Buy It
A fresh raw ham will keep in the fridge -- as long as you plan on cooking it within three days of the sell-by date. But if you don’t have the room in your fridge or want to buy it ahead of time, just keep in mind that a frozen raw ham requires at least a day for proper thawing -- either in the fridge or in cold water.
Thaw It
If you went for the frozen one, here’s how to defrost it:
• The Fridge Method: Although it takes longer to thaw a ham in the fridge, this method allows it to retain the most moisture and is generally the safest option, since there’s the potential for bacterial growth when thawing in water. Simply place the wrapped ham in a tray to catch any drippage, and allow about six hours per pound of meat. Once thawed, the ham will keep in the fridge for several days before cooking.
• The Cold Water Method: It is very important to use cold, not warm or hot, water. (Heat will encourage the growth of bacteria.) Fill up your sink with cold water, and place the ham into an airtight bag, so it does not touch the water, then put it in the sink. Replace the cold water every half hour or so to prevent bacteria growth; it’ll need to thaw for 30 minutes per pound of meat. Once thawed, the ham must be cooked right away. (And be sure to clean the sink thoroughly to get rid of any bacteria.)
Bake It
• Place the ham in a roasting pan (a large, deep pan with a rack at the bottom) lined with aluminum foil. This type of pan keeps the ham from becoming too saturated by its salty drippings.
• To avoid drying out the meat, you’ll want to cook it slowly, at about 325 degrees Fahrenheit. For a ham weighing over 10 pounds, bake for about 25 minutes per pound; for a ham weighing less than 10 pounds, bake for about 35 minutes per pound. The ham must reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit before serving. To be safe, use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.
• Place the ham in the oven with the fatty side on top, which will baste the ham in flavor. Flip it over halfway through cooking, but be careful not to puncture the meat, as you don’t want any of the juices to escape.
Accessorize It
When the ham has about 45 minutes of cook time left, remove it from the oven to trim off excess fat, score and glaze it.
• Trim: Ham is generally a fatty cut of meat, so you’ll want to trim away some of the fat. Cut into the rind and trim away the excess fat, leaving about ¼ of an inch of fat for scoring.
• Score: Scoring the ham allows the greatest amount of flavor to penetrate the meat. Cut diagonal parallel lines into the fat, and then repeat in the opposite direction, so that you’ve essentially carved diamonds. Make sure not to penetrate beyond that ¼ layer of fat though -- puncturing the meat below will let juices escape, which will take away some of the flavor and leave the meat too dry. If you’d like to add traditional cloves for flavor, now’s the time to do it: Just stick one clove into each diamond.
• Glaze: Glazing is an optional step that you can do before returning the ham to the oven. Glaze recipes for ham are usually sweet, incorporating honey, brown sugar or fruit (like pineapples and cherries). You can pick one up at the grocery store (or if you’re feeling up to the challenge, make your own). Brush the glaze all over the ham using a cooking brush and reinsert the ham into the oven to let it finish cooking.
Carve It
Different cuts of ham require different carving methods, but always use a sharp knife and a large carving fork. Generally, you want to carve a few slices off of the thin side to create a flat surface that will allow you to carve the rest more easily. Cut evenly spaced slices down the length of the ham, and if your ham is bone-in (read: has its bone still in it), cut parallel to the bone to release all of the slices at once.
-- Kristin Koch
Dec 15, 2010