Go HAM! Or, How to Use the Whole Ham

Say you ordered a whole ham. You lucky pig, you (fact: pigs were considered lucky in France). So you have this ham, and you spent the money and took the time to carve thin slices. And now you have this exposed bone and all this fat and some meat that you can’t quite cut off elegantly. What do you do with it? We have answers.

Ham Stock

Use this stock as a broth for steaming clams, cooking collard greens, for soups, grits, chawanmushi, or egg drop soup (hello, ham and eggs). Honestly, the possibilities are endless. Stock keeps in the fridge for about 5 days, but it freezes really well.

Didn’t buy a whole cured ham? You can still make ham stock from any trim, bacon, or ham bones and still get a similar stock.

How to Make Ham Stock

Okay, you might need a bone saw, depending if you have a very large pot at home and how large the ham bone is. You’ll want to carefully saw the bone in half so water will completely cover it. Make sure to take off any excess fat from the bone or save any while slicing to render it for ham fat.

Throw the bone in a pot and add water to cover. We keep it pure and don’t add any other vegetables or herbs. Bring the water up to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, and cook for at least 2-3 hours until you have a rich tasting stock. (If you go too long, it will only taste saltier and more intense as the water will begin to reduce. By the time you’re done, any meat in the pot should taste bland and dry because all the flavor is now in the stock.) It shouldn’t taste like Lindsay Bluth’s hot ham water and be described as, “Oooh…so watery. With just a smack of ham.” It should taste rich, borderline too salty, and oh so flavorful.

Ham Fat

Ham fat is perfect for ham fat mayonnaise (using ham fat in addition to canola oil), ham fat washed bourbon or sherry, add the fat when sweating onions and garlic in collard greens, or any recipe you want for a burst of richness, ham flavor, and salt.

The fat from cured ham can have a slightly bitter taste that hits you in very back of your throat, so taste the fat before going “ham” in a recipe. A little goes a long way.

How to Render (Ham) Fat

This works for any fat from an animal. Cut the ham fat into small pieces or grind it. Add a little water, and slowly simmer until all the fat has rendered out and there isn’t any water left (if there’s a little water left, it will separate from the fat when cool). You want to be careful so you don’t burn the fat as it will start to taste acrid. Strain the fat through a fine-meshed strainer and chill down in the cooler. Some sediment might pass through but it will sink to the bottom.