cooking a fresh ham on wednesday (latin style peril)

jerseydrew

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• Aug 10, 2015

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a lot of websites call for cooking it at 350. but i am so used to the great results from low and slow cooking. how should i cook the fresh ham?

*edit* i know i spelled pernil wrong but cannot correct it! stupid auto correct..

 

Last edited: Aug 10, 2015

chef jimmyj

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No reason you can't go low and slow or anything between 225 and 350...JJ

 

jerseydrew

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what d you think? cook till about 185 IT? i don't want it quite fall apart but nice and soft.

 

Last edited: Aug 10, 2015

dirtsailor2003

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• Aug 10, 2015

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jerseydrew said:

what d you think? cook till about 185 IT? i don't want it quite fall apart but nice and soft.

Click to expand...

If you don't want it to be fall apart you need to start looking at the meat around 145, when it would be safe to eat and done for slicing. I wouldn't go over 150-160 if slicing. Is this a shoulder, picnic, what's the fat content?

 

jerseydrew

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dirtsailor2003 said:

If you don't want it to be fall apart you need to start looking at the meat around 145, when it would be safe to eat and done for slicing. I wouldn't go over 150-160 if slicing. Is this a shoulder, picnic, what's the fat content?

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it's an uncured ham.

 

dirtsailor2003

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That could be a couple cuts, but assuming bone in picnic, also assuming slicing, not pulling, I would still go to the upper temps I mentioned. For pulling you probably should start probing around 185 and determine when you want you pull it. Of course I'd take it to a higher temp for pulling.

 

chef jimmyj

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Case, a Fresh Ham is a Rear Leg, un-cured, as opposed to a Picnic which is a front leg...

Fresh hams are almost as lean as loins these days. Unfortunately, because they are active muscles, they have more connective tissue and are not as tender as loins. Additionally, because of the big bone, 145° in the thickest part of the meat, will still be too rare near the bone. I usually go to 160°F for slicing and more uniform cooking...JJ

 

dirtsailor2003

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Chef JimmyJ said:

 
Case, a Fresh Ham is a Rear Leg, un-cured, as opposed to a Picnic which is a front leg...

Fresh hams are almost as lean as loins these days. Unfortunately, because they are active muscles, they have more connective tissue and are not as tender as loins. Additionally, because of the big bone, 145° in the thickest part of the meat, will still be too rare near the bone. I usually go to 160°F for slicing and more uniform cooking...JJ

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Interesting, what they are selling here as fresh hams, look and have the same fat content as the picnic. Hmm we must have lazy pigs out west!

 

chef jimmyj

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These are similar to all I can get. They have a bit of a fatty rind but internally not much fat...JJ