- Jul 1, 2009
- 715
- 18
- 131
I live in St. Mary's County Maryland, on the Western Shore of the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. It is a place of much history and lore. Right down to the food. Stuffed Ham is a Southern Maryland delicacy that you'll probably never find anywhere outside of Southern Maryland, particularly St. Mary's County, and I'd like to share my recipe with my friends at BYC. The history of SoMd. Stuffed Ham dates to early 17th-century Southern Maryland, where, it is believed, slaves working on the plantations created the recipe.The slaves were always given the poorest cuts of meat when the hogs were slaughtered, so they would often stuff them with greens and spice them up to make them taste better. Once the plantation owners tasted the delicious blend of pork and greens, he wanted to know what it would taste like with the best cuts of meat and so the stuffed ham found its place on the dining table and soon became a traditional Holiday dish. I will upload a picture too so you can see the finished product. We usually stuff a big 25 pounder so we can have lots of leftovers since a cold stuffed ham sandwich is just about one of the best things on this earth.
This recipe is for a smaller ham.
8-10 lb. De-boned Corned Ham ( a corned ham is very moist ham that is cured in sugar and spices like corned beef... they are readily available in Southern Maryland, but if you can't find a corned ham you can use a smoked ham or even a pre cooked if you like)
2 heads of cabbage
1 lb. kale
1 big onion
1 bunch scallions
1 and 1/2 tbsp. crushed red pepper (double that if you like it real spicy)
2 tbsp. mustard seed
2 tbsp. celery seed
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce ( more if you like it real spicy)
3 tsp. ground red pepper
2 1/2 tbsp. salt
cheesecloth or Old pillow case
Chop onions, cabbage and kale. (use your food processor! My grandma used to do it by hand but that takes forever!!) Just a good small chop.
Mix seasonings with greens by hand. Toss it all together real good.
Cut 2 inch slits (pockets) on a 45 degree angle, ALL over the ham. Alternate 3 pockets then 2 pockets, making sure they are not parallel. ( does that make sense? Its hard to explain. You just don't want one pocket running into another)
Press seasoned stuffing into the slits until they will hold no more. (I mean stuff that sucker FULL to bursting)
Put ham in pillow case or cheesecloth; add left over stuffing, tie closed.
Put ham in large pot and cover with water. Simmer or boil slowly for 25 minutes per pound or till internal temperature reaches 160°. Reduce cooking time by 1/2 hour when using precooked ham.
Turn off heat.
Let ham cool in the water (about 2 hours).
Remove and drain.
Chill in refrigerator overnight, in its cloth. Serve cold.
It's a process but really pretty easy!!!! Enjoy!!!! I'm stuffing one next week for Christmas!
8-10 lb. De-boned Corned Ham ( a corned ham is very moist ham that is cured in sugar and spices like corned beef... they are readily available in Southern Maryland, but if you can't find a corned ham you can use a smoked ham or even a pre cooked if you like)
2 heads of cabbage
1 lb. kale
1 big onion
1 bunch scallions
1 and 1/2 tbsp. crushed red pepper (double that if you like it real spicy)
2 tbsp. mustard seed
2 tbsp. celery seed
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce ( more if you like it real spicy)
3 tsp. ground red pepper
2 1/2 tbsp. salt
cheesecloth or Old pillow case
Chop onions, cabbage and kale. (use your food processor! My grandma used to do it by hand but that takes forever!!) Just a good small chop.
Mix seasonings with greens by hand. Toss it all together real good.
Cut 2 inch slits (pockets) on a 45 degree angle, ALL over the ham. Alternate 3 pockets then 2 pockets, making sure they are not parallel. ( does that make sense? Its hard to explain. You just don't want one pocket running into another)
Press seasoned stuffing into the slits until they will hold no more. (I mean stuff that sucker FULL to bursting)
Put ham in pillow case or cheesecloth; add left over stuffing, tie closed.
Put ham in large pot and cover with water. Simmer or boil slowly for 25 minutes per pound or till internal temperature reaches 160°. Reduce cooking time by 1/2 hour when using precooked ham.
Turn off heat.
Let ham cool in the water (about 2 hours).
Remove and drain.
Chill in refrigerator overnight, in its cloth. Serve cold.
It's a process but really pretty easy!!!! Enjoy!!!! I'm stuffing one next week for Christmas!
