Best way to prepare a ham?!
Answers: im looking for a recipie to prepare a ham. im cooking thanksgiving dinner for my family and ive never done this before. help.. what can i add? what temp and how long to i cook it?
Here are a few ideas to help you choose and prepare the perfect ham.
The Country Ham and the City Ham
There are three basic varieties: city hams, country hams and fresh hams.
The one you are most likely to encounter in the grocery store is city ham. These have been soaked in brine and then either smoked or boiled. City hams are moist and tender. Their flavor ranges from mild and salty to rich and smoky, depending on how they have been cooked.
Country-cured hams are made from pigs that have been fed fruits and nuts to produce more flavorful meat. The hams are dry-cured by packing them in salt, then they are smoked over a bed of fragrant hardwoods and hung in a cool place to be aged for at least 60 days, although some are aged up to 7 years. Country-cured hams have a more intense flavor, but are drier than brined hams, since the longer they are aged, the more water evaporates from the tissue.
Rarely will you encounter a fresh ham. This type is uncured and completely raw. Whereas many brands of city ham and country ham can be eaten directly out of the package, fresh ham will need to be fully cooked before eating.
Almost all hams have either been partially or fully cooked before they are packaged. A partially cooked ham has been brought to an internal temperature of 137 degrees F, which kills any bacteria. This ham still needs to be cooked more before serving in order to make it more tender and delicious. A fully cooked ham is one that has been brought to an internal temperature of 148 degrees F and needs no further cooking. You can eat it directly out of the package, but the flavor will still be enhanced by heating.
The Hambone
Hams with the bone left in tend to be more flavorful than boneless hams. Bone-in hams are also more decorative, and make for a more ceremonious presentation on special occasions.
Many brands of bone-in ham are spiral-cut. This means that the ham has been cut in a continuous spiral all the way around the bone, producing thin slices that easily peel away, making the ham very easy to serve.
If you do choose a bone-in ham, take the weight of the bone into account when deciding what size ham to buy. If the ham has a large bone, you will need to count on at least 3/4 pound for each person who will be at dinner. If you decide on a boneless ham, count on at least 1/4 pound per person.
Baking Your Ham
The most traditional way to prepare a whole ham is to bake it.
For a ham that has only been partially cooked, you will need to allow about 20 minutes per pound in a moderate (350 degrees F/175 degrees C) oven.
A fully cooked ham will require about 10 minutes per pound in order to be heated all the way through.
Although ham is perfectly delicious all by itself, you can make it extra-special by using a glaze. The most popular glaze recipes contain combinations of fruit juice, wine or whiskey, honey, mustard, brown sugar, fruit preserves and spices. Brush some of the glaze over the surface of the ham before placing it in the oven.
To help keep your ham moist and juicy, place it cut-side down in a baking pan. If it's going to be in the oven for more than an hour, you also may want to place a foil "tent" over your ham in order to keep it from drying out. Continue to brush the ham with glaze and baste it with the pan juices every 20 minutes or so, until it is heated through. To finish the ham and give it a deliciously caramelized coating, remove the foil tent, brush it with glaze and pan juices one more time, then turn your oven to the broiler setting. Allow the outside of the ham to get nice and browned-this should only take about 5 minutes, but watch it closely so it doesn't get too dark.
A meat thermometer comes in very handy for baking hams: when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F (80 degrees C), the ham is ready for serving.
Leftover Ham: Second Time's a Charm
The only thing better than baked ham for dinner is leftover baked ham for a midnight snack. Your surplus ham is also a perfect candidate for sandwiches, soups, casseroles, hash, quiche, salads and pasta dishes. You can keep your ham in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped, for up to a week.
Ingredients
1 (8-pound) 33%-less-sodium smoked, fully cooked ham half
2 teaspoons whole cloves
Cooking spray
2 cups apple juice, divided
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Preparation
Place ham in a large Dutch oven or stockpot. Cover with water to 2 inches above ham; cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Drain; rinse well with warm water. Drain.
Preheat oven to 325°.
Trim fat and rind from ham. Score outside of ham in a diamond pattern; stud with cloves. Place ham, skin side down, on the rack of a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Place rack in pan; pour 1 cup apple juice over ham. Cover ham loosely with foil. Bake at 325° for 2 1/2 hours, basting occasionally with remaining 1 cup apple juice.
