Guide to Holiday Ham Baking

Nothing says the Holidays have arrived like the aroma of freshly baked cured ham. Luckily, a beautifully glazed and garnished ham also makes the perfect table centerpiece at Christmas! However, those new to holiday entertaining, or just to ham preparation in general, can find creating the perfect holiday ham to be a daunting task. The goal of this article is to make selection, preparation and presentation of your holiday ham easy and stress free, by presenting each step one at a time. Get ready to amaze your guests!

Portion
Selection is one of the hardest parts of preparing the family ham. Everyone has an opinion on what is the best portion to choose from, and budget is always a consideration. It helps a little when making the decision to know what each portion offers and what the butcher's packaging information means. A ham is specifically the back leg portion of the animal that has been cured. You can purchase either a whole ham (the entire back leg) or a half ham, (either the rump or shank portion). The rump portion is the meatiest half of the ham, and is usually the more expensive and more popular half. The author prefers the whole or the shank portion , however, for the purpose of presentation. Either portion works well in the recipe, and makes a suitable holiday ham, use your own taste and preference in choosing between them.

Curing Methods
The most common method used for curing hams is 'brine' or salt water curing. Dry curing is more expensive than brine curing and results in a salty flavored meat, think country ham. Obviously, for your holiday feast you will prefer the milder, juicer texture of a brine cured ham. The curing process removes bacteria from the meat and provides some protection from spoilage.