No, no, not a tutorial on cooking a country ham...I'm the one needing help! Anyone out there in blogland who knows how to cook one? I know to soak it, but how long? Do I boil the sucker or bake it? If I have to bake it, what temp and how long?Arg. Holidays.
Hi, Dorothy,
ReplyDeleteI read this and asked, out lout, 'Why soak it?' Well, Mom answered my question. She says because it is dry. The way these hams are cured causes them to dry out. She says everyone does this differently. Some soak with several changes of water. Some don't soak but inject saline solutions into it. Then you bake it. Sorry I can't be more specific. If you know anyone who does up country ham in a way you like ask them what they do.
I haven't a clue, Dorothy. Wish I could be of help. Going out to eat seems like a good answer to me. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck... and no substituting "hot dogs" instead of the ham! Yikes! :)
Barbara
Author & Mom to Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog
www.joyfulpaws.com
Thanks everyone for your opinions! I bought the ham and read the back..it's still confusing. I loved the part that said something like when you unwrap it, there will be mold, just ignore it.
ReplyDeleteOooooooooooooooooookay.
I don't bake ham that often, but I have done it. It is necessary to soak the ham because it is so salty. I found a site for The Country Ham Store that said to soak the ham for 4 to 12 hours and to change the water every once in a while to get rid of the salt. And the mold thing, it's true...but still gross.
ReplyDeleteHere's a link to some recipes: http://www.country-ham.com/recipes.html
I usually bake mine in a shallow pan with water, coating the meat with brown sugar and vinegar. The recipe page I found says to cook the ham at 250 degrees, but I usually cook mine at 325. Whoops!
Good luck!
Cheryl
I can't help with the ham but if you need to know how to fix Nally's chili or a Papa Murphy's pizza, I do pretty well with them.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I seem to remember soaking it in ginger ale and beer, but don't know the correct ratio. Also making cuts and putting dried mustard in them. That's all I remember. I haven't done it in a while. I'm doing lamb this year, as far as I know, unless I find something else at the store when I get there.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Mandel
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
http://www.morganmandel.com
I think my Aunts use to cook country ham, and if I remember correctly they would cut off pieces of it and fry it in a pan. I honestly don't know but I have one piece of advice....GOOGLE IT!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas
Soaking is important, but what you are trying to do is soak out the curing brine. If you don't soak for several hours or up to two days, you will be eating a salty piece of leather/jerky. Hope it was edible. Diosmio! You live in 'ham country'. Are you ready for New Year's Day with black-eyed peas? Buy a slab of salt pork NOW! You'll need it when you cook your peas - and if you want to serve it with crackling cornbread, go into your nearest Mexican neighborhood and loook for chicharones aka cracklings.
ReplyDeleteHoney, I soaked that sucker for HOURS and I still didn't get it all out. It was tough! So that's the secret? Soak it overnight?
ReplyDelete