What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Waste Not, Want Not: Cottage Ham! I’ve made this dense cottage ham three different ways: slow-cooker, stove-top, and oven-bake. The best results came when I used the Le Creuset cast iron enameled Dutch oven.* It seemed to distribute the heat more evenly. The ham was fork-tender, moist, and juicy. Because the pan locks in the moisture, you can keep it warm in the oven until dinner time by reducing the oven temperature after the first three hours. Any leftover cooking water can be used as a soup base the following day.
COTTAGE HAM
Ingredients:
2 pound smoked shoulder butt
8-10 black peppercorns
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 bay leaves
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Rinse cottage ham to remove excess salt. Place cottage ham in a 3.5-quart Dutch oven. Add enough water to fill 2 inches above ham. Add black peppercorns, brown sugar, and bay leaves. Cover with lid. Bake cottage ham two hours. Check water level to keep the pan from going dry. If it does, add a little more water. The absorption allows the ham to be fork-tender, not chewy. Bake one hour longer, if necessary. The ham is done when the internal temperature is 160°. Serve with potatoes and vegetables of choice.
*I receive no recompense for mentioning this product.
snapshotsincursive 
The best things in the kitchen often are made in Le Creuset! My go-to soup pot!
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Soooo, it’s not really possible to have too many???! 🤔
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I’ll let you know, still doing research…
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Hahaha. Me, too. I actually bought some from France (individual crocks with lids) because I liked the colors and they weren’t available in the US.
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Sounds very interesting! I’ll have to take a look.
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Nice recipe. I’m lucky enough to have several pieces of Le Creuset cookware.
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All they all different colors?
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Red, blue and gold. All purchased in different years and places.
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Mine, too. Orange, Blue, and Red. I like the new shade of green!
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How flavorful is this ham!
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It’s a Cincinnati favorite, so it took me awhile to find a butcher shop that sold them. My husband grew up having cottage ham dinners often. 💜🍃
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A great one to cook ahead and use in several meals.
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That’s the idea. Now you’re talking. 😋
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Deliciousness. 😋
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