All About Ham (revisted)

Busy day today at The NJ and I haven't had a chance to write new posts.

My apologies. But, for your reading pleasure - and Easter dinner planning - here's a repeat of a story I wrote last year about ham.

(I loved the ATTACK OF THE HAM "movie poster" art to the right that was created by our own Howard Johnson. Way to go, HJ!)

New updates are coming Wednesday....

By PATRICIA TALORICO

Listen and understand.

A ham is a lot like "The Terminator."

It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you eat every last slice.

So, how do you keep a relatively easy Easter meal from becoming a post-holiday horror show?

(Leftovers again! There's no escape! Please. In the name of humanity. Make. It. Stop.)

To conquer this hulking hunk of meat, you first need to understand a few basics.

A ham, usually meant to feed a large group, will dwarf even the strongest and largest appetites.

Dorothy Parker once wrote, "Eternity is two people and a ham." Now, that was one smart lady.

Since there's an overwhelming variety of hams available, knowing how much and what kind to buy is half the battle.

A true ham is the leg of pork that comes from the hind of the hog. This is the best choice for slicing and serving. To confuse matters, the front leg -- called the pork shoulder picnic -- often is cured and called ham as well. These hams tend to have more internal fat, making them better suited for dishes such as soups and stews.

Most true hams are cured in salt or salt water and sometimes sugar. After curing, American hams are smoked, then partially or fully cooked. European hams, such as prosciutto, are salted, air-dried and eaten raw.

A few small U.S. producers still make traditional country hams, which are salt-cured, then cold-smoked over smoldering fires. This type of ham must be thoroughly cooked and is extremely salty.

Most of the hams carried by mainstream grocers are fully cooked. The various names on the labels generally refer to the cut of the leg you are getting and the style of flavors used to prepare it.

Check below to see what you need to know.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.

Five tasty ways to tame a ham for the table

HAM CROQUETTES

Ham leftovers can be made into this retro dish from James Villas' "The Glory of Southern Cooking" (Wiley, 2007.) For perfect texture, refrigerate the ham mixture overnight before forming into patties.

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter

3 scallions (white parts only), finely chopped

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus extra for dredging

1 1/2 cups milk

4 cups coarsely chopped cooked ham

3 large egg yolks

1/4 teaspoon dried sage, crumbled

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 large egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

2 cups fine bread crumbs

Peanut oil for frying

In a saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the scallions and flour and whisk till soft and well-blended, about 2 minutes. Whisking rapidly, add the milk till well-blended, add the ham, stir well, and remove from the heat. Whisking rapidly, add the egg yolks, return to the heat, add the sage and salt and pepper, and whisk till well-blended. Scrape mixture into a dish, cover and refrigerate overnight. With hands, divide the mixture into 6 balls and roll lightly in the flour. Pat the balls into smooth oval patties, dip briefly into the egg wash, dredge in the bread crumbs and place on a plate until ready to fry. In a large heavy skillet, heat about 1 inch of oil over moderately high heat about 1 minute, fry the patties till golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side, and drain on paper towels. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.

BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP WITH HAM AND GREENS

A recipe from Mark Bittman's "Quick and Easy Recipes from The New York Times" (Broadway Books, 2007). He likes to serve the soup with a bottle of hot sauce or vinegar.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 ounces ham, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups cooked, canned or frozen black-eyed peas

2 cups watercress, trimmed and chopped

Salt and black pepper

Put half the olive oil in a deep skillet or casserole over medium-high heat. Add meat and cook, stirring, for a minute; then add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens and begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add peas and 1 quart of water. Bring to a boil; turn heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the peas are completely tender -- 10 minutes for cooked or canned, about 30 minutes for frozen. Stir in the watercress and cook, stirring occasionally, for just a couple of minutes, or until it wilts. Add more water if the soup is very thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning, stir in the remaining olive oil and serve. Makes 4 servings.

HAM, MUSHROOM AND GINGER FRIED RICE

Use ham leftovers in this dish from "Weight Watchers All-Time Favorites" cookbook (Wiley, 2008.)

4 teaspoons canola oil

6 thin slices peeled, fresh ginger, cut into very thin strips

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 pound fresh sliced shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 cup very small broccoli florets

2 large eggs, beaten

2 cups cold cooked brown rice

1 (1/4-pound) piece lean baked ham, cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 cup bean sprouts

1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles in it. Add ginger and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, and broccoli; stir-fry until vegetables are crisp-tender and mushrooms begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in the skillet. Add eggs and stir-fry until softly scrambled, about 2 minutes. Break eggs into small pieces and add to vegetables in the bowl. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Add rice, ham, bean sprouts, edamame and scallions; stir-fry until heated through, about 3 minutes. Return the vegetables and eggs to the skillet; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute. Makes 6 servings (each serving 1 1/3 cup).

