How to Make a Slow-Roasted Fresh Ham and St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake Bars

Test cook Christie Morrison makes host Julia Collin Davison a show-stopping Slow-Roasted Fresh Ham. Next, equipment expert Adam Ried reveals his top pick for inexpensive stand mixers. Finally, test cook Bryan Roof makes host Bridget Lancaster famous St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake Bars.
Get the recipe for Slow-Roasted Fresh Ham: cooks.io/3wFQ5De
Get the recipe for St. Louis Gooey Butter Cake: cooks.io/2UMR33k
Buy our winning chef's knife: cooks.io/2YAbxeC
Buy our winning roasting pan: cooks.io/2O3NXAu
Buy our recommended baking pan: amzn.to/3hFqSV2
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America's Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
cookscountry.com
/ cookscountry
/ testkitchen
/ cookscountry
/ testkitchen

[@jesuslovesyou919]

thanx a million Christie Morrison 4 displaying ur true happiness & fun-loving self -- u r a natural 😃

[@geezermann7865]

Great recipe for the famous St Louis ooey gooey butter cake, better as bars. And Christie is awesome at everything she does.

[@NC-qc7wd]

My mother, when alive, made Ham for New Year's dinner, we called it Pernil which is a Portuguese word, and Pierna de Puerco en Spanish. It was the best in the world, however, it was more than just a shank, it was the whole entire leg. She injected it with red sweet wine first. Then, she inserted cloves in different cavities, and those cavities were stuffed with raisins, olives, capers, onions, garlic, chunks of bacon, and more. Marinated for a day and then cooked it for 8 hours probably, and as it was over 20 kilos, which is about 45 lbs. This ham was incredible. She never used a plastic cooking bag though. Then, her final touch before cooking was finishing it by decorating it with fresh pineapple slides and big plums. I had never eaten anything like it from no one and we don't know from where she came up with that recipe. She was an incredible cook! Miss her so much, this July 31st, 2021 would have been her 91 birthday. ;-(

[@jacquelynn2051]

This is how you live forever: someone you’ve loved still speaks of you after you passed on. I’m happy you have her recipe. Have you ever made the ham like your Mom? It sounds delicious!

[@idamcloughlin3731]

Only one mother, what a precious memory, thanks for sharing.

[@LGAussie]

Ask her sisters or brothers or her ex co-workers or neighbors if they knew about this recipe. I searched for my grandmas recipe, and couldn’t find anyone who knew it. Then I thought I would ask the grandchildren of my grandmothers sister. Yup!! Found it!! So, ask the children of ur grandmothers sibling. They usually cooked similar.

[@lilrustee]

Love your show and I’ve watched for years. This is the first time I think I actually swooned. That ham! Yum! 😂

[@haroldtakahashi8875]

💛...need some recipes for a variety of chicharrones...

[@Shermanbay]

I lived in St. Louis as a kid. We stopped by a bakery after church every Sunday to get a loaf of bread and a gooey butter cake. The church was Hell, but the bakery was Heaven.

[@rbrearey]

There’s a German bakery here in Philadelphia that has a local version of butterküchen. A mess but so good

[@cookingsimplydelicious]

Looks so good recipe you made, thank you for sharing your recipe.

[@mighty_01]

gorgeous ham, just beautiful and so flavorful, my mouth is watering I can't wait to present this on my holiday table!

[@rodmckenzie9089]

You got to love any recipe that has "gooey" in the title 😋

[@jacquelynn2051]

I’m gonna try this ham recipe for x mas this year. It was simple enough and it looks delicious!

[@CopperLace]

Thanks for this, homestead favs.

[@carolhamilton5164]

Total agree with the Kitchen aid as I have had mine +or- 50 years. when i was younger I sold made to order cakes. My icing needed to whip 20 minutes and most mixers can't handle that long term. I also baked bread three times a week for several years as we didn't buy bread from a store for that time.

[@laurreneberry3480]

So far I want to try them all.

[@spritualandhealthy7704]

Wow I’m so glad I found this video🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰Thank you so much for this video I just brought my first time fresh ham and now I no how to cook it thank u🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@beverlyhenninger1056]

Thank you you will keep us mixer makers working

[@strength8015]

Looks delious

[@joshmccollen700]

6:00 "Ham bomb" was my nickname in the cub scouts.

