Ham Can Be Served in Dozens of Ways for Easter Festivities

Many Easter-time hosts are taking advantage of carved, ready-to-eat hams sold in takeout stores. Even some supermarkets are accommodating consumers with carved hams that come with heating instructions.

However, for the die-hards who insist on selecting and carving their own ham for Easter meals, we came up with what the National Live Stock and Meat Board in Chicago has to say about choosing the proper ham to suit your menu and likely save money, too.

Hams are available in a wide range of sizes to fit all family needs, the board says.

The size you select depends on the number of people to be served, their appetites and your plans for leftovers.

Servings Per Pound

A boneless, fully cooked, smoked ham provides four or five servings per pound, while a fully cooked ham slice provides about 3 1/2 servings per pound. Bone-in hams provide two or three servings per pound.

When shopping for ham, look for a firm, fine-grained, pink, lean meat that is free from excess moisture.

Boneless hams have very little fat cover, and they’re leaner and more convenient to use than other ham styles.

Many Cuts Available

Bone-in hams are available as whole hams; shanks and rump (butt) halves; and shank and rump portions (halves with the center slices removed).

Ham slices cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick also are available, and they’re ideal for small families.

Some hams may be semi-boneless. These hams have only the round leg bone or shank bone remaining.

Most hams are fully cooked and available as either boneless or bone-in. These hams have been cured and smoked and cooked and are ready to eat.

However, if you want to heat a fully cooked ham taken from the refrigerator, here’s the scoop: Roast 8- to 12-pound boneless ham or 14- to 16-pound bone-in ham to 130 to 140 degrees meat thermometer reading (about 15 to 18 minutes per pound). A half 4- to 6-pound boneless ham or 7- to 8-pound bone-in ham cooks 18 to 25 minutes per pound.

Cooking Times

A ham you cook requires 15 to 18 minutes per pound for a 14- to 16-pound bone-in ham or 22 to 25 minutes per pound for a half bone-in ham.

To broil a ham slice, allow 16 to 20 minutes for a fully cooked ham slice cut 3/4 to 1 inch thick.

If you are microwave-cooking a fully cooked whole ham portion weighing 3 pounds, allow 10 to 15 minutes total time in the microwave oven at MEDIUM power (which is 325 watts in a 650-watt oven).

Here are the carving instructions for a shank half of ham: First, place the end of the ham shank on the carver’s left, with the thicker portion of ham on top. Place your fork in the top of the ham, then cut along the top of the bone and lift off the thick portion. Place the thick portion cut off the shank on a platter or carving board and make perpendicular slices.

Now for the boned portion. Cut around the leg bone with tip of the knife to remove meat from this bone. Turn the ham over and slice in the same manner as the thick portion. And that’s all there is to it.

No Limit on Uses

There is practically no limit to what you can do with ham. Sit-down or stand-up service, fettuccine (hot or cold), rice salad or hot cooked rice, macaroni with or without cheese, steamed new baby potatoes or potato salad, or even a savory bread or corn pudding are great.

If the ham is a buffet lunch or dinner entree, you might want to accompany the ham with an old-fashioned molded cold vegetable salad as well as a hot or cold potato, pasta or rice salad. Ham and cheese-type or ham chow mein-style casseroles, strattas (layered dishes set in custard), savory tortes (bread dough layered with ham, cheese and spinach and baked) are great because they can be prepared ahead and baked at the last moment to serve hot after you return from church or other events.

For an Easter buffet brunch or lunch you can assemble ahead, wrap ham slices around a savory bread stuffing covered with gravy, or serve cold ham rolls filled with asparagus spears and topped with a mustard and dill-flavored mayonnaise for a festive cold dish. You can also serve ham a la king-style over toasted English muffins, hot biscuits, corn bread or baked sweet potatoes; or serve it in a pastry shell or potato basket. Easter leftovers can be cubed and combined with water chestnuts into a sweet-sour sauce and heated to serve over chow mein noodles or fluffy rice.