A holiday ham seems pretty simple, but there are a lot of pitfalls to this centerpiece.
From drowning it in too much liquid to buying the first one you set eyes on in the supermarket,
these are the worst mistakes you can make when cooking a ham.
Supermarket hams are hit-and-miss. There's a small chance you might find one that tastes
decent, but more often than not, this store-bought variety tends toward disappointing.
Since rubbery and bland ham isn't what you want to risk for an occasion as special as
holiday dinner, take the time to plan ahead. Call your local butcher to order a smoked
bone-in ham in advance, or order one from an online specialty shop. If you do go the
grocery store route, don't just grab cheapest option. According to Midwest Living, the lower
priced hams are often injected with water, which doesn't do a lot for the taste or texture.
Check the label for phrases like, "Ham, water added" or, "Ham and water product," which
indicates this is the case.
While choosing a boneless ham seems more convenient for pre-cooking prep, opt for bone-in for
better-tasting results.
The bone helps give the meat more depth of flavor during cooking, and makes for a more
dramatic presentation come serving time. There's also the added benefit of being able to use
the leftover bone to flavor broths, soups, and braises in the future.
For the best of both worlds, Taste of Home recommends a semi-boneless ham. The shank
bone is removed but the leg bone is still there. This means it's easier to carve, but
still retains all that tasty flavor.
"Please, sir… I want some… more."
"MORE?!"
Don't underestimate how much you and your family can devour when it comes to a delicious
ham. Since everyone has probably been smelling your ham cook for hours and arrived at the
table ready to feast, expect to prepare about 3/4 pounds of bone-in ham per person, according
to Martha Stewart. If you opted for a boneless ham, you can adjust that to about 1/2 pound
per person.
And don't forget to leave enough for leftovers! Leftover ham is a delicious benefit of the
ham-cooking process. Think overfilled sandwiches, hearty omelets, and meaty soups.
While it may be intuitive to add tons of wine, stock, or water to cook your ham in order
to keep the meat moist, don't go overboard. While some chefs suggest adding about ½ cup
of liquid to the bottom of the pan to prevent the ham from sticking, it's not intended for
basting. The fat from the ham will melt during cooking, keeping the meat plenty moist. If
there's too much liquid in your pan, your ham will boil instead of baking.
While we're on the subject of moisture, don't neglect to cover your ham with aluminum foil
while it cooks. Whilst ham is large and cooks at a lower temperature for a longer period
of time, covering it helps the meat retain its natural moistness. It's an easy step to
take, but crucial nonetheless. If you don't, you can almost guarantee your ham will be
dry and unappetizing.
Oftentimes, when you buy a ham it comes with a little packet of pre-made glaze to make
things easy. Do us a favor:
"Throw it in the trash."
You heard Bruce. A home-cooked ham is a special occasion, so go all out and make your own
glaze. Traditionally tasty options meld sweet and salty flavors to produce the perfect shiny
lacquer for your holiday ham. It's easier than you think. For a basic glaze, start with
brown sugar and honey, then add mustard to taste just make sure you wait until the right
time to apply it.
Avoid brushing your homemade glaze onto your ham too early as it will surely burn over
the long course of cooking. The last thing you need after all your hard work is the faint
taste of burnt meat in every bite. Yikes. Instead, brush on the glaze about 15-20 minutes
before your ham has finished cooking. Doing so gives it enough time to set, but not so
much time that it burns.
Low and and slow is definitely the way you want to cook your ham well, for most of the
time at least.
While you want the meat to heat through evenly at a low oven temperature over a long period,
you still want the glaze you brushed on to caramelize, bubble, and harden to become shiny.
In order for the glaze to transform into a beautiful hardened outer shell, you'll need
to increase the temperature to about 450 degrees for the last 15-20 minutes. Since burning
is a risk, be sure to keep an eye on the ham during this crucial time.
Speaking of timing, it might be tempting to rely solely on whatever recipe you're using
to determine how long to cook your ham. It's a little more complicated than that.
Keep in mind that most hams you bring home are already fully or partially cooked; you're
essentially reheating the ham. That said, you want to cook it in the oven only until
the internal temperature reaches a safe 145 degrees and how long that takes depends on
both your oven and the size of the ham. If you cook it too long, you risk drying it out
beyond repair. Insert the thermometer into the meat near the bone a few minutes before
the recipe indicates. You should remove the ham from the oven when the thermometer shows
an internal temp of about 140 degrees since the meat will continue to cook outside the
oven.
Once you're done cooking your ham, you want be sure to rest the meat properly. Once it's
been removed from the oven, set the ham aside for about 15 minutes. Doing so allows it to
finish cooking, and the juices to re-incorporate themselves, rendering the meat moist and juicy.
Now that you know what to look out for, there's nothing stopping you from preparing a dazzling
and memorable ham. Enjoy!
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