[@jamesdiehl8690]

Love that ham recipe!

[@maryschiff9580]

That’s a great recipe. I lived in the Lou for many years so I know what I’m talking about!

[@geezermann7865]

Christie and Ashley are both great cooks and fun to watch. I hope ATK can get them on again in the shows they are doing "from home". I have seen Becky, and Lan, and Keith, and Dan.

[@jusssayin480]

Christie and Ashley are on Cook's Country shows. The "from home" shows are on America's Test Kitchen. That's why you haven't seen them.

[@geezermann7865]

@@jusssayin480 Aahhh, okay, that splains it. Thanks for the reply!

[@jusssayin480]

@@geezermann7865 You're welcome!

[@cindyjohnson5152]

Missing you guys on PBS 👍🏽😟

[@mereth13]

Second opinion - despite some minor shortcomings, I quite like my Cuisinart SM50 mixer (the blue one they have on the table). It was cheaper than the KitchenAid by a substantial amount, more powerful, and has a larger capacity bowl. It wiggles a little with tough doughs because it's lighter, but not excessively, and it makes it less burdensome to move (IIRC it's about 7 pounds lighter than the KA). I also don't love the knob control for speed, but that's just because I was used to the lever. IMO, if you can't afford the KA professional line (the $550ish model) go for the Cuisinart. I got mine for $135, and I've seen it even lower, and at that price, I think it's a steal.

[@carolefarley5050]

Wow! Beautiful and delicious 😋

[@comfybike1]

Yummy !

[@barbprosst6066]

I have my classes kitchen aid for 25 years and still going strong ❤

[@Gibbs-rq4yg]

That looks sooooooo good...... Man i need to get out and buy me a ham

[@surfacingcom]

After my parents moved from Ohio to Georgia, my dad went to a butcher and asked for a fresh ham. The butcher said, "Sir, ALL our hams are fresh."

[@jharri1]

lolz

[@hansmuller3604]

No need to cut the skin. Roasted skin is very delicious. Real crunchy and essential to Schweinshaxn which would be the german translation to roasted ham

[@rtward9]

delicious fresh ham

[@KaizokuShojo]

Tbh I am shocked you removed the skin. It's beyond delicious when cooked slow. Like, the best part!

[@beverlyhenninger1056]

Thank you l help mack that muchens. In Greenville Ohio.

[@Mzsofrito]

Looks wonderful

[@fauxtaux]

This all looks fabulous. Unfortunately, it is supposed to get up to 105° so I am not turning on my oven for any reason. I’m looking for a grilling idea for boneless pork chops.

[@jamesdiehl8690]

You should live in the Midwest! I have some friends of the family who's two sons have hog farms. Over 1500 head of hogs in Western Kansas. Porkers are plentiful around here.

[@georgequirk8280]

Yum...

[@cookingwithsavet5120]

I like the intro part of the story of the pig

[@charlenegamble3204]

Yummy

[@LGAussie]

Can u do this with a shank ham. Would the flavors work the same on it?

[@cuzzycuzcuz]

You missed saying, "Use that bone as a HAMdle!"

[@sunblock8717]

Thankfully

[@EnPeeSee]

I'm surprised by the seasoning pocket in the ham, I would think marinating the whole ham for a day would be a better solution to ensure penetration of all the flavors and salt.

[@jusssayin480]

Did you actually try the recipe?

[@Donaldopato]

Russell’s is to die for. Great people. Had gender reveal party there for grand daughter. Good dinner food too. Had much Gooey butter cake in my day, this is best!

[@victorbenner539]

I have to try this but instead of a oven I'll do this in a water smoker without the bag. Maybe a few cloves. 😋👍🔥🐖

[@gerardhaubert8210]

Is it the skin that makes the crackling?

[@theresaiwright7085]

Yes

[@briantuma1502]

They missed an opportunity to put that ham over the top by removing the skin. Then again, it might not have gotten crispy in that cooking bag.

