If you want a change to the Christmas ham, try frying the ham until it’s overcooked. Overcooked Christmas ham is tender in structure and slightly drier than ham cooked to 75 degrees.
Even though many people think Christmas ham is best as it is and prepared in the traditional way, you can always vary a little and try something new.
HKFoods meat business manager Mikko Järvinen according to many already varied, because the methods of making Christmas ham have diversified a bit in recent years. Still, we can’t talk about any actual new ham trends.
– One kind of trend or phenomenon is that ham is baked overcooked, i.e. the meat is wanted to be crumbly. The habit may have come through pulled pork and others. Of course, this divides people, because some still want the ham juicy, says Järvinen.
Overcooked ham is similar in texture to pulled pork. Alamy Stock/AOP
The meter should read 82 degrees
Overcooked ham is baked in the same way as traditional ham, but the internal temperature must be allowed to rise above 82 degrees instead of 75 degrees.
The most important tool for frying is a meat thermometer, which is inserted into the thickest part of the ham. However, be careful not to push the meter into the bone.
The ham is cooked when the thermometer reads 75 degrees. At this stage, however, you have to be patient, because those who want overcooked meat have to wait a while longer for the frying meter to reach at least 82 degrees.
– It’s worth noting that those last degrees rise relatively slowly. However, not so slowly that the ham should be fried earlier than normal, instructs Järvinen.
Järvinen gives yet another tip. If you want to get a really delicious, overcooked Christmas ham, don’t put the ham in a roasting bag.
– When you prepare an overcooked Christmas ham without a roasting bag, the meat also roasts a little in the oven, says Järvinen.
For the Christmas ham to be overcooked, the meat thermometer must read at least 82 degrees. Mostphotos