Ham I Am - Recap

Alton, clad in top hat and cape, starts the show performing “Fantastic Food Magic” to a less than appreciative audience. He turns white turnips red, milk into cheese, popcorn… none of these tricks thrill the spectators. But Alton has saved his greatest trick for last – for how else but magic could an ordinary leg of pig convert itself to a rich, fragrant and delicious ham? Well, there is some osmosis, chemistry, smoke and time involved, but any meal that feeds twenty for about a buck each has to be magic. With a spell or two of your own, you too can make ham into…Good Eats

Alton brings out a small ceramic pig to show where various cuts of ham start out. True ham starts at the aitch bone in the back and includes the hind legs. Do not confuse this with any other part of the animal!

A fresh (or green) ham can be cooked and will yield a fine roast. But it will not yield a ham. For that, additional steps are needed. In fact, there are so many ways to prepare a ham that even the USDA recognizes four distinct ham classifications. To bear the label “ham” a cut must contain at least 20% protein and no added water. Cuts with less protein and/or added water bear labels such as “ham in natural juices,” “ham with added water,” or even “ham and water product.” That last is often boned, chopped, shaped and reconstituted into a “ham like shape.” Needless to say, avoid it.

City hams are partially cured in a sweet brine before being lightly smoked and cooked. They’re mild-mannered crowd pleasers. Buy shank end if you can; the rump end has a lot more connective tissue. Country hams are dry cured with a rub of salt, sodium nitrate and sometimes spices, then hung (sometimes for months). Some are smoked, some not. The salt pulls moisture out and prevents bacterial growth.

Country hams don’t require refrigeration because they’re mummies. They have so little water that the first thing Alton does (well, okay, after removing the hock, which is used elsewhere) is to rehydrate his ham. Alton uses a large cooler with a bottom drain, but any large container will do as long as the water can be changed easily. Rehydration exploits the principle of balanced osmotic pressure; water passes into the cell and escorts salts back out. That’s why the water has to be changed several times over the two days or so it takes to rehydrate the ham.

The hydrated ham goes into a roaster. Alton fills the roaster about two thirds of the way to the top with Dr. Pepper and sweet pickle juice, but any flavorful liquid will do. Then he tents the ham with a couple of pieces of heavy duty foil crimped together. This leaves room for heat and moisture to circulate. Alton uses a two stage cook here: high heat for half an hour and medium high for the rest of the bake. He flips the ham so the Doctor can work on the other side and inserts a probe thermometer at that time. At 140º the ham is done. Those without a probe thermometer must return every half hour or so to check for doneness.

Properly cooked, the ham should be mahogany colored and the meat should fall off the bone. Let it rest of half an hour or so before carving. Alton uses this time to “bone up” on porcine anatomy in preparation for the carving. An X-Ray illustrates the bony configuration; Alton explains that starting at the shank end allows one to carve about 2/3 of the way up while avoiding the aitch bone. The aitch bone’s unusual shape makes caring around it difficult. But with a few tips, anyone can easily carve a ham consistently. And the parts that don’t carve easily can be used in other dishes.

Alton tackles city hams next. They’re tasty and cheap – good for parties with just a little tinkering. Many city hams are partially or fully cooked, but can still benefit from a slow and controlled reheat. First Alton scores the ham with an ordinary utility knife (the kind with a triangular blade, available at any hardware store). This will let fat out and flavors in. Once again two pieces of foil crimped together and around the pan form a tent that keeps heat in without touching the ham. As before, it’s important to leave room for heat and moisture to circulate. Alton cooks his ham until the center reaches 130º. Then it’s time for the crust.

Alton shares his grandmother’s secret crust recipe: mustard, brown sugar, a little bourbon, and a secret ingredient. First he peels the rind off the ham because the crust won’t stick to it. Then he applies the crust layer by layer: mustard, sugar, bourbon and the secret ingredient. Then the ham goes back into a hotter oven for about an hour to bring the temperature up a little bit and set the crust.

Alton summarizes: stick with cuts labeled “ham” or “ham in natural juices.” Avoid anything that doesn’t really look like the hind leg of an animal and anything that lacks of a bone – these are over processed. Country ham must be rehydrated and cooked in liquid. City ham must be scored and cooked to let out fat. Either way, ham is culinary magic.

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