[@KenS1267]

@@briantuma1502 It's really hard to make skin crispy on a fresh ham and not ruin the meat. Way easier to cook the two separately. No idea why they didn't make cracklin to go with the ham though.

[@KOZGERFWAD]

The thumbnail of this video looks like it was taken from one of Christie’s dreams😂

[@ndzapruder]

I grew up with pork butts cloaked in dragon-scale chicharron! Builds the jaw line ;)

[@joegarreffa3088]

What type of Fat Separator was used? I am interested to purchase one.

[@danadyd59]

St. Louis gooey butter cake is the best!

[@sandras.435]

I would cut back on the sugar in the Gooey cake. That is sweet but looks so good.

[@cherylchristian5673]

And it is so yellow, I think it needs to be lemon-flavored

[@jusssayin480]

The recipe would not turn out correctly if you cut back on the sugar.

[@qutoobe]

I cannot believe that you wasted that pork skin. It's what they call in Puerto Rico the Cuero and it's delicious when it gets crispy and it also helps to keep moisture in the ham

[@Scott_Atlanta]

Some of us are also interested in Lan’s gooey butter bars.

[@steveskouson9620]

I'm interested in Lan. She is "easy on the eyes." steve

[@jmatt4life]

OMG!!! My eyes, my eyes!

[@pamelalalaable]

Please - what would that ham joint cost to buy?

[@janwalker7620]

Where to buy a Kitchen Aide Classic mixer?

[@theresaiwright7085]

Try going to KitchenAid website or QVC

[@ArtU4All]

Costco

[@cathyeller5722]

Can't even find a ham in my area to try the recipe on. We do have spam though.

[@kenmore01]

I don't think it's a ham, I think they started with a shank pork roast. They should have that at a supermarket near you. They turned it into a ham, but no curing, so the meat isn't pink.

[@backyardgrillmaster2910]

Oh baby!!! :0-)

[@MrRTWestra]

I make the fresh ham every Christmas and it’s great my family always looks forward to it

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

I BET THE PIG DIDN'T😦😦😓😓🐖🐷

[@MrRTWestra]

@@captainamericaamerica8090 sounds like you shouldn’t be watching cooking videos

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

@@MrRTWestra YOU'RE CLUELESS. COOKING INCLUDES SWEET YAMS. VEGGIES! PASTAS! FRUITS! BREADS! AND SO MUCH MORE! STOP STICKING YOUR FOOT👣IN YOUR BIG MOUTH😂😂

[@MrRTWestra]

All those items are also good, they are even better when you pair them with meat

[@toom8rs15]

Up heah in the knowtheast we call em fresh picnics

[@jimnewberry2759]

Talk about GOETTA!

[@patriciaaturner289]

That ham recipe could be easily adapted to leg of lamb.

[@joeees7790]

The linked cake recipe isn't close to what's done in the video.

[@Rackhir420]

Why not do actual gooey butter cake instead of shortbread?

[@geezermann7865]

They made their own recipe for bars based on the classic. I like it.

[@dougpettey7144]

White ham? Are the ones we usually get dyed?

[@bobby_greene]

Normal hams are cured with salt, sugar, and spices, and smoked. This one was fresh from the hog

[@stephenaustin3026]

@@bobby_greene So, not really a ham then. Just a large leg of pork.

[@dougpettey7144]

@@bobby_greene, thanks!

[@neverhomecompanion5087]

"regular" ham is pink because of nitrates in the curing salt

[@dougpettey7144]

@@neverhomecompanion5087 , thanks!

[@chinchina10]

❤❤

[@LGAussie]

Sauce…@7:36

[@guerrahp5180]

Omg

[@ApeNotMonkeyComic]

On what planet do they find a KitchenAid Classic Plus mixer for $210!?

[@MarMar828]

I need to see Jo Firestone's review of the Gooey Butter cake before I will accept this. (Dessert people know who I'm talking about!)

[@jamalpeoples3736]

I have had several Kitchen aides break on me making dough. Not even heavy weight. The only reason I keep using ot is b/c the warranty is for three years and Walmart will not give me a different brand. Never again.

[@louisevad6091]

How about sou vide

[@tims4777]

No link to the winning stand mixer. :(

[@jusssayin480]

You can't take a minute to find it yourself?

