![]() ![]() (A fresh ham, on the other ham hand, has not been preserved: It is uncured, unsmoked, uncooked piece of meat that must be prepared according to a different process. ![]() When we’re talking about the crackly, glazed, rosy-fleshed joint of meat that anchors many a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter table, we’re usually referring to what’s known as a city ham-that’s the haunch of a pig that’s been cured in a saltwater brine and then typically smoked and fully cooked. Before widespread refrigeration, pork was processed this way to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and extend its shelf life these days we still do it because, well, it tastes amazing. The word ham refers to the hind leg of a pig, usually one that has been preserved or cured, whether by salting, drying, smoking, or some combination of the three. And the leftover ham you will make your way through the whole week after might be even better than the ham itself?īelow, we’ll cover what ham even is, what distinguishes a holiday ham from a regular ham (hint: it’s not just a ham wearing its ugliest sweater), and how to cook ham to perfection. Whereas a turkey begs to be dry-brined for several days, a cooked ham, as long as you remember to thaw it from frozen, requires almost no thinking ahead. It’s a hands-off process you can do entirely in your oven with minimal equipment-you don’t need a slow cooker or even a roasting pan. As long as you seek out a high-quality ham and make a delicious sauce to coat and flavor it-a brown sugar glaze is always a crowd-pleaser-you’ll be rewarded with a handsome piece of meat that can happily serve 12 of your closest friends. Learning how to cook ham takes, well, almost no learning at all-as is the case with many of the best foods, the payoff is disproportionate to the prep. The real centerpiece is a bone-in glazed ham, which can redeem any small talk you’re required to make with third cousins.
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