Pouring a glaze over the ham moistens the ham and also provides juices to the roasting pan that you can baste over the ham as it cooks. Next, place the ham in a roasting pan or baking dish. We don’t want that! Scoring helps keep the fat moist and flavorful, plus it gives the ham a pretty design with crispier fat on top. If you don’t score the fat, the cap of the ham will squeeze the ham as it cooks and shrinks, forcing precious moisture out of the ham. This scoring step helps the fat to render as it cooks and allows the fat to open naturally as it shrinks in the oven. Use a sharp knife to make a criss-cross design in the fat, trying not to slice into the flesh of the ham. The first step in preparing your ham is to score the fat or top of the ham. Every step in the cooking process keeps moisture in mind. The goal in preparing a ham is to re-heat it to the right temperature without drying it out. Of course, you might want to plan on having left-over ham, so keep that in mind too when picking the right size for you. Boneless Ham: ½ pound per person (or less).When determining what size ham you need, plan on the following weights: This makes the ham easy to slice, but you’ll sacrifice flavor and the ham will have a somewhat unnatural shape. Boneless hams have had the leg bone removed and the muscle is pressed together. Bone-in hams have more flavor and although they are more difficult to carve, they make a better presentation on a table. Whether you choose a boneless or bone-in ham really comes down to personal preference, but I prefer a bone-in ham. Finally, look to make sure the pork is free of hormones. Physical smoking is more desirable, so check to make sure the label mentions smoking instead of listing “smoke” as an ingredient.ĥ. Smoke flavor can come from physically smoking the meat, or it can be added artificially with smoke flavor. Check for streaks of fat and marbling between the muscles.Ĥ. Fat is a good thing – it means the pork will be tender and flavorful. A darker pink color could mean a muscular, free-ranging pig OR could mean heavier smoke flavor.ģ. It doesn’t necessarily matter if the hue is light or dark, but it should be even. A good ham should have an even rosy color.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |