UBS Virtual Cooking Class: Christmas Ham Tutorial w. Glaze, Chutney & Sauce

NOTE: This event is for UBS employees only. Be sure to register using your ubs.com email address. One registration per employee please.

This event is optional and not firm-mandated.

Please note our attendance policies:

• Sign Ups: Eventbrite sign-ups are limited to one in-person class sign up per week per person.
• No-Shows: Please cancel if you are unable to attend or you will be marked as a ‘no show’. After five no-shows without notification, access to further classes will be paused for 30 days.

Christmas Ham

Ham comes from the hind legs of a hog. It’s preserved with salt—either through dry curing (salt rub and air-drying) or wet curing (brining).

City Ham: Cured in a wet brine. Juicier, milder, often smoked. Easiest to eat as a “ham steak”. What most people think of as holiday ham. Sold fully cooked (smoked or unsmoked).

Country Ham: Popular in the South. Dry-cured, saltier, funkier, more intense flavor. Often served in small amounts or thin slices, not as steaks; more like charcuterie. Great with biscuits. Great for cooking with. Sold uncooked and cooked.

Fresh Ham: Uncured and uncooked. You do it all yourself, works well as a roast.

Choosing a Holiday Ham

The typical ham for the holiday table is a city ham. For today’s class, that’s what we will be discussing.

Bone-In vs. Boneless

Boneless: Much easier to carve. However, without the bone, we loose out a little bit on flavor and tenderness. Boneless hams are more processed than bone-in: bone is removed, ham is reshaped and sealed with brine.

Bone-In: Cooking meat on the bone helps keep the texture juicy and tender, and helps increase flavor; it also helps prevent the meat from overcooking. However a bone-in ham is challenging to carve. If you do get bone-in, use the bone to make a delicious soup!

Bone-In Cuts

Shank End

· Lower on the leg

· Leaner, easier to carve

· Classic “ham” shape

· Can be a bit drier

Butt End

· More internal fat, richer flavor

· Harder to carve (T-shaped bone)

· Also called rump or sirloin end

· Very tender and flavorful

Other Labels

Uncured: Still cured, but with naturally occurring sources like celery salt instead of nitrites. These are labeled as “no nitrites” or “no nitrites added”

Spiral-Cut: Lots of pro’s here: this ham is presliced and much easier to carve than an uncut ham. It is also beautiful, and catches the glaze in its nooks and crannies. However, making the cuts into the ham exposes more surface area, which can lead to a dried interior than an uncut ham- but a thick glaze can help protect it from drying. Spiral cut hams are available bone-in or boneless, smoked or unsmoked; some come with glaze packets—check the packaging (skip if making your own).

Buying Ham

Where

• Your local butcher
• Snake River Farms
• Heritage Foods
• Nueske’s
• D’Artagnan
• Benton’s
• Omaha Steaks

How Much

Adjust for your menu and guest appetites. If you are starting the meal with heavy hors d’oeuvres, or serving additional entrees or a lot of sides, lean towards the smaller quantities.

• Boneless: ⅓–½ lb per person
• Bone-in: ¾–1 lb per person

How to Prepare a Fully Cooked City Ham

Before You Start

Check the label: Make sure the ham is fully cooked and not pre-glazed

Bring to room temperature in a deep baking dish (it will release liquid)

Steps

1. Bake ham at low temp, covered, with steam, until 120F.
2. Make glaze.
3. Increase oven temp. Uncover and begin glazing. Glaze in 3 batches, every 8 – 10 minutes. Cook until internal temp is 140°F.
4. Transfer to a platter and rest 10–15 minutes.
5. Optional: Make a sauce from drippings.

