Civil War Recipe Tutorial:

To Cook A Ham

 
Original Recipe:

"To Cook a Ham": An excellent manner of cooking a ham is the following: Boil it three or four hours, according to size; then skin the whole and fit it for the table; then set in the oven for half an hour, cover it thickly with pounded rusk or bread-crumbs, and set back for half an hour longer. Boiled ham is always improved by setting it in an oven for nearly an hour, until much of the fat dries out, and it also makes it more tender.

Source:

The Practical Housekeeper, a Cyclopedia of Domestic Economy by Elizabeth Fries Ellet, 1857.

Modern Day Adaptation:

A bone-in, smoked "picnic ham" was used, which had the skin on one side. The recipe was followed precisely, boiled for four hours. Boiling was stopped when surface layers began to show cracks. As no hint of oven temperature was given, we set it at 325, more to keep it warm than to encourage further cooking.

Results:

Despite a thick layer of fat under the side with the skin, which as noted is removed after the boiling stage, the main part of the ham was very lean. Smoked hams are very salty, although the long boiling removes much of this. We are not sure what function the ground cracker or bread crumbs serve, other than the decorative, so they could probably be omitted with little loss. The result was superbly tender and full flavored, and rated highly by all diners. It should be noted that the ham starts to dry out as soon as it is sliced, so it might be suggested to serve this when the company is very hungry and will eat quickly. Pack leftovers into an airtight bag or container as soon as possible.