Few hunks of meat scream “vacation” like a burnished ham that glistens with a flavorful glaze. It’s no marvel why it’s the centerpiece of so many tables for Easter and different celebrations. Most individuals love ham, and it’s onerous to mess up. 

Since most hams are pre-cooked, you don’t have to fret about exact cooking instances or dried-out meat. In truth, probably the most difficult half about making ham could also be the way to choose one on the grocery retailer or butcher. Right here’s a information to decide on the best ham to your feast. 

Varieties of ham

Ham is the hind leg of a pig that’s often, however not all the time, cured with salt. Globally, ham encompasses a variety of cured pork merchandise like prosciutto and jamón serrano. These are among the foremost sorts you would possibly discover within the U.S.

• Metropolis ham: If you happen to’re considering of a vacation ham, it’s seemingly a metropolis ham: wet-cured (or brined) and pre-cooked. It’s usually smoked, spiral-cut, and reheated with a sticky glaze. Metropolis ham additionally exhibits up on the deli counter.
• Nation ham: Nation ham is a dry-cured American ham akin to prosciutto. It’s finest savored in paper-thin slices, not because the centerpiece of a desk.
• Contemporary ham: Contemporary ham, usually offered as pork leg or pork leg roast, is the uncured leg of the pig. It’s not as straightforward to seek out as different pork roasts like shoulder or loin, however is price looking for out. It falls someplace between tender and lean loin, and the unctuous, fall-apart texture of shoulder and butt.
• Picnic ham: This time period is typically utilized to the decrease a part of the shoulder. It’s smaller than a rustic ham and has extra fats. Picnic ham is cheaper than different hams and customarily used for sandwiches and soups.

Bone-in vs. boneless (and spiral-cut) ham

You’ll find high-quality hams, both bone-in and boneless, on the grocery retailer or butcher. The curing, cooking, and smoking processes are extra vital to the standard of a ham than whether or not it has a bone.

“Semi-boneless” hams have the large hip bone (or aitch bone) eliminated, however the central leg bone stays intact, which makes for simpler slicing. Semi-boneless, spiral-cut hams are probably the most offered ham within the U.S. Harry Hoenselaar invented the spiral-slicing machine within the early Nineteen Thirties, and popularized spiral-cut hams when he opened the primary Honey Baked Ham Co. retailer in Detroit in 1957. These hams are straightforward to serve, and the handfuls of grooves permit the glaze to seep into the meat.

If you need the convenience of a spiral-cut ham, however can’t discover one, strive a boneless ham, says PJ Jackson, co-owner of The Chop Store Butchery in Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina. “Boneless hams are an important different,” he says. “They reheat evenly and are straightforward to slice and serve.”

Methods to cook dinner a vacation ham

“Cooking” ham is a misnomer, as virtually all wet-cured hams are pre-cooked. Although you possibly can snack on it straight from the fridge, a pre-cooked ham’s texture and taste improves when it’s reheated. The fats softens, its juiciness may be enhanced by reheating in a moist atmosphere, and you may add a tasty glaze whereas it bakes. It’s additionally safer. Although there’s little threat of bacterial improvement in a ham that goes straight from fridge to oven, you wish to comply with USDA pointers.

“Despite the fact that a completely cooked ham is able to eat, when you’re serving it scorching, you must warmth it to an inner temperature of 145°F, which will not dry out ham the way in which it is going to recent pork,” says Jackson. “You may as well eat it chilly from the fridge, however like every ready-to-eat meals, something in between these temperature security zones is usually a threat.” Right here’s a step-by-step information to re-heating a ham.

1. Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan, add a few quarter-inch of water or different liquid (Jackson likes apple cider), and canopy the pan tightly with foil.
2. Warmth in a 350°F oven for about 12 minutes per pound, or till it reaches an inner temperature of 140°F, because the temperature will rise because it rests. (Because of this half a ham will take about an hour and a half to cook dinner, and a full ham will take at the very least two hours.)
3. If glazing, uncover towards the top of heating, when the inner temp is about 120°F. Brush on the glaze, and preserve baking till it’s sticky.
4. Broil for a minute or two on the finish to get additional brown and crispy bits, if desired.

Methods to retailer ham

Dry-cured ham may be saved at room temperature, tightly wrapped. Nonetheless, wet-cured ham, akin to metropolis and spiral-cut hams, must be refrigerated. 

“Like several ready-to-eat meals, comply with the [cook-by] date, preserve refrigerated underneath 40°F, and belief your nostril,” says Jackson. “If it smells off in any method, it in all probability is.” He recommends refrigerating ham leftovers for not more than 4 days, although they are often tightly wrapped and frozen for as much as two months. Pile on sandwiches or use it in ham soup or broth.

Methods to decide the most effective ham

Like several meaty centerpiece, sourcing is essential. Search for hams raised with out antibiotics, no added hormones, and licensed humane. If attainable, purchase pasture-raised ham.

“Pasture-raised pork tastes higher,” says Jackson. “Effectively-exercised pigs with a diverse weight-reduction plan and minimal stress all the time have higher taste and texture, and once they’re processed domestically — inside hours, as a substitute of days — it improves every little thing from style and texture to the atmosphere and native economic system.” 

Some sources for wonderful pasture-raised pork embrace Niman Ranch, Complete Meals, and native butchers.