Maryland's Stuffed Take On Classic Ham Is A Cheat Code For Big Flavor

Crabcakes and Old Bay seasoning are amongst Maryland's most famous contributions, but stuffed ham is a local specialty dating back centuries. Originating in St. Mary's county, a southern coastal region in Maryland, salt-cured ham is riddled with holes that are stuffed with a blend of kale, cabbage, and onions, seasoned with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and then baked for hours.

The history of stuffed ham dates back to the 17th century, when slaves worked Maryland's tobacco plantations. Slaves were often allowed to grow small plots of vegetables, and their owners would supply them with undesired scraps of ham. In their culinary ingenuity, the slaves would use their hearty vegetables to elevate and complement the ham scraps by wrapping the meat around a blend of vegetables, securing the meat with a rag, and boiling the stuffed ham until cooked. The recipe gained popularity outside of the plantations and remained a fixture in St. Mary's county culinary traditions long after slavery was abolished.

The undesirable scraps were replaced with corned ham, and stuffed ham became a household staple for holiday gatherings. As the local demographic changes, stuffed ham has lost the popularity of centuries past. However, local establishments keep the tradition alive, serving stuffed ham to faithful customers.

Recipes for stuffed ham date back to the Antebellum period, and while they haven't changed much over three centuries, they're less and less a regular fixture in households. Local restaurants and delis in St. Mary's county continue the tradition, often putting modern twists on stuffed ham like incorporating it into cold sandwiches or transforming it into an egg roll filling.

Modern recipes swap ham jowls and other remnants for whole smoked or cured, boned hams, filling the crevices left by the bones with the classic blend of leafy greens and aromatics. Still, a stuffed ham takes around six hours to roast. So, if you're not willing to put in the time, you can evoke the rich earthy umami flavors of greens and ham in simpler adaptations. For example, you could swap kale and cabbage for collard greens as ham is also a key ingredient in this equally classic Southern collard greens recipe. We also have a recipe for southern fried cabbage that sautes cabbage with butter, onions and bell peppers, using bacon instead of ham for that decadent savoriness. You can deconstruct the stuffed ham by serving a glazed or smoked ham with sauteed kale or these roasted cabbage wedges. For an upgrade on deconstructed stuffed ham, serve ham with Irish colcannon, a mashed potato recipe infused with cabbage and kale.