[@tims4777]

@@jusssayin480 I spent a great deal of time looking for it online. Let me know when you find it.

[@tims4777]

@@sandrah7512 I found that too. I am looking for the $210 mixer they reviewed.

[@tims4777]

@@sandrah7512 Yes I understand that. But why are they posting episodes that are so old? If they post an episode reviewing a $210 KitchenAid, they need to put up or shut up.

[@tims4777]

@@sandrah7512 I spent close to two hours online looking for the mixer which means you kept telling me things I already know. To make matters worse, you joined the conversation bragging that you found it in 30 seconds. You didn't find squat and neither did I.

[@SSSDiva171]

Where I come from, that is called a fresh pork roast, not ham. Ham is a pork roast that has been smoked and cured with salt, sugar and spices.

[@kevinmurphy5506]

Bacony flavor? Don't forget Bridget the baconator.

[@marilynsnider8183]

I noticed you didn't brine the ham.

[@davidbuben3262]

She dry brined it for 24 hours.

[@ShaunBMcKinnon]

I’m confused, I know the ham cuts of meat, but aren’t hams cured? This seems like a pork roast, just using ham cuts. Either way, it looks delicious!!!

[@HunterBidenCocaineBag]

Yes, that's definitely not a cured ham.

[@vickiegveg]

I agree, its pork roast. The thumbnail pic looks dry and tough as a boiled owl. 🤣

[@4plus4equalsmoo]

"thrives on neglect" sounds like me

[@trae4529]

So, in this case, it seems that “fresh ham” really refers to the cut of pork we usually associate with a SMOKED ham. Learned something new. Looks good, tho.

[@DaveChappeleIsGod]

The rear legs are called the ham.

[@howward4071]

That ham made me sweat. YUMMER!

[@briantuma1502]

So sad to see her removing all the potential chicarróne. Lol

[@Nocturne22]

Well it's getting steamed, so no point

[@lindadunn7656]

Yes! I cook my fresh hams with the skin cross hatched, hot oven for about 40 min then slow for hours. Delicious cracklings/chichronis

[@steveskouson9620]

"90% of the recipe, is scraping down the bowl." You NEED a good mixer! When was the last time I scraped down the bowl, on my Bosch Universal? I'll let you know when that happens. steve

[@WJK184]

Ham looks good but I'm not wrapping my food in plastic and cooking. Don't want plastic VOCs in my food.

[@djalexas1]

What's wrong with a Dutch oven? I'll never find this bag.

[@theresaiwright7085]

You can find the cooking bags at any grocery store. I have seen them at Dollar Tree, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Wal-Mart, Target.

[@raycreveling1583]

It won't fit in most dutch ovens. The bags are readily available in the US. If you're out of the US try a Restaraunt supply store.

[@djalexas1]

Ya options in Canada are limited. Thanks for the suggestions just the same.

[@markhgillett]

@@djalexas1 double wrap it in heavy duty foil

[@djalexas1]

@@sandrah7512 thank you

[@MuZiKiNmYMiNd]

The whole plastic oven bag thing weirds me out. I don't understand why they couldn't have just used a Dutch oven instead if they wanted that sealed environment for a slow even cooking.

[@bostonrailfan2427]

amazing how they completely ignored the highly touted brands that were a third to a fifth of the price yet performed better for everyone else except them…oh right, they’re not paid by those brands like Kitchen Aid is and ironic that they mentioned the sides of the mixing bowl yet need to constantly scrape the sides…for a winning mixer shouldn’t that not be a problem?

[@eleanorbrown34]

And they're wrong about the Bosch mixer. Adam said that the lid has to be in place to operate which is false. I have that mixer as well as a Kitchen Aid and use the Bosch regularly. It outperforms the Kitchen Aid every time.

[@jusssayin480]

If you think they're not reliable why do you watch the videos?

[@jbfarley]

Derp

[@eleanorbrown34]

@@jusssayin480 I don't think they're consistently wrong. I happen to know they're wrong about THIS particular equipment evaluation regarding the operation of the Bosch mixer because I HAVE the exact model and use it regularly WITHOUT the lid.

