City Ham Recipe

This City Ham Recipe is a sweet and savory recipe, which features a city style ham and a crunchy ginger snap cookie crust. It’s the ultimate holiday centerpiece, ready in about 5 hours and 30 minutes.

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City Ham Recipe Ingredients

• 1 city style (brined) ham, hock end*
• 1/4 cup brown mustard
• 2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1-ounce bourbon (poured into a spritz bottle)
• 2 cups crushed ginger snap cookies

How To Make City Ham Recipe

1. Prep the oven and ham: Heat oven to 250 degrees F. Remove ham from bag, rinse and drain thoroughly. Place ham, cut side down, in a roasting pan.
2. Score the ham: Using a small paring knife or clean utility knife set to the smallest blade setting, score the ham from bottom to top, spiraling clockwise as you cut. (If you’re using a paring knife, be careful to only cut through the skin and first few layers of fat). Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 2-inches across. Once you’ve made it all the way around, move the knife to the other hand and repeat, spiraling counter clockwise. The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham.
3. Slow roast: Tent the ham with heavy duty foil, insert a thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees F.
4. Clean the surface: Remove and use tongs to pull away the diamonds of skin and any sheets of fat that come off with them. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Apply the crust: Dab the ham dry with paper towels, then brush on a liberal coat of mustard. Sprinkle on brown sugar, packing loosely as you go until the ham is coated. Spritz this layer lightly with bourbon, then loosely pack on as much of the crushed cookies as you can.
6. Finish baking: Insert the thermometer (don’t use the old hole) and return to the oven (uncovered). Cook until interior temperature reaches 140 degrees F, approximately 1 hour.
7. Rest: Let the roast rest for 1/2 hour before carving.

Recipe Tips

• What is a City Ham?: A city ham is essentially a “wet-cured” or brined ham found in most grocery stores (labeled “ready to cook” or “ham in natural juices”). This is different from a salty, dry-cured Country Ham which requires soaking.
• Why use Ginger Snaps?: The cookies provide a complex spice profile (ginger, cinnamon, cloves) and create a spectacularly crunchy crust that contrasts with the tender meat.
• The Bourbon Spritz: Using a spray bottle for the bourbon helps moisten the sugar just enough to make it sticky without washing the coating off the meat.
• Scoring matters: Creating the diamond pattern isn’t just for looks; it helps the fat render out slowly and gives the glaze more surface area to cling to.
• Don’t overheat: Lean city hams can dry out quickly. Rely on your meat thermometer rather than just the clock. Pull it at 140°F exactly.

What To Serve With City Ham Recipe

This impressive roast is usually the star of a holiday table, requiring classic comfort sides.

• Scalloped potatoes or Au Gratin potatoes
• Green bean casserole with crispy onions
• Homemade yeast rolls or biscuits
• Macaroni and cheese

How To Store City Ham Recipe

• Refrigerate: Store leftover sliced ham in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in foil in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.
• Freeze: Ham freezes exceptionally well. Wrap slices or chunks in plastic wrap and then foil, or place in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.
• The Bone: Do not throw away the ham bone! Freeze it to use later as a flavor base for split pea soup or beans.

City Ham Recipe Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 350
• Total Fat: 12g
• Saturated Fat: 4g
• Cholesterol: 65mg
• Sodium: 1200mg
• Total Carbohydrates: 35g
• Dietary Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 28g
• Protein: 24g

Nutrition information is estimated per serving.

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