Family and Youth/4-H

Making your ham dinner a success is easier if you keep a few points in mind, a South Dakota State University specialist said.

South Dakota Cooperative Extension Service Food Safety Specialist Joan Hegerfeld-Baker offers some tips on preparing ham in a video segment. Find it online at this link: http://agbiotvradio.sdstate.edu/video.cfm.

Hegerfeld-Baker said you should know how many people you plan on serving before you go to the store. Also think about what kind of ham you want.

• If purchasing a boneless ham, figure one-fourth to one-third pound per person. A ham with very little bone serves one-third to one-half pound per person. With a whole ham or half a ham with a regular bone in it, estimate three-fourths pound to 1 pound per person.

• Fully cooked ham — and most hams are fully cooked if they have been smoked or cured – should be cooked to 140 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature. A fresh ham is cooked to 160 F.

• Hams that are wrapped can keep in a refrigerator for seven days before serving. If purchased sliced, ham will keep three to four days.

Cooking time is estimated on pounds of meat and an oven temperature of 325 F.

• A whole, fully cooked ham with the bone-in requires a cooking time of 15 to 18 minutes per pound. If the ham is cut in half it will need to cook longer — 18 to 24 minutes per pound.

• An uncooked ham requires a longer cooking time — 22 to 26 minutes per pound if it's a whole, uncooked ham (with bone). Estimate 24 to 28 minutes per pound if your uncooked ham is boneless.

Use the following cooking techniques to maintain a juicy ham:

• Do not use a slow oven or a really hot oven – recommended oven temperature is 325 Fahrenheit.

• A ham that is sliced in half should be placed in the roasting pan with the sliced side down. The outer layer of fat will crust over better to keep juices in.

• Glaze ham as another way to keep juices in and add flavor. Glazes usually have a fruit base combined with corn syrup, honey or brown sugar.

• Baste the ham every 20 minutes.

• If the required baking time is more than one hour, cover the ham with an aluminum tent after the first hour. The first hour of baking should be uncovered.

Handling leftovers correctly maintains quality and safety. Use the following safe food handling techniques:

• After the meal, place the ham in the refrigerator. The ham should not be at room temperature for longer than two hours – if it has been re-contaminated during slicing and/or serving the bacteria present can begin to grow to dangerous levels. Place sliced ham in the refrigerator, covered loosely, cool to refrigeration temperatures, then cover tightly. A tight cover can act as an insulator to keep it from cooling down quickly.

• A previously cooked, cured ham will maintain safety and quality for three to five days as a leftover in the refrigerator before you would have to serve or freeze it.

• If it's a fresh ham that you cooked yourself, leftovers can keep three to four days.

For more information on safe food handling, contact your county Extension office.

Untitled Document