Thanksgiving with Food Fare: Ham Recipes

Select a ham with the bone-in. According to the number of guests, allow 1/3 pound of ham per guest. Wash the ham and place in a shallow roasting pan with the fat side up. Insert a meat thermometer so that the tip is in the center of the thickest part of the ham but does not touch the bone or the drippings. Bake uncovered in a 325-degree F oven until the thermometer reaches 140-degrees F. During the last thirty minutes of cooking time, take the ham out of the oven and remove any skin from top. Score top of ham lightly, cutting uniform diamond shapes. Place a whole clove in each diamond. Then cover with the pineapple glaze (see below). Return to the oven for another thirty minutes.

Pineapple Glaze:

•1 C dark brown sugar, packed
1 TBS cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 can (8.5 ounces) crushed pineapple, with syrup
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. prepared mustard

Place the brown sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan. Then stir in pineapple, lemon juice and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir for one minute. Pour over un-drained ham. Baste two times while finishing the baking process. Remove and place on a platter to serve.

Crock Pot Ham

1 bone-in country ham (6 LBS)

30 whole cloves

3 C apple cider (add more if necessary)

1 C brown sugar

1 C maple syrup

2 TBS cinnamon

1 TBS nutmeg

2 tsp. ginger

2 TBS ground cloves

1 TBS vanilla

1 orange peel

Score ham; press whole cloves into ham until evenly distributed. Place ham in a crock pot or slow cooker. Season apple cider with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves and vanilla. Pour in apple cider until two inches of ham appears above the surface. Pack brown sugar on top of ham, pressing into the cloves. Pour maple syrup over the ham. Add orange peel to the crock pot. Fill with apple cider without going over fill line. Cover and set cooking temperature to LOW. Cook for eight to ten hours. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Southern-Baked Ham

1 whole ham (about 5 LBS)

Whole cloves

1 large bay leaf

Dash of dash crushed red pepper, or 1 small red pepper pod

1 small cinnamon stick

2 TBS salt

1 TBS dry mustard

2 tsp. prepared horseradish

Dash garlic powder

1/2 C light brown sugar

Place ham in a large pot; cover with boiling water. Add whole cloves, bay leaf, red pepper and cinnamon stick. Simmer for three hours. Refrigerate in broth overnight. The next day, remove the rind from ham. Combine mustard and horseradish; rub over ham. Bake at 300-degrees F for about two hours. Score fat with a knife; insert more whole cloves every two to three inches. Sprinkle ham with brown sugar. Bake for one hour longer. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving.

Ham Selections

Canned: Canned hams are boneless and fully cooked in large and small sizes; they may be served right from the can or heated. Some imported canned hams are prepared with wine and other marinades.
Skinless, Shankless Ham: Boned, skinned and trimmed of excess fat for fine meaty slices. Sold wrapped, to be cooked, or also ready-to-eat.
Smoked Picnic: Shoulder cut, cured and smoked; from 5-to-8-pound sizes. To be simmered and baked, or may be bought fully cooked and ready to serve.
Smoked Shoulder Butt: Boneless shoulder cut shaped into a roll, cured, smoked and packaged in transparent casing. The 1½-to-3-pound "hams" are simmered, then baked, or sliced and pan-fried or broiled.

Ham Tips

Thanks to the National Pork Producers Council, ham tips are provided below:

Nearly all hams come fully cooked and will be labeled so.
Preparation is easy. Unwrap: If you want a hot dish, follow the directions on the label, heat the ham to an internal temperature of 140 degrees in a moderate (325-350°) oven, and serve. If you prefer, serve the ham cold.
A bone-in ham will provide two to three servings per pound. A boneless ham will yield four to five servings per pound.
Bone-in hams are available whole, or as a shank or butt half.
Boneless hams are usually packaged in heavy plastic or foil. You may remove them from their packaging, heat and serve at once. Packaged hams will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator if left unwrapped.
Wrap leftovers in plastic wrap. Refrigerate promptly and use within five days.
Freezing ham is safe, but not recommended because it reduces eating quality.

Ham Cooking Guides

What's Cooking America suggests the following cooking times for ham, which are calculated on a baking temperature of 325-degrees F:

Cut/Type of Ham

Weight/Pounds

Min. per pound

Smoked Ham (cook-before-eating)

Whole, bone-in	10 to 14	18 to 20
Half, bone in	5 to 7	22 to 25
Shank or Butt portion, bone-in	3 to 4	35 to 40
Arm Picnic Shoulder, boneless	5 to 8	30 to 35
Shoulder Roll (Butt), boneless	2 to 4	35 to 40

Cut/Type of Ham

Weight/Pounds

Min. per pound

Smoked Ham (fully cooked)

Whole, bone-in	10 to 14	15 to 18
Half, bone in	5 to 7	18 to 24
Arm Picnic Shoulder, boneless	5 to 8	25 to 30
Canned ham, boneless	3 to 10	15 to 20
Vacuum packed, boneless	6 to 12	10 to 15
Spiral cut, whole or half	7 to 9	4 to 18

Cut/Type of Ham

Weight/Pounds

Min. per pound

Country Ham

Whole or Half (soak 4 to 12 hours in refrigerator; then boil, covered with water. Drain, glaze and brown at 400-degrees F for 15 minutes).

10 to 16 (whole);

5 to 8 (half)

20 to 25

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