[@KenS1267]

? Cook's Illustrated isn't paid by anyone but subscribers. They accept no ads from anyone. Why did you just lie? Their review process is not perfect, no review process is, but it certainly is the best one in the home kitchen world.

[@hairmandan]

Leave the ham in the fridge 24 hrs. I think you forgot to say that in the recipe.

[@ryannordheimer]

HIDDEN SPICE CABINET LOL

[@KillerCornMuffin]

That ham dish should be posted on an adult site, that was borderline nsfw.

[@ezzyalvarez7206]

They need to be makin salads....

[@abelromero8967]

I'm calling Claire Saffitz on the gooey butter cake...

[@pam0626]

Why isn’t the ham pink? It looks more like pork loin than ham…

[@sbender3787]

Because it is a fresh ham. It has not been cured. The curing process is what turns it pink.

[@pam0626]

@@sbender3787 Got it. Thanks!

[@stellatomas2735]

If these 2 don't make you want to diet, your already thin....

[@monicaeliza5715]

Please add time stamps, guys... thank you

[@jusssayin480]

huh?

[@briantuma1502]

@@jusssayin480 Time stamps in the description that indicate when each segment starts.

[@jusssayin480]

@@briantuma1502 Okay - I just forward the video to what I want to see.

[@mayonnaise9332]

It looks delicious but i dont condone cannibalism

[@racheldavis5229]

NOOOOO!!! The skin is the best part! Leave it on and skip the bag! Crunchy, crispy pork skin....

[@jusssayin480]

Not everyone likes to eat fat.

[@racheldavis5229]

Then don't eat the fat. Just eat the crispy skin and the meat.

[@Tkdbar]

Looks kind of grainy and dry

[@gayguy9603]

Recycling old product reviews as new and acting “surprised” at their performance.

[@jbfarley]

Nope. New products are made all the time. Most of the products they review are absolutely not what they reviewed before. They compare them to either their old favorite or the modern equivalent, which is the intelligent thing to do.

[@gayguy9603]

You, like so many don’t understand. They all know the outcome of the products before they go on camera and they act like they are just hearing it for the first time . And, all of these same machines have been reviewed in the past against KA. But, people like you believe this crap so they are achieving their goal.

[@MrChristian]

Why the negativity? If you’re not a fan, that’s cool, watch videos that please you

[@MrChristian]

@@sandrah7512 Very cool and fascinating info, I really appreciate you sharing this.

[@carinwiseman4309]

How about showing some vegan recipes, instead of all these horrendously unhealthy recipes.

[@briantuma1502]

There’s plenty of other videos on KZbin that feature vegan recipes. Search “vegan recipes” it really is that simple, Carin.

[@dianekulp1120]

Pork is unclean meat.

[@ChrisLari]

I like AmTest’s topics but i hate the production value… it’s just so traditional and outdated, the pacing and transitions can be slow and bad.

[@kippaseo8027]

First of all they need to get rid of that woman who looks like Mama June from their lineup. I was having difficulty telling which one was her and which one was the ham and second this must be a really old review video if they think that a KitchenAid Classic Plus goes for only $210

[@suefrack2958]

Sticks and stones may break bones, but words can break a heart, shatter a soul, and deflate the spirit so always be mindful of what you say and if you can't say anything nice then don't say anything at all.

[@theresaiwright7085]

Shame on for making fun of someone's size. Not everyone can be a size zero. If you don't like it then don't watch these videos.

[@maryloufrisch54]

You are clueless. That is a new model of Kitchen Aid. It’s not an old video. As for your fat shaming monologue-please, I am sure you do not have the credentials Betsy has. Plus, do you really trust a skinny chef? Look at what they found under Giada DeLarentis’ tables-she gets rid of the food she tastes. Besides, Betsy is pretty and so lovely. You know life happens, no matter how hot you look at 35, doesn’t mean you will look like that at fifty. You will find out. I hope they have to butter the door jambs to get you out of the house someday.

[@theresaiwright7085]

@@maryloufrisch54 Her name is Christie not Betsy.

[@jusssayin480]

What a nasty comment Kip. Does it make you feel more masculine to put down women?