Ham Storage, Carving Instructions & Glazes
New Zealanders love their ham, especially in the summer - great for picnics, as ham steaks on the barbecue or when making an egg & ham pie. Below you will find some handy tips on how to store and carve them correctly.
Ham should be stored below 4°C. Leave in the vacuum packed bag until it is required. After glazing or serving, cover loosely with tin foil or a clean damp tea towel, or use a ham bag. If you are going to use a tea towel or a ham bag make sure you change them daily. Store in the coolest part of your refrigerator after serving. Place above raw products. Consume within two weeks of opening.
Note: Do not wrap firmly, allow room for circulation.
Here are a couple of glaze recipes which will give your ham lots of interesting flavours or try experimenting yourself.
Hot Glazed Ham
Pre heat oven to 160°C. Remove the skin and, if necessary, trim the fat. Weigh the ham and calculate cooking time. Allow 10 minutes per 500g. Score the surface by making diagonal cuts approximately 3mm deep. Cover with a glaze (see recipes below) and place on a rack in a large roasting pan. Cook for the calculated time. Brush with the glaze during cooking.
Our Glaze Recipe Picks
Carving instructions
- Place the ham on a cutting board or ham stand. Remove a wedge at the top.
- Cut thin slices to the bone - moving outwards from the ham hock.
- Continue carving along the same surface area carving around the bone.
- Remove final piece from the bone and continue to carve on the same surface.
For Semi Boneless Hams - Easy Carve Leg Ham, Midi Champagne Leg Ham, Shoulder Ham.
- Carve an end slice off the ham to make carving easier.
- Cut the ham straight down not across.
- Even slices are best at 3-5mm thick. Once the hock bone has been reached, cut around the bone to allow maximum slices to be taken.
