Ham it up! A guide to the ultimate Easter food.
It's common knowledge that no聽Easter celebration is complete without a juicy slice of ham. But this Easter marks the first time I'll have to cook my own, and if I want to get it right,听I have a lot to learn.
First things first, I was not aware of just how many different kinds of hams exist in the world. Cured Ham, Honey Ham, Country Ham, Irish Ham: frankly there are far too many聽 ham聽varieties聽out there. How am I supposed to know which聽kind is acceptable for the Easter table? And where do I buy it? And how much does it cost? And then how do I cook it once I've acquired the right聽kind?聽With so many questions and so little time until the great Easter聽pig-out (see what I did there??) of 2015, 聽I turned to the one place I knew had all the answers: the Internet. Hold on to your hams, guys,听cuz by the end of this you'll be craving a salty slice.
Choosing the Right Ham
As previously noted, there are a heck of a lot of hams out there, but for our purposes, I'll focus on the two kinds most often聽consumed at Easter celebrations: Country Ham and City Ham.
Most of the hams you'll find at your local grocer are City Hams.
City Hams聽are聽wet-cured and salt-brined, and are聽by far the most prevalent and popular ham variety here in the States. They're usually sold fully cooked and are often聽smoked for additional flavor. They are available in both bone-in and no bone varieties, but the bone-in hams are generally more juicy and flavorful, so if given the choice, I'd go with the bone.
When you're choosing between two City Hams, you should always go with the one that has less water added. Often City Hams are infused with extra brine before they're sealed and sold as a way to sneakily increase the price based on weight. If you don't want to pay more for excess water, look at the ingredients: if the label says nothing but "Ham," you're probably good to go. If it says something like "Ham with Natural Juices,"聽"Ham with Water," or "Ham and Water Product," you聽might聽want to reconsider, because in addition to the inflated price, the more added water a ham takes on, the less delicious it becomes.聽聽confirmed the phenomenon: "Tasters nearly unanimously placed the hams with the least added water at the top, and the most added water at the bottom."
Country Hams聽are聽dry cured, which means they're rubbed with a salt and seasoning combo, smoked and then hung up to age in a temperature and humidity controlled environment for anywhere between a few months to a few years.
While Country Hams聽are certainly the more flavorful (read: SALTY) of the two, due to the length and complicated nature of the aging process, they're significantly more expensive than City Hams. Country Hams are聽also more difficult to prepare as they require several days of soaking to make them moist enough to eat. Still, some people go crazy over a good Country Ham, so if you've got the time, patience and cash required to make this an Easter Dinner reality,听I say go for it.
(As a ham baking newb, I'm going with a nice, juicy聽bone-in city ham.)
Finding a Deal
If you're serving ham as the main course, you'll want to plan accordingly. My queen, master of chic prison style and harsh Justin Bieber roasts,听Martha Stewart,听says that you should allocate at least 3/4 lb聽of bone-in ham for every person at your table, and 1/2 lb聽per person if you're getting boneless--so the price of your ham can really vary depending on your guest list.
For example, if you're feeding a family of four, you'll need either a 3 lb bone-in ham, or a 2 lb boneless ham. If you're feeding a family of 10, you'll need a 7.5 lb bone-in ham or a 5 lb boneless ham.
So where should you buy your ham? With just a few days left until聽Easter, you're sure to find a good bargain at your local grocery store or butcher shop or at聽big box retailers like聽,听,听补苍诲听.
Of course you can always order online, which might be the most frugal way to go. We've currently got聽聽live on Brad's Deals, including聽听补苍诲听聽with meat maven聽.
Let's Cook the Ham!
So you've got the ham in hand, what now? It's roasting time, baby!
Recipes for聽City Ham:聽
Recipes for Country Ham:
Tips & Tricks:
- Always add at least 1/2 cup of wine, water or stock to the pan and make sure to cover the ham while it cooks to avoid drying it out.
- Don't apply any glaze until 15-25 minutes before the ham is to come out of the oven for good. This is the perfect amount of time for the glaze to harden without burning.
- Just like聽a good steak, ham needs to rest for at least 15 minutes between the oven and the table to seal in the juices.
Leftovers
A quality roasted ham聽is a gift that keeps on giving long after everyone at the table has fallen into their respective聽Easter meat comas. Play your cards right and you could have weeks worth聽of delicious meals at your fingertips. Here are some of my favorite options:
- 聽(yet another reason to buy bone-in!)
With a just a touch of creativity, the possibilities for ham-based meals are truly endless!
What's your favorite recipe for Easter ham?
