Ham usually is the centerpiece at massive vacation meals in addition to a most well-liked deli meat, nevertheless it has a lot potential for use in different methods.
Hams of various sizes and cuts are available at your space grocery shops supply a number of choices. You’ll be able to, after all, go together with the large cuts of entire hams, however you can also get some wonderful values with sliced hams and one of many true gems within the meat case, ham steaks.
Instances are powerful proper now with inflation, however ham nonetheless has good worth. You will get these steaks for about $6 in comparison with a beef steak that will value double that quantity or extra, and sliced ham is one thing you possibly can have quite a lot of enjoyable with for the price of a cup of espresso.
However one of many actual kickers with ham, a minimize that comes from the hind leg of a pig, is that it historically is cured with salts for a number of days. The ham is then usually smoked with woods resembling apple or hickory, so the one actual work you need to do is reheat it. It is uncommon to seek out an uncured ham that hasn’t gone by way of this course of.
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“Ham is a kind of issues that is a kind of old-time meals sources and handed by way of generations, and I can not consider anyone that has mentioned they do not prefer it,” mentioned San Antonio chef James Canter. “They had been cured by the pioneers. We take it with no consideration. It is there for everyone.”
Ham has a historical past that dates again greater than 5,000 years to China, and it’s broadly thought of that the observe of curing the meat later was pread all through contact with the Roman Empire. Cured, salted meats are preserved, including shelf life. This has allowed for a protein supply throughout occasions when different choices could not have existed.
Throughout my trek to an area grocery outlet, I discovered greater than a dozen choices for ham within the conventional meat case, not the deli, and determined to have just a little enjoyable within the Meals Shack.
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Let’s begin with the steaks, which may be grilled in a matter of minutes or smoked for a couple of hours with any type of wooden, though if the ham is labeled as applewood smoked or no matter, I might use that. Once more, most hams have already got been cooked, so it is extra of a reheating course of and there’s no hazard of killing your loved ones or dinner friends should you do not time your cook dinner nicely.
I want to place ham steaks on the smoker for 2 hours at 250 levels, however you possibly can positively put them on a sizzling grill and they are going to be prepared in minutes. For no matter cause, I can style the freshness of the smoke, and it provides to the expertise.
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After which there’s this little trick that I’ve found to make pork jerky bliss within the type of the sliced ham that’s available. All you need to do is deliberately overcook it. The slices come minimize at in regards to the thickness of a scalloped potato, and those self same two hours of smoking with the steaks will carry out a product that is crispy and each bit nearly as good as conventional jerky varieties.
And my canine Harper is a very keen on it, together with her dachshund nostril sniffing it out every time I make it.
cblount@express-news.internet | Twitter: @chuck_blount | Instagram: @bbqdiver
