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Alton Brown's City Ham Recipe

Elevate your holiday or special occasion with Alton Brown's unforgettable City Ham recipe, straight from Food Network's 'Good Eats'! This recipe transforms a simple, ready-to-cook city ham (a brined ham, conveniently pre-packaged from the grocery store) into a culinary masterpiece. Learn how to perfectly score, glaze, and bake your ham to achieve a stunning diamond pattern and irresistible flavor. Impress your guests with this show-stopping dish – the ultimate in effortless elegance!

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 330 mins
Calories 643 kcal
Protein 142g
Rating 4.6 (27 Reviews)
Alton Brown's City Ham 92

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Recipe Author

Chef Forktionary, author of this recipe

Recipe adapted from Food.com. Standardized by Forktionary.

Ingredients for Alton Brown's City Ham

  • 1 (14 pound) cured ham, shank portion, skin on
  • 1/4 cup brown mustard
  • 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • 1/4 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
  • Dijon mustard, liberal amount

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How to Make Alton Brown's City Ham

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C).
  2. Remove ham from packaging, rinse thoroughly under cold water, and pat dry.
  3. Place ham, cut-side down, in a roasting pan.
  4. Using a small paring knife, score the ham's surface from bottom to top, creating a spiral pattern. Rotate the ham after each cut to ensure scores are no more than 2 inches across. Repeat the scoring process in the opposite direction to form a diamond pattern.
  5. Tent the ham loosely with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham.
  6. Bake for 3-4 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 130°F (54°C).
  7. Remove the foil. Using tongs, gently pull away any diamond-shaped skin and excess fat.
  8. Increase oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
  9. Pat the ham dry with paper towels.
  10. Brush the ham liberally with Dijon mustard, ensuring even coverage.
  11. Sprinkle the mustard-coated ham with the packed brown sugar, pressing lightly to adhere.
  12. Lightly spritz the brown sugar layer with bourbon (if using).
  13. Sprinkle the crushed cookies generously over the brown sugar layer.
  14. Insert the meat thermometer back into the ham.
  15. Return the ham to the oven and bake until the internal temperature reaches 140°F (60°C), approximately 1 hour.
  16. Remove ham from oven and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving and serving. This allows the juices to redistribute, resulting in a more tender and flavorful ham.

Nutrition Information (Approximate per serving)

Sodium

201 g

Sugar

170g

Fat

30g

Carbs

14g

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Main Courses Main Dish / Dinner Beef & Red Meat Pork Recipes American Southern Holiday Recipes

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Ham Time To Make Course Main Ingredient Preparation Occasion 5 Ingredients Or Less Main Dish Pork Oven Easy Potluck Holiday Event Picnic Easter Christmas Thanksgiving Meat To Go Equipment