Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham
20-25 lb. corned ham
Stuffing
3-4 heads of cabbage, thinly sliced
3 lb. onions, yellow, diced
1 packed grocery bag of fresh kale, chopped
3 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 ½ Tbsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. mustard seed
2 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
2 pkg. cheesecloth
Get a large pot of water boiling.
Meanwhile, combine all of the cabbage, onion and kale in a large piece of cheesecloth. Blanche it for 10 minutes in the boiling water. Remove and squeeze out as much of the excess water as you can.
Spread the mixture out onto the counter. Mix in the seasonings, blending well.
Cut slits in the ham. Stuff the entire mixture into the ham, turning over and packing it in. Wrap the entire ham well in 2 sheets of cheesecloth, tying tight to secure. Place in a the pot of boiling water and simmer approximately 5 ½ hours or until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 165-170 degrees F.
Remove from the water and cool down as quickly as possible – ideally in an ice bath in a cooler. Refrigerate and slice to serve.
Recipe Courtesy of Darren Dahlstrom