Can anyone in NZ/Aus explain hams to me?

[thetoothfairywhoforgot]

We've never done the Xmas ham thing and I'm a bit confused.

Do they come cooked or uncooked? What is the point of glazing? And how do I get one that is dry and flaky, like slow cooked beef, rather than wet and slimy?

Any advice? Most of my pals here are veggies.

I can't really help you, sorry, but I do think they are cooked and the glazing is to add a little more flavour when you bake them again.

We usually had bird. My one experience of ham in NZ was the ine my Grandma made (?) for Christmas. I went away and came back in the new year nearly 2 weeks later. She only bloody well pulled out the ham for lunch!

No idea how it was prepared if she cooked it or it was precooked glazed unglazed, but bugger me how was it NOT green after all that time???!

Now the gammon I'm collecting in 2 days will go in the slow cooker, is ready glazed and will last 2 days only.

They are cooked, so you don't need to boil them. DH (ex-chef) hates them, says they are not proper hams. We usually glaze, slow cook in oven and then roast on BBQ because we have a classic Expat On The Beach Christmas Dinner. But we never get that proper flakey ham you get in the UK, sorry!

Thanks all. We normally have a roast chicken or leg of lamb. Or a curry. But for some reason this year I was considering going "full kiwi'. And getting a ham after xmas when they are reduced.

I really fancy making this:

jamie's recipe

Is ham a Kiwi thing? I thought ham was also a feature of UK Christmases. Doesn't Nigella have a couple of recipes?

Bankwadger - I bet she kept it in one of those magic 'ham bags'. Apparently they keep bacteria at bay forever.

I've never seen a gammon here (nz) all hams come cooked. The glazing is just to warm and flavour it. Half the time we don't even do that, just cut into it and eat.

If you buy a ham make sure you've got a ham bag to keep it in in the fridge. Alternatively a pillowcase soaked in a water/vinegar mix then squeezed out works well :)

We always end up with far too many hams as the MIL buys one, just in case she doesn't win any at the meat raffles - then wins 3 or 4 at the meat raffles!!

Ham's in NZ are usually already cooked, I suppose you could ask your butcher to get in an uncooked one if you want. We usually remove the skin, score the fat, smother it with something sticky and sweetish and bake for an hour. The baking really is only to warm it up and caramelise the glaze.

For years I wondered what the hell Nigella was doing cooking her ham in coke! I didn't realise that UK ham was different to NZ ham.

Leftovers go in either a ham bag or wrapped in a damp cloth and stuck in the fridge. Rinse the cloth everyday and replace it with a clean damp cloth every few days. They seem to last a week or so, though I usually lop some chunks off and stick them in the freezer if I don't think we'll eat it all.

Ham is a bit of a Kiwi xmas classic because it's summer here, so ham, new potatoes and salad forms the basis of most meals for the next week.

They are cooked but I think glazing is crucial as it dries the ham out and stops it being too wet. I do mine for an hour or so the night before.

I have very bad memories of the never ending ham from my childhood BankWadger

I miss Christmas hams. Granddad used to get us one every year. I slice of ham straight off the bone is a lovely snack. I'd buy one myself but my partner is Muslim so not sure if get through a whole leg myself

We got one in our bargain box last night. Whats with the Ham bags do I need to rush out and buy one what are they and what do they do?

Ham bags are just a cloth bag to keep the ham fresh. A wet pillow case will do

Ham bags aren't only to keep them fresh. They're a necessity in summer, to prevent them from being fly-blown.

I don't really understand why hams are so much more prone to this.

I'm Aussie. The key is to get a high quality one, on the bone, from a local supplier with free range pork (no supermarket ham ew). You can usually get a "shank" or "chump" cut. Shank is easier to carve but has more bone. Chump is harder to carve but has more meat.

They come smoked/cured already - a double smoked one is delicious. You don't need to glaze it (I think slightly warmed ham tastes odd). It's usually the main meat for our Christmas and is great cold with salads etc.
It's usually around 38 degrees celsius where I live on Christmas day so turning on the oven is avoided if possible!

Fly-blown!!!???? TheDowager - you may have just put me off ham for life.

I'm hesitant to ask, but WTF is fly blown?

Attracts flies.

There really is nothing like a full roast dinner in the middle of summer

1. Buy ham
2. Carve
3. Eat ham, with cold roasted poultry of some sort, some yabbies, and a huge buffet of different salads.
4. Wait
5. Serve pavlova, with crushed up mint crisp on top.

Heya! I've asked DH as he is in the pork business and knows the guy who sells pork into Australia and NZ. Nearly everything is sold as cooked hams. He also said they have spiral and non-spiral which is done just to make cooking easier. The hams are injected with a sugar/salt solution before being cooked which tenderizes the meat and prevents it from going off. It also means you can overcook the ham and it's still edible.

The price point is interesting. The less you pay the more salt/sugar solution is used to increase the weight. He said their premium hams, which taste the best, have a 5% solution. He said do not touch anything over 10%. He will consider 8% but not to buy those this year if Danish as they are 14 months old (the 5% will be 2-3 months old).

Also there are nitrites added to all cooked hams. When they say natural they have used celery salt which contains nitrites naturally and is just as bad.

So best, according to DH, is a non-spiral 5% ham without the natural tag which is cheaper than the natural tag and spiral cut hams. He also said to keep it in its plastic sleeve in the back of your fridge until you need to reheat it.

Thanks Want2be. I will keep an eye out. Who knew it was all so complicated!

It's shocking how complicated it is. You also get the whole antibiotic free issue. Different countries have different standards. In the US antibiotic free means the animal has never had antibiotics whereas in the U.K. And other European countries, antibiotic free means no antibiotics 30-45 days before slaughter. In terms of quality of hog, Danish is best followed by British, German, Polish, French and DH refuses to eat Spanish pork because they use still continue to use human antibiotics in high doses. Most ham and chorizo manufacturers in Spain are using polish, German or Danish.

Fly blown. We have large flies called appropriately Blow Flies. They carry their larvae (tiny maggots) in their body. Whenever the Blow flies get near meat they eject the larvae onto, or as near as they can get to it. The larvae then eat and develop into big maggots etc. These will also attack sheep.

To use a ham bag or pillowcase you should wash them in a solution of water and vinegar 2 -4 tablespoons depending on how much water you use. Squeeze the excess liquid out and place ham inside and keep in fridge. Repeat every 3-5 days until ham used up.

Must admit my family do not like cooking glazed ham it just makes it sweaty.

This has made me rush to find the ham bag for tomorrow, as well as a jar of the piccalilli made by my late DH, maturing under the house (the pickle, not my DH) for late Christmas Day nibbles.

People who get fly blown ham, how does that happen? They're meant to be refrigerated and unless you manage to shut a fly in the fridge (ewwww) then you're doing something wrong.

I did a whisky glaze this year - it was so nice only about half of it made it on the ham because I had to keep testing it to make sure it was okay ...