This is an interesting recipe because it calls for a favorite of Amish cooks: clear-gel. Clear-jel is a thickener often used in pie fillings. This is one of the few times I've run across its inclusion in an entree or savory recipe.
I can often find clear-jel in Amish-owned bulk food stores. You could use cornstarch in this recipe as a substitute. Clear-jel and cornstarch are not 100 percent interchangeable, but they are most of the time. This is a decent explanation of the differences between the two.
Clear-jel is a modified version of cornstarch and where you begin to run into problems substituting one for the one is in home-canning where a ton of science and chemical reactions take place. But for barbecued ham? If you don't have clear-jel, yea, just use cornstarch!:)
The instructions in this recipe are VERY sparse. This recipe comes from an Amish woman in Kentucky and I'm sure she knows exactly what she is doing in preparing it, but...you are going to have to use some guesswork. I am sure the flavors are good, though. It's obvious the ham is cooking on stove-top, my guess in a skillet. Mix all of the ingredients together and pour over the ham. Simmer until the ham is tender and then thicken the juice with clear-jel or cornstarch. Give it a try!
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 /2 cup onion
- 1 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons mustard
- 1 /4 cup vinegar
- 1 /2 cup water
- 1 1 /2 pound chopped ham
- Cook together and add clear-jel to thicken slightly. Enjoy!
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