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James's Boiled Ham

14 to 15 pounds of country ham

1 tablespoon of ground allspice

1 teaspoon of ground cloves

2 bay leaves

1 jar (16 oz.) sorghum molasses

Remove the ham hock with a saw; save for soups and seasoning vegetables.   Place the ham in a large pot and cover with water.  Bundle up the spices and bay leaves in a square of triple-layered cheesecloth; tie with string.  Add the spice packet & the molasses to the pot.  Bring the liquid to a boil and boil for 5 minutes per pound of ham (1 hour & 10 to 20 minutes).  Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes per pound of ham (41/2 to 51/2 hours).

Remove the pot from the heat and let the ham cool in its cooking liquid until it is cool enough to handle. Remove the ham from the pot and trim off any fat. Carefully remove the ham bone. Refrigerate the ham before slicing thinly (it is easier to slice when cold). Serve the ham cold or reheat it if desired.

Baloney is flattery so thick that it can not be true and blarney is flattery so thin that we like it.

- Bishop Fulton J. Sheen