Ham is considered as the most favorite meat for various occasions like family holiday celebrations and for the normal store-bought sandwiches. But some still wonder what ham is and how it can be cooked in different ways? 

Ham is basically the hind leg of a pig and is also known as fresh ham. You can simply roast it before eating or cut its bone-like other cuts of meat. Ham can be cooked and pre-cured in so many ways in order to make it a prepared ham. In this article, you will get to know about what kind of ham should be used, which kind of curing process it undergoes and what you should do after curing it properly.

Generally, most people like to eat cooked beef ham which is also known as a minute steak. It is an easy and quick thin steak that is perfect for frying. Some people like beef ham with extra spice on it so it can be used as a tasty meal. Beef ham is perfect for stir fry, delicious steak, Chinese curry, and onion baguette.

How to Cook Ham?

You can easily cook a fresh piece of ham just like any other cut of meat by roasting it slowly. For this purpose, you should have a large pan and oven that can hold it properly. However, before cooking ham is supposed to undergo an initial curing or pre-cooking process. This process can significantly affect its taste. One of the most common ways of preparing a ham is listed below.

• Aging
• Curing
• Smoking

You can cure the fresh piece of ham by injecting a brine of salt, sodium nitrate, sugar, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, sodium erythorbate with water, and other flavorings. After the curing process, you can cook it under the internal temperature of 150F. These above-mentioned chemicals combined with the cooking process can kill all the bacteria and turn a fresh ham into a cooked beef ham. This is the most common type of ham that you may find in departmental stores or supermarkets. It is mostly referred to as baked ham.

Cold Smoked Ham

Cold smoked ham can be prepared by smoking the fresh ham at 60 F which may go on for so many days and even weeks. Due to the low temperature, bacteria can only be controlled by chemicals in the smoke. It is a slow drying process. A cold-smoked ham usually demands salt curing to control bacteria throughout the curing process.

The smoke used for smoking a ham generally comes from wood chips or wood as the kind of wood can also make a significant difference to its taste and overall cooking process. Different types of hams are used to prepare through the combination of these processes.

Smoked hams can be finished by heating with a glaze and served with some delicious sauce. However, slated hams which are aged for a whole year can be sliced in thin layers and can be eaten with complementary accompaniments like toasted bread, melon, and chunks of cheese.