have ready a deep baking dish large enough to hold the ham slice comfortably with some space all the way around.
2. Rub the dry mustard powder into the surface of the ham along with the brown sugar. Place into the baking dish.
3. Add milk to come about halfway up the ham slice. Cover tightly and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for a further 15 minutes until tender.

Notes

Timings are for a ham slice which is 1 inch thick. If your slice is thicker it will take a bit longer. (15 minutes per pound of ham is the usual.)

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