Holiday Hams & Roasts?!
Holiday Hams & Roasts?
I would like recommendations on buying a holiday ham/roast. Any qualtiy suggestions form past experiences would very much be appreciated.I live in Savannah Georgia.
Answers:
Smoked hams or turkeys are a good bet. The meat lasts longer because their smoked and you can stretch out leftovers more than you could with a fresh ham or turkey.
You can almost never go wrong with Honey Baked Ham. Serve that with store-bought mustard or homemade gravy (maybe that's just my family though).
Well Savannah, Hams and turkeys are such a traditon but, after over 35 years of cooking hoilday dinner ( and moe eating them as a child) I have begun to serve eaither a standing rib roast of beef, or crown roast of pork. I gott' tell you, my guest love that I've changed up. And I find more folks are inquireing about what I will be serving this year. (hint, hint i think)
Go out on a limb. They'll love you for it.
honey baked hams are always a crowd favorite, the more expensive, the better.
Spiral Cut Hams make your life easy - They usually come with a glaze and all you have to do is bake them. They are pre-cut and easy to serve - even if having a buffet.
I also like to serve a pork roast. They have been so lean and delicious the past few years. My market has 10 pounders. You can easily make a marinade or glaze for the pork loin or stuff it and serve it cut on a platter which looks elegant and more work than it really is. Since we are usually busy helping at a homeless shelter a large pork roast works well Christmas because I can put it in partially frozen on medium heat and it is perfect by the time we get home for our own meal.
I recommend a Prime Rib Roast. A big beef roast is at once a refined holiday meal.
The cut you want for your holiday table is the prime-rib roast―the tender hunk of muscle nestled inside the ribs on the upper back of the steer, in front of the loin. The USDA specifies many grades of beef, but the only two to concern yourself with are “prime” and “choice.” USDA prime is the best out there. It’s the meat with the highest percentage of marbling―those thin veins of fat that melt and infuse the beef as it cooks, keeping it juicy and flavorful―and the most intense flavor. USDA prime is also the most expensive, by far. USDA choice beef, by contrast, is the conventional stuff you get in supermarkets; it’s still high-quality, but not nearly as well-marbled or as tender.
When buying prime rib, look for good marbling and milky-white (rather than yellowish) fat, which indicates that the meat is all-natural and fresh. Don’t get a boneless roast―roasting with the bones adds flavor (though it complicates carving so have the butcher remove the bone and tie it back on). Keep in mind that a whole roast is a lot of food: It contains seven ribs’ worth of meat and weighs about sixteen pounds, enough to serve about fourteen people (figure two people per bone). If your family isn’t the Extra large size, choose between the relatively lean first cut―that is, the first four ribs, closer to the loin and containing the tender rib-eye muscle. Either way, ask your butcher to trim and tie it.
So many recipes are available on-line but really, cooking is simple, it's so flavorful it only needs a little salt and pepper.