Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Recipes: Ham it up for the Grey Cup

The Grey Cup takes place Sunday and many football fans will have friends over to watch the game. If you’re planning to do that, and not yet strategized what you’ll feed your sure-to-be-hungry-group, add this meal idea to your playbook.

The Grey Cup takes place Sunday and many football fans will have friends over to watch the game. If you’re planning to do that, and not yet strategized what you’ll feed your sure-to-be-hungry-group, add this meal idea to your playbook.

I’ve come up with a very tasty, hearty and not-too-difficult-to-prepare bunwich you could serve. The star of this hand-held meal is succulent baked ham and uses a product sold at most supermarkets.

Ham comes from the back leg of the pig and often is cut into the shank portion, the lower part of the leg, and the hip or butt portion, the upper part of the leg. You can use either for today’s recipe, but I find the shank portion is easier to carve.

These hams are sold fully cooked and all you have to do is heat them up. While doing that, in the last half of the baking process, I brushed the ham with a root-beer glaze. That beverage gave the smoky ham a sweet and spicy taste, which was balanced by tart cider vinegar and other accents in the glaze.

Once baked, the ham develops a lovely, sticky crust and when sliced and piled into buns, tastes divine. The latter became truer when I decided to create a couple of condiments to complement the ham.

One was a quick-to-make mayonnaise flavoured with Dijon, honey and a touch of garlic. I felt I needed something to slather on the buns before setting in the ham and it worked well.

My other condiment was overnight-pickled red cabbage. I called it that because the shredded cabbage used in it needs to soak overnight in a brine to develop a fine flavour. The resulting pickle is a crisp, sweet and sour, stunningly purple/red condiment. Mound it on top of the ham in the bunwich and it will pair nicely with the salty, smoky taste of the meat.

I felt my bunwiches, although filling on their own, needed at least one side dish and I chose something I love: creamy potato salad. My twist on it was that I used a mix of different coloured — red, yellow, white and purple — miniature new potatoes. That gave the salad, visually, a little more life, as potatoes stood out more after being tossed with the mayonnaise- and sour cream-based dressing.

The ham should yield 12 to 16 bunwiches, depending on size of bun and how much meat is stuffed inside them. If you have any leftover ham, that won’t be a hardship as it will keep in the refrigerator a few days and can be used to make tasty bunwiches for another meal.

Root Beer Glazed Baked Ham Bunwiches

Sweet and spicy root beer anchors the tasty glaze that deliciously coats the smoky ham as it bakes. The ham makes a tasty hand-held meal when sliced and stuffed in buns with the pickled cabbage and flavoured mayo.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 2 hours

Makes: 12 to 16 bunwiches

7 to 8 lb shank or butt portion ham

1 1/2 cups root beer

1/2 cup chili sauce (see Note)

1/4 cup golden brown sugar

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, to taste

12 to 16 crusty hamburger or kaiser buns, split and warmed

• Dijon Honey Mayo, to taste (see recipe page C3)

2 cups shredded head or leaf lettuce, or to taste

• Overnight Pickled Red Cabbage, to taste (see recipe page C3)

Preheat the oven 325 F. Trim the ham of any tough outer skin. Use a sharp knife to score the top and sides of the ham in a diamond pattern, making shallow, criss-crossing cuts about 1 1/2-inches apart.

Set the ham in a shallow-sided roasting pan. Bake the ham, uncovered, 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, make glaze by placing the root beer, chili sauce, sugar, vinegar, cornstarch, Worcestershire and hot pepper sauce in a small pot. Whisk well to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer 1 minute, until lightly thickened, and then remove from the heat and reserve until needed.

When the ham has baked 60 minutes, baste the top, front and sides with 1/2 cup of the glaze. Bake ham 20 minutes more. Baste with 1/2 cup more of the glaze and bake another 20 minutes. Baste with 1/2 cup more glaze and bake 20 minutes more, or until the ham is richly coloured and piping hot in the centre.

Transfer the ham to a serving platter, tent with foil, rest 15 minutes, and then slice and arrange on a serving platter. Warm remaining root beer glaze and drizzle over ham. Allow your guests to make their own bunwiches, piling the meat into the buns and accenting it with the Dijon honey mayo, lettuce and pickled cabbage.

Note: The chili sauce used in this recipe is the sweet and tangy kind made by companies such as Heinz. You’ll find it for sale at supermarkets in the aisle ketchup is sold.

Overnight Pickled Red Cabbage

This crisp, sweet and sour, stunningly purple/red pickled cabbage needs an overnight soak in the refrigerator to develop its flavour. It pairs nicely with salty, smoky taste of the ham.

Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus soaking time

Cooking time: A few minutes

Makes: About 12 to 16 condiment-sized servings

6 cups thinly shredded red cabbage (about 1/2 small to medium head)

1 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar

3 Tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Pack cabbage in a tall jar or narrow, tall bowl. Place the vinegar, apple juice, sugar, mustard, salt and thyme in a small pot and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, or until sugar is dissolved. Pour mixture over cabbage. Push on cabbage with the tip of spoon to ensure the vinegar mixture submerges it. Cool cabbage to room temperature. Cover, refrigerate and let cabbage soak in the brine overnight. Enjoy the next day with the ham.

Dijon Honey Mayo

Here’s an easy-to-make, flavoured mayonnaise that goes great with the ham.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: None

Makes: About 1 1/4 cups

1 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp honey

1 small garlic clove, minced

1/2 tsp paprika

Combine all ingredients in a bowl or jar. Cover and refrigerate mayo until needed. Can be made many hours in advance of using.

Creamy Mixed Miniature Potato Salad

The miniature — about one- to two-inch round — new potatoes used in this recipe are available at most supermarkets. Some of the types available include white, red, yellow-fleshed and purple. Use a mix of them in this creamy version of potato salad flavoured with tangy mustard, and flecked with bits of vegetables and hard-cooked egg.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: About 20 minutes

Makes: 12 servings

3 lb. miniature new potatoes

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1/2 cup grated carrot

4 green onions, thinly sliced

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• splashes Worcestershire and hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

3 large hard-boiled eggs, cooled and chopped

Wash potatoes well, but do not peel. Cut potatoes into quarters and then place in a pot. Cover with cold water. Boil until just tender, but still holding their shape, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well, place in a bowl and cool to room temperature.

Now mix in the remaining ingredients, reserving a few of the green onions for sprinkling on the salad just before serving. Cover and refrigerate salad until needed. Salad can be made a few hours before needed. When ready to serve, sprinkle with remaining green onions and enjoy.

Eric Akis is the author of the hardcover book Everyone Can Cook Everything. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.

eakis@timescolonist.com