Ham Broth (and How to Cook a Smoked and Cured Picnic Ham)

How to make a tasty ham broth while cooking a perfectly moist and tender smoked and cured picnic ham.

One of my favourite special occasion dinners has to be the ham dinner! Not only are ham dinners oh so tasty but the are also super easy to make and coming up with interesting ways of using all of the leftovers is always fun! There are different kinds of hams and my favourite is the smoked and cured picnic ham which often comes on sale for dirt cheap and it never disappoints. You can cook a smoked and cured picnic ham a number of way and I usually go with a combination of boiling and roasting which gives you the best of both worlds. Boiling the ham first allows you to make a tasty broth while simmering it, helps cut down on the saltiness of the ham and helps keep the ham nice and moist and tender. You get the ham broth by adding your favourite broth ingredients like onions, carrots and celery along with some herbs and spices to the water while boiling the ham. After the initial boil the ham is pat dry and roasted to finish the cooking and you can opt to go for a crispy cracking or a glaze to add flavour.
How amazing is that? This one ham gives you a tasty ham dinner, optionally with crackling, leftovers, ham broth, a ham bone to be used in soups or stew!
(See below for ideas about what to use the ham broth, bone and leftovers in.)

Ham Broth (and How to Cook a Smoked and Cured Picnic Ham)

Prep Time:5 minutes Cook Time:3 hours Rest Time:15 minutes Total Time:3 hours 20 minutes Servings: 4

How to make a tasty ham broth while cooking a perfectly moist and tender smoked and cured picnic ham.

ingredients

1 bone in cured and smoked picnic ham (6-10 pounds), removed from package and netting
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
6 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 (2-inch) piece parmesan cheese rind (optional)
water

directions

For the broth:

Place everything in a large stock pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove the ham from the broth, set aside, strain the solids from the broth and discard.

For the ham, with crackling:

Pat the ham dry, score the skin crosswise, rub salt into the skin and roast, skin side up, in a preheated 325F/170C until it reaches an internal temperature of 135F, about 1-2 hours.
Turn the temperature up to 450F/230C and roast until the skin gets all nice and crispy and the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145F, about 15-30 minutes.
Let rest for 15 minutes, slice and serve.

For the ham, with glaze:

Place everything in a large stock pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
Remove the ham from the broth, set aside, strain the solids from the broth and discard.
Remove the skin and all but a thin layer of the fat, score the fat and and roast, fat side up, in a preheated 325F/170C until it reaches an internal temperature of 135F, about 1-2 hours.
Brush the glaze onto the ham, turn the temperature up to 450F/230C and bake until the the glaze starts to caramelize and the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145F, about 15-30 minutes.
Let rest for 15 minutes, slice and serve.

Tip: Use a large stock pot with a pasta insert so that you can easily pull the ham out of the broth.
Tip: Place the broth in the fridge overnight and skim off any fat before using.
Tip: Save the bone to make a ham stock or to use in a soup!

Use in:
Ham and Leek Tart
Ham and Egg Breakfast Quesadillas
Deviled Ham Sandwiches
Monte Cristo
Ham, Egg and Gruyere Crepes with Maple Syrup
Ham and Cheese Egg Casserole
Cuban Sandwich
Croque Hawaii
Monte Cristo Quesadillas
Roast Turkey Cuban Sandwich
Ham and Egg Breakfast Burritos
Ham and Cheese Quesadillas
Huevos Motulenos
Ham and Pineapple Melts
Eggs Benedict
Cottage Cheese and Egg Muffins with Ham and Cheddar Cheese
Croque Monsieur
BBQ Ham, Bacon and Pineapple Quesadillas (aka BBQ Hawaiian Pizza Quesadillas)
Ham and Potato Corn Chowder
Maple, Bourbon Ham and Baked Bean Soup
Ham and Bean Soup
Split Pea Soup
Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Ham and Lentil Soup
Cuban Black Beans and Rice (Moros y Cristianos)
Ham and Chickpea Soup
Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)
Hoppin’ John
Creamy Cabbage and Double Smoked Bacon Soup
Creole Split Pea Soup
Ham and Mushroom Sauerkraut Soup
Porchetta Chowder
Pumpkin Chorizo and Black Bean Soup
Shrimp Wonton Soup
Roasted Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
Roasted Apple and Aged White Cheddar Soup
Venezuelan Black Bean and Chorizo Soup
Creamy Maple Brie and Cheddar Apple Soup
Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
Jalapeno Popper Bacon and Bean Soup

Comments

isaiah43123 says
March 31, 2013 at 5:59 pm
My favorite soup with ham is spilt pea although, my daughter and I made a most tasty chicken, ham and swiss chowder last week. Yum!
anniebakes says
March 31, 2013 at 7:29 pm
oh yummy, kevin, love all of the possibilities!! anne
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
March 31, 2013 at 7:50 pm
Can't beat delicious broth from those yummy ham "drippings"!!! Pass the biscuits!!!
John Gregg says
April 1, 2013 at 3:29 pm
I love left over ham chopped up & added to egg salad with a dash of pepper & paprika along with fresh parsley.
Jennifer Smith says
September 25, 2013 at 12:52 pm
I'm making a boiled dinner with a smoked ham. I'll boil the ham for 2-3 hours, remove and set aside. In the broth, add half a cabbage and simmer for about 1/2 an hour, then add a peeled and sliced turnip (make sure the pieces are quite large), and 6 whole peeled carrots..let simmer another 20 minutes then add 6 whole peeled potatoes. Cook until tender. While the vegetables are cooking, I'll bake the ham at 350 for an hour with a mustard and brown sugar glaze. This is similar to a corned beef and cabbage dinner. Vegetables and ham can be mashed and fried the next day for leftovers, or add a chopped onion and dried peas to the broth along with carrots, potatoes and chopped ham to make pea soup.
Jennifer Smith says
September 25, 2013 at 1:15 pm
My favourite is a boiled dinner…boil your ham, add large chunks of vegetables..half a cabbage, large slices of turnip, whole carrots and whole potatoes. Bake your ham while the veggies cook with a mustard and brown sugar glaze. The leftovers make a delicious pea soup!!
kevin says
September 25, 2013 at 1:35 pm
Jennifer Smith: That is a great way to go! As you say, very similar to a corned beef dinner!
Jennifer Smith says
September 25, 2013 at 6:21 pm
I can't wait to try some of these other recipes you have here!! They sound delicious!! Thanks
Mary Kennedy says
December 11, 2013 at 8:47 pm
am trying to buy a couple of SMOKED PICNIC HAMS, UNCOOKED, STILL IN THE MESH, it is smoked in. Nobody here sells them anymore. They try to sell me pork shoulder ham. If that is boiled it comes out like rubber. I live in TN and they used to sell them but no more because I think the people here didn't know how to cook them. I guess it is a Northern thing, as I boil them then add cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Please let me know if you sell them and where can I buy a couple! Thanks Mary Kennedy
Anonymous says
August 27, 2014 at 9:57 pm
I love boiled dinners but nobody sells Smoked Picnic Hams anymore. All they have is Smoked Picnic Shoulders. They are nasty and not for boiling. If anyone has a place you can buy one please let me know. I've tried everywhere. Thanks Mary
Paul G says
December 25, 2015 at 4:41 pm
I'll insert 2-3 garlic cloves into small cuts first, then boil in Ginger Ale for 90 mins. Then remove the cloth wrap and roast it 90 mins at 350 and 15 mins more at 450 to get crispy. Great flavor and most of the salt comes out.