Tips for How to Keep Ham From Drying Out

Use a meat thermometer

Don’t overcook

Add a little liquid to the bottom of the pan for steam during the cooking process

Baste regularly

Let it rest

Choose bone-in for extra moisture

Serving Ideas

Accoutrements (see recipes on next page)

Soft rolls (Parker House)

Mustards

Chutney

Apple butter or pumpkin butter

Pickled vegetables

Side Dishes

Roasted winter vegetables (carrots, root vegetables, squash)

Braised greens

Steamed green beans

Roasted or Mashed potatoes

Caramelized shallots and apples

Biscuits or parker house rolls

Beverage Pairings

Cider (dry or off-dry)

Sparkling wine

Off-dry whites like Riesling or Gewürztraminer

Light juicy reds like Beaujolais, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir

Garnish Ideas

Apple slices

Orange slices

Rosemary sprigs

Recipes

Holiday Apple Chutney

Makes about 1 ½ cups

1 tbsp olive oil or butter

1 shallot or ½ sweet onion, finely diced

1 cloves garlic, minced

½” fresh ginger, finely grated

2 apples, peeled and diced (choose crisp and tart apples, such as Honeycrisp and / or Granny Smith)

¼ cup dried cranberries, cherries, or golden raisins

1 orange, for zest + juice

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar (light or dark)

1 tsp Dijon or whole grain mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper flakes, and red pepper flakes

1. Sauté aromatics: In a medium saucepan over medium low heat, warm oil or butter. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir, cooking 1 minute or until fragrant.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and season well. Stir well to combine and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer gently for about 12 - 18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and the mixture thickens to a jammy consistency. If it gets too thick before the apples are tender, add a splash of water or cider. Taste and adjust seasoning, sweetness, and acidity to your liking.

3. Serve warm or at room temperature with ham, charcuterie boards, roasted poultry, or spooned over biscuits. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Maple Mustard Sauce

Makes about 1 cup

¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons maple sugar or brown sugar (light or dark)

1 small garlic clove, finely grated (optional)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne or a dash hot sauce, optional

2 tbsp butter, cold and cubed

1. Combine maple, mustards, vinegar, sugar, and garlic in a small saucepan; season and whisk well. Place over medium meat and bring to a gentle boil; immediately reduce to a low simmer. Cook for 5 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring and using wooden spoon to scrape bottom of pan.

2. Remove pan from heat. Add a few pieces of the cold cubed butter and swirl pan gently until even melted and smooth. Taste and continue to add butter, a couple cubes at a time, until desired richness is achieved. Taste and adjust sweetness, acidity, and seasoning to your liking.

Glazed Spiral Bone-In Ham

Serves: 12–16

Ham: 6–8 lb spiral-sliced bone-in ham

Glaze

½ cup apple cider, orange juice, or water

½ cup maple syrup or honey

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup Dijon or whole-grain mustard

2 tbsp + 1 tsp molasses

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Optional Flavor Add-Ins

2 tbsp bourbon

Spices: ¼ tsp cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg

Slices of fresh ginger

Additional mustard or vinegar for more sharpness

Additional Worcestershire for more savoriness

Freshly ground black pepper, or cayenne pepper or chili flakes

1. Prepare ham and oven: Place ham cut-side down on a rack set inside a roasting pan and let sit for 30 – 60 min to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 275°F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Add about ¼ inch of water to the bottom of the pan; cover tightly with foil, ensuring there are no gaps (double-foil if needed).

2. First Bake (Covered): Bake until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 120°F, about 2–2½ hours. Check occasionally to ensure that a little water remains at the bottom of the pan; add water if needed.

3. Make the Glaze: Combine all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer gently over low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 12–18 minutes. Taste and adjust sweetness, acidity, or spice as desired (I usually like to boost the sharpness with more mustard or acid).

4. Glaze & Second Bake (Uncovered): Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Uncover the ham and brush on 1/3 of the glaze, getting it into all the spiral layers. Return to the oven and bake about 8 minutes. Remove ham from oven and brush on an additional 1/3 of glaze; return to oven for another 8 minutes. Remove ham from oven and brush on the final 1/3 of glaze; return to oven to cook until the internal temperature reaches 140°F, and the glaze is sizzling and forming a glossy crust. Times can vary—check frequently. Remove from oven and let rest 20–25 minutes before slicing.

Pan Sauce (Optional)

1. Strain drippings from the roasting pan into a small saucepan; discard solids. Skim off and discard excess fat.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 4–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick enough to coat a spoon. Spoon over sliced ham.

Notes & Variations

If using a non-spiral ham: Score the fat in a shallow crosshatch pattern (do not cut into the meat). Stud with whole cloves if desired.

If using a boneless ham: The first covered bake will be shorter, about 1½ hours.