This is the only guide you gotta prepare (and carve) bone-in or boneless ham at home.
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Key Takeaways
Ham is the perfect main dish for a party, full stop.
For these reasons and then some, its no wonder that ham is so often themain dish at EasterandChristmas.
Photo:Rebeca Mello/Getty Images
These come in different sizes with or without bones.
Here’s what you oughta know.
We prefer the shank because its easy to slice and has more fat, which translates to more flavor.
Youll often find hams with a water added label.
We suggest avoiding hams with excess water because it leads to less flavorful meat with a mushy consistency.
Boneless vs. Bone-In
All three varieties of ham can be found either bone-in or boneless.
We recommend buying bone-in ham, which is decidedly more flavorful and supple.
In our opinion, it’s worth the extra effort to carve.
Allot 1/2 pound to 3/4 pound per person for bone-in ham.
For boneless ham, 1/2 pound per person should do the trick.
Scoring also helps spices penetrate the meat.
City ham can come smoked or unsmoked and can be sold pre-sliced, as in a spiral-cut ham.
The curing and drying process yields an intensely flavored, salty meat with a drier texture than city ham.
Cooked at 325F, a low and slow country ham takes about 20-25 minutes per pound to cook.
The next day, when youve removed the country ham from its bath, follow the steps below.
While unnecessary, a glaze adds a nice sweetness and glossy finish to the ham.
Or you’re free to take these actions:
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