Ree's Dr Pepper-Glazed Ham Is the Only Recipe You'll Need This Easter (2024)

FAQs

What is the best kind of ham to cook for Easter? ›

A whole bone-in ham includes both the shank and leg bones, which are said to impart extra flavor when cooking. That's why these hams can be particularly tasty, and a bit more expensive per pound.

The idea is to wait until the ham is almost fully heated, then add the glaze as one of the last steps. You don't want to add it too early or the sugars in the glaze could cause it to burn, and you don't want to add it too late or you won't get that caramelized coating.

Cured hams don't necessarily need to be cooked.

Be sure to check the label of your ham. Most cured hams (although not all), as well as cured and smoked hams come ready to eat. So, it's really up to you and depends on your taste if you prefer to eat it cold or heated through.

The acid in the soda makes a great tenderizer.

Bone-in ham

The bone provides the meat with better flavor and texture. As a bonus, the leftover bone is great for making soups and stews, like this Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup. Bone-in hams are sold as half hams. When you opt for bone-in ham, you'll also need to consider the part of the ham you buy.

If you don't cover your ham while cooking it will quickly dry out. Instead: Put some aluminum foil over your ham while it's cooking. It is recommended that the ham is covered for at least half of the cooking process and only removed during the last half when you glaze it.

The glaze should not be applied until the final hour to 30 minutes, in order to avoid burning the sugars. What you're going to do with the glaze ingredients is just combine most of them into a paste, and then apply it to the ham. After that, the heat in your oven will take care of everything.

Ham is often served at the Easter table, which may seem odd since Jesus was Jewish and wouldn't have eaten pork. It seems that this holiday food comes more from the timing of Easter rather than a religious meaning.

Carving can be an issue with the butt end because of its irregularly shaped aitch bone. A ham labeled "shank end" is larger so you'll get more servings out of it. It's easier to carve, has less fat and costs less. Personally, I prefer the flavor of the shank end, which isn't as fatty.

Cover with foil. Bake 2 to 2½ hours or until browned and heated through (140°F). For the last 45 minutes of cooking, uncover and spoon glaze over ham (if you're using a glaze).

Why do people pour co*ke on their ham? ›

Our answer. Cooking a ham in cola will impart a slight sweetness to the ham, which is foiled by the saltiness of the meat itself. However it is only the outside of the ham that will really pick up the sweetness, it does not penetrate all the way through the ham.

Cola adds caramel sweetness to a ham glaze and can stand up to other strong ingredients like bourbon and cloves. If you'd rather not cook with alcohol, use apple juice instead. Start with our Classic Cola-Glazed Ham recipe and give it your own spin, depending on the soda you're using.

Lay the ham in a deep oven pan on a layer of thickly sliced onions. For a different taste you could also add thick slices of apple, pear or pineapple under the ham . Score the fat diagonally about each inch and then repeat at 45 degrees to create a diamond pattern.

Spiral ham can be made boneless, but butchers typically create a spiral ham cut by slicing a bone-in ham into one big spiral shape. Not only does spiral bone-in ham have a natural and preserved fresh flavor—it's also a lot easier to cut, because of the extra work done at the butcher's block.

Rump, Butt, Or Sirloin

The rump contains the femur and pelvic bone, which can be challenging to carve around. It is a more tender and flavorful cut of meat and can often be more expensive.

Their size and their thick layer of fat makes Iberico Pigs ideal to make ham because they can be cured for much longer. This produces a very intense, oily and complex flavor that is simply unparalleled.