I had decided to cook a ham for Christmas, especially since
it was advertised for $.88/lb. at Lowe’s for a Cook’s pre-cooked shank end ham
and $1.08 for a butt end ham.
This year has been a misadventure with the ham, mainly due
to the instructions on the package, which I attempted to follow. Also, on the first attempt I failed to cover
the ham with foil or bake in a covered roasting pan, as recommended. After two and one-half hours at 350˚ I ended
up with a charred piece of meat. So I returned
to Lowe’s and bought two more hams for $15.83 and was sure to cover the ham
loosely with aluminum foil. This time I
disregarded the instructions slightly and cooked it for two hours at 325˚. After two hours when I checked the ham’s
internal temperature with a meat thermometer, both hams registered internal
temperatures of 300˚. So I have decided
that the instruction to cook the ham for 25 minutes per pound, given on the
package must be a ruse to make you buy more hams.
The larger of the two hams weighted nine pounds, so that
would have been three hours and 15 minutes and another charred ham. We usually cook our hams to an internal temp
of 175 to 180˚, so I probably overcooked the hams by a half hour. The good news is that any harmful bacteria are
completely destroyed.
I guess I can resolve any guilt from overcooking the ham by the
thought that I have cooked a safer ham.
If there is a moral to be learned from this experience, it is
to put your faith in your meat thermometer and not to blindly rely upon the
printed cooking instructions.
On the morning of the 24th we scored and glazed
the hams with a lovely caramel, bourbon and mustard glaze and are cooking the
hams a bit to give them a bit more flavor and crispness.
We prepped all the other dishes on Saturday and Sunday, including Suzette’s
sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts and I made my chocolate French Baked pudding. On Saturday
Suzette made Mother’s Van Cliburn Shrimp mold, which is still one of my
favorites. Here is the recipe:
Just as Julia Child attempted to adapt French Haut Cuisine to American ingredients, Mother had a real talent for creating very exciting dishes from available ingredients, like canned tomato soup and gelatin with fresh vegetables in a shrimp mold.
There will be lots of cheeses and I bought rolls and baguettes yesterday, so we will open some red wines.
Today I will cut up some apples and pears to go with the cheese.
Susan is making pickled shrimp, cheese biscuits, red velvet cupcakes and Texas seasoned pecans.
I just spoke to Ed and he and Michele are making a sweet and
sour bean medley.
I am finally looking forward to a lovely Christmas Eve party.
Bon Appétit
No comments:
Post a Comment