GINGER ALE-GLAZED HAM

This sweet and tangy glaze from Jamie and Bobby Deen's "The Deen Bros. Cookbook"(Meredith Books, 2007) was inspired by a cola-glaze they grew up with.

3- to 4-pound boneless ham

1 cup white wine

2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons molasses

Pinch cayenne pepper

2 cups ginger ale

2 tablespoons honey

Preheat oven to 300. Place the ham in a roasting pan. In a medium saucepan, combine the wine, mustard, molasses and cayenne pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in ginger ale. Pour glaze over ham. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Increase oven temperature to 325. Bake for another hour, basting ham every 15 minutes. Brush the ham with honey. Bake, basting every 15 minutes, until the ham is well-glazed, about another 30 minutes. Slice and serve. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

TOMATO AND ONION GLAZE

This glaze from "The Good Housekeeping Cookbook," (Hearst Books, 2007) is a less sweet alternative to traditional fruit- or sugar-based recipes. Since a glaze coats only the outside, you might double the recipe to serve as you would a gravy.

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

8-ounce can tomato sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter or margarine. Add the chopped onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until glaze thickens, about 5 minutes. Use the sauce to glaze a ham, basting as desired. Makes about 1 cup.

PLANNING

- When serving boneless ham, plan on four to five servings per pound, according to the National Pork Board. Count on two to three servings per pound for bone-in hams.

- An unopened ham, in the original packaging, can be refrigerated for 7 to 10 days. For longer storage, freeze the ham in original packaging for up to 2 months.

GLAZING

- Any ham looks and tastes better with a flavorful glaze. Most combine a sweet ingredient -- such as brown sugar, maple syrup or molasses -- with a contrasting flavor, such as mustard or vinegar. Sugars in the glaze caramelize while baking, giving the ham a glossy sheen.

- Before coating ham with glaze make sure to score it with a diamond pattern by cutting 1/4- to 1/2-inch slashes into the surface. It provides more surface area on the ham for the glaze to stick to.

- If a ham has been cured and smoked in a net bag, it may already have a pattern etched into the surface. But even these hams benefit from being scored.

- A ham can be coated with glaze at any point during baking, but every 15 minutes is a good rule of thumb. A glaze works well on a fresh ham, but because of the long cooking time, add it toward the end so it doesn't burn.

VARIETIES

- Fully cooked or ready-to-eat hams need no further preparation. They come with or without the bone. Partially boned is a cut which still has part of the thigh bone, but not big joints.

- The bone adds flavor during the cooking process, but carving can be difficult. Meat expert Bruce Aidells says a whole, 10- to 20-pound bone-in ham is the most flavorful and least wasteful cut. It serves 15 to 20 people with leftovers. Use the bone as you would a ham hock for seasoning soups and bean dishes.

- For smaller groups, Aidells recommends a smaller ham section. The butt-end, which is the upper part of the leg, tends to have more meat than the smaller shank end, which is lower on the leg.

- Partially cooked or ready-to-cook hams are smoked and cured and have been heated to at least 137 degrees during the processing. Aidells says these minimally processed hams tend to have superior flavor and texture.

- Fresh hams, which you may need to special order, haven't been cured or cooked. Cook to an internal temperature of 160.

- Spiral-cut hams, bone in or out, are usually fully cooked. Aidells says these hams tend to dry out and are coated with a glaze made with processed sweeteners. He says a brown sugar and mustard glaze tastes better.

COOKING

- Fully cooked hams can be eaten cold. If you plan to bake it, heat the oven to 325 and cook to an internal temperature of 140. Leftovers, or hams not in their original packaging, should be heated to 160.

- To cook completely, a whole ham will take 15 to 18 minutes per pound to come to temperature. A fully cooked half ham will need to cook for about 18 to 24 minutes per pound.

- Partially cooked hams must be heated at 325 to an internal temperature of 160. A 15- to 20-pound ham needs 18 to 20 minutes per pound. A 5- to 7-pound ham needs 20 to 25 minutes per pound.

LEFTOVERS

- Use for sandwiches, to flavor soups, for croquettes, potato hashes, omelets, casseroles, macaroni and cheese or stir-fries. If you freeze it, wrap meat tightly in aluminum foil and place in an airtight plastic bag. Freeze for no more than 2 months. The thawed meat should be consumed within 2 days.

CARVING

- When carving a ham, use a very sharp, thin blade knife. Cut only the amount you will serve. Leftover sliced ham dries out faster than larger pieces.

- To carve a bone-in ham, cut a few long slices parallel to the bone, then turn the ham so it rests on the cut surface. Make perpendicular slices toward the bone and then cut along the bone to release the slices.

- To carve a boneless ham, cut a few long slices to make a flat surface, then turn the ham onto the cut surface and slice to your preferred thickness.