I have two ways in which I regularly cook a ham, firstly by roasting it and secondly by boiling it. I will cover each here in turn.
It is always better to cook a ham with the bone still in it. This imparts extra flavour to the meat. Similarly, the fat should always be left in place and discarded only after the allotted cooking period.
The first thing we have to do is soak the ham to get rid of all the salt which will remain in it from the curing process. Simply place it in a large pot or bowl, add enough cold water to completely cover the meat, cover the pot or bowl and leave it overnight. The next day, if we are going to roast the ham, we have to dry it thoroughly beforehand with a clean tea towel.
Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit/160 degrees Celsius/Gas Mark 3. Peel and half two onions and half two apples. Either de-core the apples first with the proper tool for doing so or do so by making two slits in the shape of a v in each half. Place the four onion halves and three of the apple halves in to a roasting tin and place the ham on top. Place the final apple half atop the ham to prevent the aluminium foil you are then going to cover the tray with from touching and sticking to the ham. Roast for 20 minutes per pound.
When the ham comes out of the oven, be sure to let it rest for at least half an hour on a plate, covered with more aluminium foil, before carving. The apples, the onions and the juices can be blended then re-heated to form a delicious gravy for the meat, or you can prepare your own apple sauce from scratch.
If boiling a ham, there is obviously no requirement to dry it after its overnight soaking! Simply place it in a large pot and completely cover with boiling water. You may choose to add a few cloves to the water. Bring back to the boil and simmer gently for about 20 minutes per pound.
When the ham is ready, remove it from the pot, then later, when you have carved it, return the bone to the pot and allow to cool overnight. The next day, remove and discard the bone, strain the stock and use it to make a delicious soup with any remaining pieces of ham, two handfuls of frozen peas, one diced carrot and a handful of freshly chopped parsley. Add all the ingredients to the pot bar the parsley and simmer for 30 minutes, adding the parsley 5 minutes prior to the end of the allotted time.
This latter method of cooking a ham essentially gives us two meals for the price of one, both of which are absolutely delicious.