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FOOD HOW TO COOK
78 | April 2019SPIRAL SLICED
Since patented
in 1952 by Harry
Hoenselaar of
HoneyBaked Ham
Co., spiral-sliced
hams have steadily
grown in popularity
because they’re
so easy to serve:
Simply cut the
presliced ham away
from the bone.HALF HAM
Half hams are either
butt (rump) or shank
portions. The butt
comes from the upper
part of the leg. It’s
meatier and more
tender than the shank
(the lower leg
section.) The shank is
slightly tougher
because it has more
connective tissue.WHOLE HAM
A bone-in
whole ham is the
entire cured leg,
including the
thigh bone and
part of the
pelvic bone. If
you’re feeding a
big crowd, this
is the one to
get. They average
20 servings.Preheat oven to
325°F. Line a shallow
roasting pan with foil.
Between the slices
of one 8- to 10-lb.
spiral-sliced ham
insert half of a thinly sliced orange; four garlic
cloves, slivered; and sprigs of fresh rosemary
and/or thyme all the way around the ham.
Transfer ham fl at side down to prepared pan.
Cover with foil. Bake 2 to 2½ hours or until
browned and heated through (140°F). For the
last 45 minutes of cooking, uncover and
spoon desired glaze (recipes, right) over ham.
Transfer to a platter using two large, wide
spatulas. Makes 16 servings.ORANGE-BOURBON
In a small bowl
combine ½ cup orange
marmalade or
peach preserves,
½ cup stone-ground
mustard, and
2 Tbsp. bourbon.CRANBERRY-BBQ
In a small bowl stir
together ½ cup jellied
cranberry sauce,
½ cup bottled
barbecue sauce, and
2 Tbsp. honey.SPICED PEPPER
In a small bowl stir
together ¾ cup
red jalapeño pepper
jelly and 1½ tsp.
fi ve-spice powder.A SweetTouch
If your go-to glaze
is the one that came
with your ham,
these three combos
will nudge you in
a new direction. Make
sure to spoon the
glaze over the ham
during the last
45 minutes of baking
to prevent burning.WHAT
TO BUY
Whole and half hams are
readily available as
boneless, bone-in, and
spiral sliced. Each type
varies in weight. Use the
guide below to make
sure you’re buying enough.BONELESS HAM
¹⁄₃ to ¹⁄₂ pound per servingBONE-IN HAM
¹⁄₂ to ³⁄₄ pound per servingRECIPE MATH
8 oz. = 1 cup choppedLABEL
LINGO
Hams look similar when
wrapped in packages,
so you’ve got to
read the label to tell
the diff erence.n (^) WET CURED
Most hams are cured
to preserve them.
Wet-cured hams (also
referred to as city
hams) are immersed in
or injected with a brine
containing water,
salt, sugar, spices,
and curing agents
like sodium nitrite,
sodium nitrate, and
potassium chloride.
n NATURAL UNCURED
Hams labeled as
such are preserved
using celery powder
(organically rich in
For fruit, stick with
oranges, pears,
or apples. Skip
fresh pineapple; its
enzymes will ruin
the texture.
[BAKING BASICS]
The majority of hams are
fully cooked so only need to be
reheated to 140°F. Bake
your ham, covered, at 325°F for
20 min./lb. for bone-in
and 15 min./lb. for boneless.nitrates) then smoked.
Labels specifying
“ham with natural
juices” have little water
added and may
take up to 60 minutes
longer to bake.n (^) DRY CURED Country
ham—a common
dry-cured ham—is
rubbed with salt and
seasonings, often
smoked, then aged
four to six months.
n (^) SMOKED If labeled
smoked, a ham has
been smoked over
burning wood chips
or an atomized spray
of liquid smoke. If a
label identifi es a
specifi c wood type,
the ham was smoked
over it. If smoke fl avor
was injected, the
label will read ”smoke
fl avor added.”