Hi all,

Reading throught he thread about fresh vs. cured ham, one theme that comes
out a lot is "when a ham is cooked properly..."

Well, coincidentally, I now have a large ham that I haven't any idea what
to do with. It was a gift from a friend who got it from a ranch elsewhere
in the state, but it's relatively local. It has no labels on it at all,
but it's obviously been smoked (smells great). Other than that, I don't
have any details on how it was cured. And it's large, though I don't have
a scale.

How to cook it? Just like a roast? Or should it be be cooked longer and
slower?

Thanks!!
-Chris

"Chris De Young" wrote in message
> Hi all,
>
> Reading throught he thread about fresh vs. cured ham, one theme that comes
> out a lot is "when a ham is cooked properly..."
>
> Well, coincidentally, I now have a large ham that I haven't any idea what
> to do with. It was a gift from a friend who got it from a ranch elsewhere
> in the state, but it's relatively local. It has no labels on it at all,
> but it's obviously been smoked (smells great). Other than that, I don't
> have any details on how it was cured. And it's large, though I don't have
> a scale.
>
> How to cook it? Just like a roast? Or should it be be cooked longer and
> slower?
>
> Thanks!!
> -Chris

First, Chris, try and find out a little more about the ham. Salt cured
hams need to be boiled for a while to remove the excess salt, then cooked.
(In Virginia, these are called "country hams".) If it's sugar cured, then
15 minutes to the pound at 325 degrees is the usual method (if it's really
big, you could drop it to 300 degrees). Some, from the supermarkets, have
already been cooked and just need to be heated through, although if yours
came from a ranch it probably needs cooking.

Dora