Ham Hacks

By Laura Kurella

The Easter holiday is steeped in tradition, which has us all out shopping for the centerpiece of our Easter table which, more often than not, has many searching for a good ham!

Today, with most hams coming pre-cooked, and spiral sliced, options for heating these specialty hams needs to be more precise otherwise even the most expensive, and highest of quality hams will be reduced to tasting, and perhaps even looking like bacon or worse, balsa wood!

Some experts recommend going low and slow by placing a ham into a 250-degree oven for about 15 minutes per pound.

If you plan to do this with a spiral cut ham, you also need to make sure to keep the slices stacked and packed tightly as possible together. To accomplish this, simply place a piece of parchment paper over the cut side of the ham and then place the ham, cut-side down, on a sheet of heavy aluminum foil or in a foil pan so that the parchment paper is between the meat and the foil. This will allow gravity to help hold your ham slices together, which will protect the moisture in the ham while exposing the skin to the heat.

Pre-cooked hams that are labeled “ready to eat” do not require any heating to eat. However, hams labeled “cook before eating” do need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees before consuming. Therefore, read labels carefully to ensure you select the type you prefer.

A great way to add some enhancements to your ham is with flavor-infusing sauce, which should not be basted onto a whole ham until the last half hour of cooking time, so you avoid that burned sugar taste (unless you like it).

After heating a whole ham, be sure to let it rest, tightly-covered with foil, for about 10-15 minutes before serving to help it retain its moisture, and keep the whole ham covered, and in a warm spot (stove top/warming plate) so the ham stays warm during the meal.

When the spiral-sliced hams first came out, my dear Polish friend, Kathi Livermore, taught me her own ham hack, which was to bring a pan of vegetable broth to a boil on the stove, and then dip the ham slices into it, for a minute or two, before serving. She said it was an absolute foolproof way to protect the flavor and texture of a fancy, spiral-sliced ham while also saving lots of time fussing in the kitchen, and it also freed up oven space for other things!

I decided to take Kathi’s tip one step further by creating special basting sauces. Pre-cooked ham slices can then be dipped into a held warm sauce, which enables you to warm and baste your ham with fabulous flavors all in one fell swoop!

Here now is a sampling of dipping/basting sauces to help your ham be moist, warm, and flavorful.

Enjoy, and Happy Easter!

Laura Kurella is an award-winning recipe developer, food columnist, and author who enjoys sharing recipes from her Great Lakes Region kitchen. She welcomes comments at laurakurella@yahoo.com.

Spicy-Sweet Basting/Dipping Sauce

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a small saucepan, combine basting ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for three minutes, or until all sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low, cover and hold warm for basting, stirring occasionally. Add water to thin, if desired.

Balsamic Basting/Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons high quality balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

In a small saucepan, combine basting ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer for three minutes, or until all sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low, cover and hold warm for basting, stirring occasionally. Add water to thin, if desired.

Polynesian Pineapple Basting/Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup pineapple juice

1 cup water

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Pinch salt

In a small saucepan, whisk together brown sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in pineapple juice and water until smooth. Place the saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, and bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in the butter, apple cider vinegar, and salt until butter has melted. Reduce heat to low, cover and hold warm for basting, stirring occasionally. Add water to thin, if desired.