Ham roast dinner?

[La]

Ham is "cured" as opposed to "cooked" so you're really just heating it through. You don't have to worry about the inside not being cooked if you take it out too soon. Worst case is it's not hot enough in the middle. It's not like turkey where you'd end up with raw meat in the middle if it were under-cooked.

even when it's coming straight from the farmer? isn't there a risk of trichinosis from undercooked pork?

If it's ham, the farmer isn't giving you a raw piece of pork meat! Ham isn't ham unless it's cured. So regardless of the temperature you heat it to, you're not "cooking" it, anyway.

I guess that's why I was confused because I wouldn't call a pig leg "ham". Would you brine a ham? But then I figured it was like sausage - you can buy fully-cooked and uncooked sausage, can't you?

(I don't eat pig unless it's bacon, hence all my confusion)

Ham is already brined, which is how it's cured. It can be cured with smoke or salt (or preservatives like nitrates, which is what's in most ham you buy at the grocery store, which is why it's bad for you).

Saussage is a totally different thing. Raw pork meat is used to make saussage, then some saussages are smoked or dry cured to create things like pepperoni and salami. But you can buy "raw" saussages, too.

"Ham" is always cured, otherwise it would just be a raw pork roast (which, obviously, has to be cooked before serving).

[deerdree]

Ham is "cured" as opposed to "cooked" so you're really just heating it through. You don't have to worry about the inside not being cooked if you take it out too soon. Worst case is it's not hot enough in the middle. It's not like turkey where you'd end up with raw meat in the middle if it were under-cooked.

even when it's coming straight from the farmer? isn't there a risk of trichinosis from undercooked pork?

If it's ham, the farmer isn't giving you a raw piece of pork meat! Ham isn't ham unless it's cured. So regardless of the temperature you heat it to, you're not "cooking" it, anyway.

I guess that's why I was confused because I wouldn't call a pig leg "ham". Would you brine a ham? But then I figured it was like sausage - you can buy fully-cooked and uncooked sausage, can't you?

(I don't eat pig unless it's bacon, hence all my confusion)

Ham is already brined, which is how it's cured. It can be cured with smoke or salt (or preservatives like nitrates, which is what's in most ham you buy at the grocery store, which is why it's bad for you).

Saussage is a totally different thing. Raw pork meat is used to make saussage, then some saussages are smoked or dry cured to create things like pepperoni and salami. But you can buy "raw" saussages, too.

"Ham" is always cured, otherwise it would just be a raw pork roast (which, obviously, has to be cooked before serving).

okay, so since pts is supposed to shave and brine her pig leg, it's not a ham roast? it's just a pork roast?

eta: but then i found this online, which suggests that "ham" doesn't have to be cured: "Fresh ham = Unprocessed, uncooked ham. Most hams go through a curing process and are then called cured ham."

[pts]

Ham is "cured" as opposed to "cooked" so you're really just heating it through. You don't have to worry about the inside not being cooked if you take it out too soon. Worst case is it's not hot enough in the middle. It's not like turkey where you'd end up with raw meat in the middle if it were under-cooked.

even when it's coming straight from the farmer? isn't there a risk of trichinosis from undercooked pork?

If it's ham, the farmer isn't giving you a raw piece of pork meat! Ham isn't ham unless it's cured. So regardless of the temperature you heat it to, you're not "cooking" it, anyway.

I guess that's why I was confused because I wouldn't call a pig leg "ham". Would you brine a ham? But then I figured it was like sausage - you can buy fully-cooked and uncooked sausage, can't you?

(I don't eat pig unless it's bacon, hence all my confusion)

Ham is already brined, which is how it's cured. It can be cured with smoke or salt (or preservatives like nitrates, which is what's in most ham you buy at the grocery store, which is why it's bad for you).

Saussage is a totally different thing. Raw pork meat is used to make saussage, then some saussages are smoked or dry cured to create things like pepperoni and salami. But you can buy "raw" saussages, too.

"Ham" is always cured, otherwise it would just be a raw pork roast (which, obviously, has to be cooked before serving).

okay, so since pts is supposed to shave and brine her pig leg, it's not a ham roast? it's just a pork roast?

eta: but then i found this online, which suggests that "ham" doesn't have to be cured: "Fresh ham = Unprocessed, uncooked ham. Most hams go through a curing process and are then called cured ham."

I think it is this one... Not cured at all? And the farmer (or the butcher, Keith) has already given it to us (in the freezer from last seasons bulk order) so I think I am on de-skinning duty.

Smiles, do I have your cell #, I think I may need to call you or your aunt trix! 3 days until ham day!

[Miss*Smiles]

Call me any time (though I'm not half the cook Trixiee is!!). You have my number

[trixiee]

You can call me anytime!
Sounds like it's more of a pork roast then? You must really love D to go to that length to cook something which to you, is so completely out of your comfort zone!

We had spare ribs, sweet potatoes and beans for dinner tonight! And watermelon (still from our garden - it was in cold storage) beans were from our garden too!

[Avis]

I'll thrown in my 2 cents: I like cranberry sauce with a ham dinner. The tart-sweet-bitter flavour goes nicely with the salty ham. It adds some bright colour to the plate, too.