Southern Maryland Stuffed Ham
The St. Mary's County holiday classic: corned ham packed with spicy kale, cabbage and onion, wrapped in cloth, simmered for hours and served cold.
- Full Meals
- Cast iron / Dutch oven
- Pork
- Dinner
- 330 min total
- Serves 20
Ingredients
Ingredients for servings
Enter a number of at least ½, in steps of ½.
Original recipe serves 20. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.
Ham
- 12 lb bone-in corned ham, fresh ham cured in brine, NOT smoked; order ahead from a butcher
Stuffing
- 2 lb kale, stems removed
- 1 green cabbage, about 2 lb, cored
- 2 yellow onions, large
- 1 bunch celery, leaves and inner stalks, optional
- 2 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes, use 1 tbsp for milder
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
- 1 tbsp celery seed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Equipment
- 1 cheesecloth, large, or a clean cotton pillowcase
Gear
- Very large stockpot (at least 20 quarts)
- Sharp boning knife
- Cheesecloth or clean cotton pillowcase
- Kitchen twine
- Instant-read thermometer
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Steps
Step 1: MAKE THE STUFFING: Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Blanch the kale and cabbage in batches for 2 minutes each, just to wilt them. Drain and squeeze out as much water as you can.
Step 2: Finely chop the kale, cabbage, onions and celery by hand or in short pulses in a food processor. You want small, but not mush. Toss everything with the red pepper, black pepper, mustard seed, celery seed and salt.
Step 3: CUT THE HAM: Trim the thick skin off the ham, leaving a thin layer of fat. With a sharp boning knife, cut deep X-shaped or straight slits about 2 inches long and 3 to 4 inches deep, spaced about 2 inches apart, all over the ham. Go almost to the bone.
Step 4: STUFF IT: Push the greens into every slit as tight as you can with your fingers. Really pack it. Pat the leftover stuffing all over the outside.
Step 5: WRAP IT: Wrap the ham tightly in a double layer of cheesecloth (or slide it into a pillowcase) and tie it closed with kitchen twine so the stuffing stays put.
Step 6: SIMMER: Put the ham in a big stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring it to a boil, then turn it down to a gentle simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes per pound (about 4 hours for 12 lb), until the meat is very tender and reads at least 160°F deep in the meat.
Step 7: COOL: Turn off the heat and let the ham cool in the cooking water for 1 to 2 hours. Then lift it out, set it in a pan, and refrigerate overnight still wrapped.
Step 8: SERVE: Unwrap, slice thin across the stuffed pockets so every slice has ribbons of green. Serve cold or at room temperature, plain or on soft white bread or rolls.
Game plan
This is a two-day project. Serve it at a Christmas or Easter spread with other dishes.
- 1 to 2 weeks before: Order a corned ham from a butcher. Outside Southern Maryland you’ll likely have to ask specifically.
- Day before, morning: Blanch and chop the greens. Cut, stuff and wrap the ham (about 1.5 hours).
- Day before, midday: Simmer about 4 hours.
- Day before, evening: Cool in the liquid, then refrigerate overnight.
- Serving day: Unwrap and slice 1 hour before guests arrive. Set out with rolls, mustard and the rest of the spread. No oven needed, which frees it up for everything else.
Swaps
- Greens: All kale or all cabbage works. Some families add mustard greens or watercress.
- Heat: Cut the red pepper in half for kids, or double it if your family likes to sweat.
- Can’t find corned ham: Ask the butcher to brine a fresh ham for you. A smoked ham is not a good substitute.
Tips
- Slice across the pockets, not along them, so every slice gets a stripe of stuffing.
- Leftover stuffing from inside the pockets is great mixed into scrambled eggs.
The story
HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.
Every region has its holiday dish. Down in Southern Maryland, especially St. Mary’s County, ours is stuffed ham. If you’re not from there, you may never have heard of it. If you are from there, you already have opinions about how spicy it should be and whose family makes it best.
It looks wild the first time you see it: a ham cut full of deep pockets, packed with chopped greens, onion and enough red pepper to wake you up. The reason it works is the corned ham. It’s been cured in brine but not smoked, so it’s salty and tender without being overpowering. As it simmers, the greens and spices season the ham from the inside, and the ham’s salt and fat season the greens right back. It’s served cold, sliced thin, and it’s one of the best things you’ll ever put on a soft roll.
It takes two days, a giant pot and a little faith. It’s worth every minute. Make it once and you’ll understand why folks back home guard it like a family secret.
HAM out.
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