A delicious boiled ham recipe that falls apart and melts in your mouth. This recipe is perfect for special occasions like Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner or anytime you are feeding a crowd of guests because its easy, doesn’t require a lot of your attention, and it works every time!
Boiled ham is our families favorite way to eat ham. One because it tastes damn good, but also because its as easy as filling a pot with water, adding some seasonings, a few vegetables and walking away.
The simplicity makes it an awesome dish to feed a crowd of people, and the taste makes it the perfect choice for special occasions.
Boiled ham dinner with scalloped potatoes is one of Kevin’s favorite meals so I like to make it for him once in a while, but I usually do this when we are having guests as well, just because its so good, everyone loves it, and its such an easy meal!
I also get a ton of leftovers when I am boiling a ham so it makes lunches easy and delicious for Kevin and I over the next few days. I usually pick a big ass ham regardless of how many people were having over just to make sure I have leftovers.
A meal that’s easy for entertaining but also makes my life easier during the week as well is a win win!
Why Boil A Ham?
Boiling is a great way to heat up your ham before serving. This method keeps the moisture in the ham while cooking and therefore, the ham stays tender and juicy. It also adds flavor to the ham when you add aromatic veggies to the pot as well as other flavors like spices or juice.
Tools You Need
- Kick Ass Stock Pot – this monster stock pot is awesome quality and will end up being your go-to for these boiled hams as well as soups
- Slightly Smaller Enameled Stock Pot – a little smaller, but way prettier and cheaper. Will do the trick nicely!
- Tongs – a necessity for getting your boiled ham out of the pot
Best Ham to Buy for Boiled Ham
You can use a couple of different cuts, but the main thing you want is to boil a ham with the bone in. A picnic ham, country ham, or any dry-cured bone in cuts will work.
You can also use a fresh ham, but you don’t see those very often. I think they would work really well actually and you would use the exact same method.
Do not try to boil a ham without a bone, I haven’t tried this, but I just don’t think you will get good results.
Is the Ham Already Cooked?
Most hams you buy will already be smoked so yes, it’s basically cooked. But you need to warm it up before eating it and boiling is a great way to do that.
Cooking the Ham
Its honestly so simple. This is all you need to do:
- add your ham to a big pot
- add your veggies, spices, bay leaf and fill the pot with water or any other liquid you want to use
- bring the pot of liquid to a simmer
- simmer the ham for about 20 mins per pound at a low temperature
- while its cooking, every once in a while skim any foam off the top of the pot. This is normal.
Tips to Make it Perfect
- I always make this boiled ham recipe with water because broth can get too salty, but you can use any liquid you choose. I like it sometimes with Apple Juice or Apple Cider. You could use Orange Juice… Or a mix… Whatever you feel like.
- just barely cover the ham with liquid. You don’t need it to be fully submerged.
- just simmer the ham gently. Don’t boil it at a high temperature.
- if you have the time, allow the ham to cool in the liquid before taking it out.
How long do you boil a ham?
A boiled ham should take about 20 mins per pound. Start with this calculation, but then you can check the ham every once in a while. If the meat starts separating from the bone really easy, that’s a good indication that it’s done.
You can also check the internal temperature with a thermometer. If the meat in the middle reaches 155 degrees Fahrenheit then its probably done.
If you use the temperature method, make sure to wiggle the bones a bit too so you can make sure it’s really tender before you take it out.
Can You Overcook a Ham?
Yes you can. Make sure to simmer at a low temperature and for not longer than necessary. Its harder to over cook a ham when you are boiling it, but it is possible!
Should You Let Ham Rest?
Yes! Always let any kind of cooked meat rest. It allows the molecules to slow down and relax. Then when you cut into it, the juices don’t all run out. Let your ham rest for about 20 mins after removing it from the water.
This boiled ham recipe always comes out so dang juicy and tender when its done. It pretty much just falls apart. You don’t need any fancy sauce to go with this and we often eat it with plain old mustard, but honey mustard, or apple sauce or apple compote would be yummy too.
Don’t forget to save the bone. Once you get the meat off, throw it in a freezer bag and into the freezer. Then later on, make bone broth with it and then split pea soup or some other ham soup with it. It will make your soup so much better than ordinary broth!
What to serve with your boiled ham dinner:
- easy celeriac soup – the absolute perfect soup to have with a boiled ham dinner. As an starter or just served with the ham itself.
- scalloped potatoes – a “must have with ham” in our family
- our favorite layered salad – a staple on all our holiday dinner tables
- broccoli salad recipe – sooo good and even non broccoli lovers will like it
- grilled caesar salad – unique and delicious salad option. Great for company!
If you’ve tried this boiled ham recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let us know how it turned out in the comments below. We love hearing from you!
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Fall Apart Boiled Ham
Ingredients
- 4-6 lbs bone in ham this is sometimes called a picnic ham or country ham
- 2 large onions cut into quarters
- 3 sticks celery chopped in quarters
- 2 large apples cut in quarters
- 5 – 8 cloves garlic smashed but not peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- a few peppercorns
- 1 tbsp salt
- liquid to cover water or a mix of water and juice is good
Instructions
- Rinse the ham well and put it in a big pot. Big enough so that all or at least most of it can be covered by the liquid. Throw in all the other ingredients into the pot and fill with the liquid until the ham is covered or almost covered. Water or whatever liquid you choose.
- Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat so its simmering. Let it simmer for 20 mins per lb or until a thermometer reaches 155 degrees when inserted into the ham.
- Pull the Ham out of the pot, cover it and let it rest for 20 mins.
