Cured And Uncured Ham<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAs we touched on a bit earlier, ham can be cured and uncured which we will cover in a bit more detail now. Cured ham is ham that has gone through the curing process which is done to preserve the meat without needing to store it in a refrigerator. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are a lot of steps that go into this curing process and typically involve some additives and chemicals. Uncured ham on the other hand needs to rely on natural flavors and salts to keep it preserved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unless the packaging says that it is not, most ham at your local supermarket has been cured and is also very popular as deli meat used in sandwiches and <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the ham is cured, it can either be wet cured or dry-cured. Salt is the sole curative agent with dry-cured ham, but this is becoming a bit less common. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The process begins with the ham being cleaned whilst it is still raw before it is covered in salt and pressed gradually to rid of the blood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the blood has been drained out of the raw ham, seasonings and spices are added for flavor and preservation. The ham is then washed again and hung up in a space that is temperature-regulated and dark to dry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It can be hung in this space for months or even years to let the flavors fully develop, the longer the ham is hung, the more intense the flavor will be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the ham has hung for the designated amount of time and has fully dried, it is ready to be eaten either before or after it has been cooked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ham that has been dry cured can last a long time even kept at room temperature as it has been completely drained of all moisture which means there is no suitable environment for bacteria to develop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Modern methods for dry curing ham include the use of traditional salt as well as nitrates in order to better preserve the meat as nitrates give the ham an attractive dark red color whilst also preventing the growth of bacteria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the wet-curing process, the ham is brined before being cooked fully either in a smoker or an oven, thus making smoked ham or unsmoked ham. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When it is being brined, the ham is fully dunked into the brine for up to several days so that all the flavors in the brine can be fully soaked into the ham. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This process can be sped up by injecting a wet curing solution directly into the ham which usually consists of water, brown sugar, salt, and flavorings but can also have some chemicals such as sodium phosphate and sodium nitrate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This speeds up the process by distributing the salt evenly throughout the meat and will also make it weigh more at the end, giving it more value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After this step, the ham is sometimes cooked straight away but can also be aged for a short period of time. Smoking is a popular choice at this stage because it helps to preserve the ham’s flavor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The finished result is ready to eat cold or heated up and depending on how you are eating it, will taste better either way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n