Ham is the traditional centerpiece for Easter, Christmas, parties and other special gatherings. Almost any meal is made special with a ham. There are many options available for choosing a mail order ham online in the quest to make your ham centerpiece selection a success. You can’t judge the value of your online mail order ham by the price per pound; you have to look beyond the price to see the differences in the hams that are available.
Nutrition Facts labels are a great place to start when comparing ham. Nutrition facts provide information on the calorie, fat, cholesterol, protein, and sodium content of the ham. In general, the nutrients in ham are healthy, since ham is a relatively lean cut of meat before anything is added to it. When comparing hams, be sure to note the serving size that has been used to establish the ham’s nutritional statistics.
Although the nutritional information is very similar from one ham manufacturer to another, there are several factors that will present distinguishable differences in the hams. These factors can account for differences in flavor and texture profile from one brand of ham to another. These factors are bone-in versus boneless ham, slow versus efficient curing of ham, levels of water added to the ham, different methods of smoking the ham, length of cooking, and of course, the ingredients included. , curing or marinating the ham. .
Bone-in hams provide 2 to 3 servings per pound and tend to highlight added ingredients. The natural fats of the ham help to enhance the ingredients that are added to the cure (adobo). Although you may want to trim the fat when you consume the ham, cooking the ham in its natural fat will bring out the unique differences in many spices and sweeteners used to make the ham. Boneless hams provide 4 to 5 servings per pound. Boneless hams typically have all visible fat removed when the ham is prepared for smoking and cooking. Boneless hams are extremely simple, however, if you don’t mind removing a bit of fat, you’ll probably enjoy the flavor profile of bone-in ham more than boneless ham. If you’re worried about carving, try a bone-in spirally sliced ham.
Another factor that presents definitive differences in hams from one brand to another is the curing method of the ham. The ham is made with a tasty cure, a marinade of water and brine that gives the ham its typical flavor and appearance. Technological advances have helped the ham curing process (adding ingredients through moisture enhancements) to become a much more efficient process than the early days of ham processing. The team has helped the process of getting the ingredients into the ham quickly so that the ham gets to the store faster. Although the efficiency factor helps reduce production costs for some hams, it is not always effective in maximizing the flavor enhancement factor. Whether using new technology or traditional methods, slowing down the curing process will bring out the unique differences of the added ingredients. Getting the ingredients into the meat is only half the process, giving them a chance to work before cooking is the second half.
Water is the medium used by ham makers to introduce different ingredients into the meat. Over the years, some ham manufacturers have improved their methods to get more and more moisture into the meat. The labels will say ham, ham with natural juices, ham with added water, and ham with X% added water. Obviously, ham and ham with natural juices will have the least amount of water diluting the natural flavor of the ham and its added spices. Adding more and more water will help bring down the cost of the ham, but generally does little to improve the flavor and texture of the ham itself.
The way of smoking the ham will be another factor that will create differences between some brands of ham and others. The traditional method of smoking ham was to use specially selected hardwood logs that would enhance the sweeteners and spices that the ham maker chose. Soon, processors discovered that their ham tasted better with hickory wood, apple wood, or even dried corn on the cob. One of the newer technologies is a processed natural smoke that is turned into a liquid and applied to the hams during the cooking process. This process has helped to shorten the ham production cycle. Many specialty processors still choose to stick with the natural wood of their choice to enhance the special blend of spices that gives their ham its unique flavor properties.
Like the long process of curing the ham, many ham processors feel that slow cooking the ham at a lower temperature maintains the natural texture of the meat and cooks the flavors of the spices into the ham. Once again, technology has been introduced to shorten cooking cycles and reach safe internal temperatures more quickly. Some argue that the quick process changes the texture of the ham too much and doesn’t allow the flavors of the ham and the ingredients to meld during the cooking process.
Probably the area where each ham maker will argue that theirs is the best is in the ingredients they choose for curing or marinating the ham. Each cure has one or two prominent ingredients that help give a ham its unique flavor and aroma properties. Maple syrup, honey, and brown sugar are three main ingredients that specialty ham processors can choose from to make their curing recipe. In addition to the base ingredient, many other spices can be added to further enhance the preference of a single recipe for curing a ham.
As you can see, a good festive centerpiece for your Easter, Christmas or special celebration meal goes far beyond price per pound or an attractive package. There are many ways to make a ham less expensive, but like any good recipe, if you shorten the cycle and ingredients, it may not taste as good and give you and your guests the treat you hoped for. Choose your ham wisely and enjoy one of the best tasting gastronomic traditions.
You must insist on distinctive, elusive and unique quality and flavor in your ham that can never be mass-produced by machinery or rushed through the curing and smoking process. Whether you need a festive ham or you’re buying a ham online just because you love the taste, the best maple syrup, cob and applewood-smoked brined hams made in the New England tradition in one of the few remaining smokehouses that control quality from start to finish come from
MeatGourmet [http://ww.MeatGourmet.com/].
