Cooking a ham at low temp?

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wysiwyg

Senior Cook
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[split from another forum]

I glazed a ham for Thanksgiving at 200F -it wasn't the first time I did this-, the meat was great and looked completely cooked. I checked oven and meat temperature.
Does the bacteria/temperature rationale apply also to ham?
 
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Ham is usually already cooked and you are just warming it up, thus the lower temp to get it more evenly warmed. All the "ickies" have been precooked out.

Just a wild guess.
 
Thank you suzie,
The temperature recommendation to cook the ham was much higher than 200F, I wasn't sure if what I did was right after reading the messages.
If you hear about four guys in Michigan suffering of ham poisoning... those dudes are us ! LOL
 
Wouldn't want ya to regret eating a ham!!!!
LOL ham poisoning..... I wonder what one would have to do to a ham to get that.......
 
suziquzie said:
LOL ham poisoning..... I wonder what one would have to do to a ham to get that...

LOL Suzi - aside from the meat being spoiled or from holding in the danger zone (40ºF-140ºF range) that is an ideal breeding gound for bacteria - the biggest problem is called Trichinosis - and it's from undercookied pork and wild game.

wysiwyg: The first thing you need to do is read the label! It will tell you if the ham is fully cooked and just needs to be heated (or could be served cold) - or if it needs to be fully cooked ... in which case it will have cooking instructions.

FWIW: I've taken a fully cooked ham and "baked" it some more (to heat it up) ... using "Root Beer" to baste it during heating.
 
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Michael,
I'm very sorry but, I am a MAN and an Engineer....I don't ask for directions, check instructions manuals or read labels (just kidding), the ham was uncooked.
I cook it at low temperature because at higher temperatures, I end up with a dry piece more suitable to use as shoes sole replacement.
Before I cook it, I leave it submerged in really hot water for about 90 minutes. This reduces the time on the oven, it is a trick Cook Illustrated recommends to reduce oven time and meat dryness.

PS: I realize that if ham is not 100% cooked, there is a possibility of acquiring Trichinosis.
 
Trichinosis is really not an issue with modern pork. Hogs are no longer raised under the same unsanitary conditions as they were decades ago. In addition, they are treated with antibiotics to eliminate the threat of trichinosis.
 
It all depends on if it's a cured ham or uncured ham. If it was a cured ham, nothing to worry about. If it was uncured... that's not good.....
 
Michael,
I'm very sorry but, I am a MAN and an Engineer....I don't ask for directions, check instructions manuals or read labels (just kidding), the ham was uncooked.
I cook it at low temperature because at higher temperatures, I end up with a dry piece more suitable to use as shoes sole replacement.
Before I cook it, I leave it submerged in really hot water for about 90 minutes. This reduces the time on the oven, it is a trick Cook Illustrated recommends to reduce oven time and meat dryness.

PS: I realize that if ham is not 100% cooked, there is a possibility of acquiring Trichinosis.



How hot is the water you are submerging it in? If it's not more than 140 at degrees all times you are asking for trouble doing that, too.

IMO, 200 is far too low to cook an uncooked ham.
 
jennyyema,
I wrap the ham with a cooking bag, very tight and seal it... drop it in a big pot and surround it completely with water almost at boiling point. Leave it for 45 min. and replace the water. After 90 min. I proceed to cook it in the oven.
The only thing the water does, is increase the overall temperature of the ham.
I know it doesn't cook anything, it only reduces the time the ham needs to be in the oven to reach the desired temperature internally.
By doing this, the outside of the ham is not exposed for too long to high temperature (to ensure the inside is cooked) and the ham is moist after cooking.

LOL @ gotcarlic, I will check the website. Thank you.
 
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I saw recently on the food network a ham that was boiled in brine? Maybe juice or water. I thought it an interesting idea. It was finished in the oven for the glaze. Did anyone see this? I tried looking it up on their website but since I didn't think it was such a great idea at the time I don't remember who's show it was. It wasn't one of the "big" names that I do remember.
 
Quoting e-medicine re trichinosis:

Occurrence in the United States is largely limited to sporadic cases or small clusters related to consumption of home-processed meats from noncommercial farm-raised pigs and wild game.

Trichinosis is virtually unheard of in commercially raised piggies. The piggies never get to eat meat scraps of infected animals. And that is how it is spread.

It is ubiquitous in bears, essentially all are infected, and some other wild game, and is a danger if you are eating home reared pigs.

But if you are eating commercially raised pork the chances of getting trichinosis, even if you ate it raw, are essentially nil.
 
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