How to Cook a Ham Shank

Ham shank is the lower end of a whole, bone-in ham.

Ham shank is the lower half of the rear leg of a hog. It contains a portion of the femur bone and the hip joint. Ham can be fresh, cured or cooked. Cured ham has salt and various chemicals added, plus "sugar, molasses or honey, seasonings, phosphates and cure accelerators...for preservation, color development and flavor enhancement," states the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Even dry-cured hams benefit from cooking.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh, cooked or cured ham shank
• Vegetable brush
• Handful of whole cloves
• 1 or 2 cans sliced pineapple, with juice
• Meat thermometer
• Roasting bag
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dark rum
• Roasting pan
• Small bowl
• Basting brush
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup frozen orange juice, partially thawed
• 1 tsp. onion powder

Instructions

1. Rinse and scrub the outside of your ham with a vegetable brush if it is dry-cured. Do not scrub or soak fresh, cooked, wet-cured or smoked hams.

2. Trim the fat layer until it is 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick all over. Score the fat into a diamond pattern by making 1/2-inch wide cuts at a 45-degree angle to the shank bone going right to left, and reversing the angle to cut from left to right.

3. Lay pineapple slices on your ham. Secure them with three to four long, whole cloves each. Insert your meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat until it touches the bone and pull it back 1/4-inch.

4. Open your roasting bag and add 2 Tbsp. flour. Close and shake the bag until the flour is evenly distributed.

5. Place your ham inside the bag without dislodging the pineapple slices. Pour the pineapple juice and rum over the entire ham, getting as much of it into the scored pattern in the fat as possible.

6. Close the bag and tie it shut, trimming the end so it will not touch your roasting pan. Cut four to seven slits in the top of the bag for steam to escape during cooking.

7. Roast at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes per pound, until the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Recipe Tips advises that a fully-cooked ham is fine heated to 140 degrees F.

8. Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup partially thawed frozen orange juice and 1 tsp. onion powder in a small bowl to make your glaze. Remove your ham from the oven and peel away the bag. Brush the entire ham with a thick layer of glaze, getting as much of it into the scored pattern as possible.

9. Return your ham to the oven until your meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F. Remove ham from the oven and let it stand for ten to fifteen minutes before carving.

Tips & Warnings

• If desired, add two to three pounds of fresh green beans and six to eight medium-sized, quartered potatoes to the bag during cooking. Remove vegetables from the bag before glazing the ham and drain away any drippings before serving. Run warm water over the vegetables to rinse away as much fat as possible if anyone is on a low fat diet.

References

• USDA Food Inspection and Safety Service: Ham and Food Safety
• Recipe Tips: Roasting Ham

Resources

• Meals for You: Guide to Meat Cuts -- Pork