Remove ham from oven (do not turn oven off); uncover ham. Combine sugar and mustard; brush over ham. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 140°. Place ham on a cutting board; cover and let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Yield
26 servings (serving size: about 3 ounces)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 130(44% from fat); FAT 6.3g (sat 2.1g,mono 3g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 14.6g; CHOLESTEROL 52mg; CALCIUM 1.9mg; SODIUM 819mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.8mg; CARBOHYDRATE 3.5g
********COCO COLA BAKED HAM
15 oz. crushed pineapple
12 oz. diet (or classic) coke
1/2 lb. dark brown sugar
Whole ham (approximately 10 lb.)
Trim off most of surface fat. Shake 1 tablespoon of flour in browning bag to prevent sticking. If you prefer, wrap in heavy duty foil. It works just as well. The bag makes it easier to clean up! Place ham in bag, place (pour) all ingredients over ham. Seal bag and make 4 to 6 one inch slits in top of bag.
Bake at 275 degrees; 30 minutes for each pound of ham. Remove bones and other fat as soon as meat cools enough to be handled. Wrap meat in foil and place in refrigerator until cool. Slice AFTER cooling.
NOTE: Pineapple, coke, and sugar may be increased or decreased according to taste and size of ham.
*********HONEY GLAZE FOR BAKED HAM
10 to 12 lb. fully cooked bone in ham
Whole cloves
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tbsp. orange juice
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place ham, fat side up, on rack in roasting pan. Insert meat thermometer in thickest part. Bake, uncovered, 2 hours.
With sharp knife, remove skin, if any; then score fat into 1 inch diamonds; stud each with a clove.
Combine honey, sugar, mustard and orange juice in 1 quart saucepan. Over medium heat bring to a boil while stirring.
Brush half of honey glaze over ham; bake 30 minutes. Brush with rest of glaze; bake 30 minutes until golden and thermometer reads 130 degrees. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Makes 18 to 20 servings.
******KAHLUA BAKED EASTER HAM
10 lb. precooked ham
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. kahlua
3 tbsp. kahlua
2 tbsp. dry mustard
Whole cloves
Place ham with rind on rack in roasting pan, fat side up. Roast at 300 degrees, 18 minutes per pound. During last hour, trim rind, scorefat (criss cross) and stud with cloves. Sprinkle top with brown sugar, then 3 tablespoons kahlua. Pour 1/2 cup kahlua and mixed mustard into pan. Baste frequently with pan syrup. Delicious!
baked ham with marmalade-horseradish glaze
1 18-pound fully cooked bone-in smoked ham, room temperature
48 (about) whole cloves
4 cups water
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup prepared cream style horseradish
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 cups fresh orange juice
Preparation
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Place ham on rack set in large roasting pan. Using sharp knife, score ham in diamond pattern. Press 1 clove into center of each diamond. Pour 4 cups water into roasting pan. Roast ham 1 hour 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, blend marmalade, horseradish, and sugar in medium bowl.
Remove ham from oven. Transfer ham to baking sheet. Discard pan juices. Return ham to roasting pan. Add orange juice to roasting pan. Brush top of ham with 1/3 of marmalade glaze. Bake ham 10 minutes. Baste with orange juice in pan, then brush with half of remaining glaze. Bake ham 10 minutes. Baste with orange juice in pan and brush with remaining glaze. Roast ham until heated through, basting every 5 minutes, about 20 minutes longer. Let ham rest 15 minutes. Transfer to platter. Serve ham hot, warm, or at room temperature.
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baked ham
8- to 10-lb. boneless cooked ham
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup yellow mustard
1 tsp. ground cloves
2 cups pineapple juice
1 8-oz. bottle of cola
1 can cherry pie filling
Pineapple slices
Maraschino cherries
Preparation
Remove all wrappings from ham — any strings or paper also. Stick ham several times with metal skewer or long fork. This is to let the sauce penetrate the ham. Place ham in a deep roasting pan.
Mix sugar, mustard, and cloves together. Rub over entire ham. Pour juice and cola in pan around ham. Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes at 350°F. Baste ham with juice. With a pastry brush, brush pie filling over ham. Let cook for 10 minutes. Repeat the basting until all the pie filling is used. Raise oven temperature to 375°F and let glaze cook well. Garnish baked ham with pineapple slices and Maraschino cherries.
don't eat meat!
Put your ham in a roaster. Put pineapple rings on it. spear a maraschino cherry with a toothpick into the center of the pineapple ring. Make a glaze with the pineapple juice, brown sugar, cloves, and pepper. Put in a sauce pan and heat to dissolve the sugar. Put some in the roaster and reserve some to baste with. The pineapple juice will keep you from getting so thirsty after you eat ham.