By Enid Donaldson-Mignotte, Contributor 
We're used to ham made from pork, but there's a new kid on the block -- Chicken Ham. - Photo courtesy of Best Dressed Food
These days pork may be losing its -- well -- porky image, says cookbook author and Gleaner food columnist Enid
Donaldson-Mignotte. It's now called the other white meat,
and it's believed that pork produced today has 50 per cent less fat
than that of only 20 years ago, notes Mrs. Donaldson-Mignotte
in her book the Real Taste of Jamaica.
Still, regardless of its piggish tendencies ham, which
could be called pork with a pedigree, remains at the top of
the Christmas dinner menu for most Jamaicans.
This week we feature ham in all its glazes, and the tasty, less well known chicken ham. Below, learn to make your own ham, and turn the pages for information on how to prepare and serve ham.
TO CURE A HAM
You will not need a meat pump, as you will be processing the leg when
it is frozen. You need not buy expensive pickling salt, but the rule of good
cooking is never more applicable than when making a ham, start with good ingredients.
INGREDIENTS
10 lbs. of frozen pork
(select a back leg)
1/2 lb. salt
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
4 ozs. brown sugar
2 tsps. salt petre
Pickling spice
METHOD
1. Select a back leg weighing not less than 10 lb. from a well fed pig. Any and every leg of pork just won't do! It is well to have the leg well frozen at least three days, but a week is best.
2. Mix the above ingredients thoroughly (salt, mace, nutmeg, sugar, salt petre and pickling spice) and divide the mixture in two parts.
3. Rub 1/2 of the mixture on the frozen leg, until all of it is absorbed. (Put away remaining 1/2 of mixture to use another day).
4. Put leg in heavy plastic bag with cut side down, so that it will absorb pickle that falls to the bottom of the bag.
5. Place in refrigerator.
6. After 7 days rub in remaining salt mixture. (This time the leg must not be frozen). Return to plastic bag as before.
7. Allow 2 days for each 1 lb. of meat for curing. So it will take approximately three weeks to cure a 10 lb. leg.
8. When leg is cured, package for freezer until ready for use.
TO COOK A HAM GLAZE
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp. of prepared mustard
3 dozen whole cloves
METHOD
Wash of salt, and treat as mild cured ham. The lower the heat, the softer the ham will be.
1. Cook at 325ºF for approximately three hours.
2. Trim off skin, and glaze by mixing sugar and mustard together.
3. Brush mixture over ham.
4. Score the surface in 3/4 inch squares or diamonds.
5. Stick whole cloves in middle of squares. If you wish you may dress with pineapple, orange slices or cherries.
6. Bake 30 minutes longer. (A meat thermometer will remove all the guesswork -- just watch the mercury rise to tender ham).
Serves 40-60
TIP
Cut the skin in square, brush with oil and return to oven until crisp. Serve as hors d'oeuvres or a tasty snack.
Pineapple Glaze
1 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1 8-oz. can crushed
pineapple, with syrup
2 tbsps. lemon juice
1 tbsp. mustard
1. Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in a small pot.
2. Stir in pineapple, along
with the syrup, lemon juice
and mustard.
3. Cook over medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly -- until the mixture thickens and starts to boil.
TIP
Pork is a rich source of protein, thiamine and niacin, while it is low in sodium, calories and cholesterol. It is fat, however, that keeps meat tender, so cook very lean pork with care. Pork cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF for medium 'doneness' will provide tender juicy flavourful results.
Pork used to be overcooked for ear of trichinosis, but trichinosis is said to be destroyed at 137ºF and is clinically rare today.
Baked Chicken Ham
in June Plum Glaze
INGREDIENTS
1 Chicken Ham
24 whole cloves
6 slices pineapple
12 red cherries
METHOD
1. Thaw chicken at room temperature or in bottom of refrigerator overnight.
2. Preheat oven at 176ºC or 350ºF.
3. Place ham on a wire rack in a shallow baking pan with a small amount of water in pan. Bake at 22 minutes per kilogram of meat. (One kilogram = 2.2 pounds).
4. At the end of baking time, peel skin and make diamond shaped cuts across the fat of the chicken ham. Stud the cuts with cloves, leaving even spaces between each clove.
5. Brush on June Plum Ginger glaze. Decorate with pineapple slices and cherries.
6. Return to the oven and bake until golden brown. Serve on a platter dressed with orange slices and cherries. Slice as needed.
June Plum Ginger glaze
2 june plums peeled
& chopped
1 cup water
2 tbsps. ginger, chopped
1/2 cup dark sugar
Place June plum, water and ginger in a blender. Blend well and strain. Pour into saucepan and place over medium heat. Add sugar and stir occasionally until thickened. Glaze chicken ham.
Peach Compote with Bourbon-Glazed Ham
Ginger-Peach Compote
INGREDIENTS
1 (20-oz.) bag frozen peaches,
partially thawed and coarsely
chopped (use canned peaches
which is more readily avail
able in Jamaica)
3 tbsps. light brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsps. finely minced
peeled ginger
1/4 tsp. orange juice
Bourbon-Glazed Ham
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup packed dark
brown sugar
1 (5 to 6 lb.) smoked ham
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Make the ginger-peach compote. In a large, heavy saucepan, combine peaches, brown sugar, fresh ginger, ground ginger and orange juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the peaches are tender but not mushy, 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Transfer the peach mixture to a bowl and let cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. (The compote can be made up to 1 day ahead).
4. Meanwhile, make the bourbon-glazed ham. In a cup, combine the bourbon and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Set the bourbon glaze aside.
5. Place the ham, fat side up, in a shallow roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham, away from the bone, registers 140 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours (or bake the ham according to the package directions). Twenty to 30 minutes before the ham is done, remove the foil and brush the ham generously with the bourbon glaze; continue to bake uncovered, brushing 2 to 3 more times with the remaining glaze. Transfer the ham to a platter and let rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.
6. Carve the ham and serve with peach compote in a bowl on the side.
Serves 8.
-- Recipe courtesy of Best Dressed Foods