- Cut the fat and skin off and slice or pull it into pieces. Serve it up and watch the ham melt in your mouth! So good!
I bought a 6 lb already smoked shoulder cut. Is that the right ham to use? Cooked?
Yup, a smoked shoulder will work. It should have the bone in.
Can you do this to already cooked ham to get meat off bone and tender for a casserole?
Ya absolutely.
Try it with cabbage mixed with onion. Delish.
I always do a boiled picnic shoulder, this year for convenience sake i want to boil it day before. I have been told to warm it up the following day by wrapping it in tin foil and place in slow cooker. Do I add liquid. Does this sound like a good way to warm it up.
To be honest, I would just put it in a covered roaster and bake it in the oven at say 250 degrees and yes, I would add some liquid to the roaster. You could do the slowcooker too I guess, but it would take way longer. I might be worried about it drying out some too though, so you could make a glaze for it before you put it in the oven or slow cooker.
After reviewing a dozen or more articles on this subject, yours was the most informative. Thank you so much for the excellent information and recipe. My search is over!
Wonderful. Thank you for your comment! We hope you love the ham.
I am going to try your recipe tomorrow, and I have one question: Do you cover the stockpot while ham is simmering?
Yes, cover the pot if you can. Sometimes my ham is too big and it sticks out the side. Thats ok too, but if you can cover most of the pot at least its good. Otherwise you will loose too much liquid and have to keep adding some. Let us know how it turns out!
Thanks for a wonderfully delicious and easy recipe!
Very glad to hear you enjoyed it!
will this work for a boneless ham?
Hi Rachel, I actually dont know, Ive never tried it. I think that it might not just because the bone and fat is what keeps it really tender and boneless ham tends to be much much leaner. Although Im really not sure so if you try it, please let us know how it turned out!
Your recipe for boiled ham sounds wonderful! I am wondering whether the left-over broth should be saved as a basis for Senate Bean soup, or if it would be unsuitable for the soup or other dishes. Thank you for any comment you could give me.
Charlotte
Hi Charlotte, good question! I actually never have, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use it. You would just need to strain it and remove the fat. Either way, make sure to save the bone from the ham to boil again later for soup too!
I had the same question – that is, using the left over water from the boiled ham as a base for making soup. I am going to try it but am wondering if it might result in a soup that is too salty. Because of this I’m thinking of using half water and half broth in the recipe when boiling the ham bone. Any thoughts about ratio?
Hi Sue, your right, it could get salty. I want to say that you will probably be safe with half and half, but a safe bet is to taste it first and start with half and half for about half the liquid you need for your soup, taste it, and then add more broth or more water or a little of both depending on the taste. Hope that helps
I use it for pea soup and it is awesome
So glad you loved it!
Hi, i’m new to your site but this sounds great. Just one question. Your recipe calls for a bone in shoulder ham. Around here we call shoulders Boston butt and a ham is the rear upper rump of the hog. Am I missing something? Shoulder or ham?
Hi Prentice, were talking ham here, not the shoulder (or Boston butt) cut. The ham comes from the rear leg. Hope that helps.
I feel crazy. My mil tells me to get a pork shoulder picnic and low boil it 4-5 hrs and it’s perfect. I’ve tried a million times and mine always ends up like tasteless white meat and hers is always pink and salty. What the heck am I doing wrong over and over. I’ve tried covered. Uncovered. Simmering. Half heat. It’s making me feel absolutely silly! And they are expensive to keep cooking wrong.
Hi Rachel. I can really understand your frustration! Couple things… First of all, are you sure you have the right cut? That makes a huge difference. And does it have a bone in it? Also, maybe if your cut is smaller, you don’t need 4 or 5 hours. Check it after 1 and then 1.5 and then 2. Stick a fork in it and see if its getting tender. Start off with 20 mins per lb and then go from there. Also make sure your cooking at a slow simmer, not a full boil. Ive also seen some recipes say to leave the ham sit in the cooking broth for a couple hours after its done. You could try that too maybe? I think I might try that next time I make this in case it helps make it even more juicy. I hope you try again and I would love to hear if it finally works for you!
I always save the leftover ham water to make beans or split pea soup… for soup I usually only use 1/2 ham water, 1/2 other liquid so its not too salty. The ham water can be frozen so it can be used later (strain it first)… I freeze my ham bone too!
Also, I read Rachel’s post… maybe she is buying a “pork shoulder picnic” pork roast, not a ham. I have cooked this kind of pork roast before also… it is mostly white when cooked – the “pork shoulder picnic ham” is a pink, smoked ham.
Try boiling a ham with seafood boiling mix. I’m in Louisiana, so I use Zatarain’s. Also add onions, lemon and celery. It is awesome!!!!!
That does sound awesome!
That sounds like a gourmet trick! Like it.
I have a question regarding the fat rind. Do you trim it before you cook, or after?
I’ve cooked both ways but I’m curious how you do it. I always save the bone and broth and use it for pea soup. I check for saltiness and use water to offset as needed. I also freeze it to use at a later date if I’m not going to use it by the next day or two. If you refrigerate or freeze, the fat solidifies on top and makes removal a snap.
Great job on presenting your recipe. Merry Christmas!
I leave the fat on while cooking, but especially when boiling a ham, I don’t believe it matters much either way. Merry Christmas to you as well!
Thank for fresh ham info, try it tomorrow.
i picked up a spiral sliced u cured semi boneless ham can i use this too
No i wouldn’t use that kind of ham for boiling. Just roast it.