Method 1: Thaw the ham safely.
1 If you have enough time, you'd better thaw the ham in the refrigerator. This is the safest method to thaw ham, but it takes the longest time. To prevent dripping during thawing, put the frozen ham in a saucepan or baking tray with edges, and then put it at the bottom of the refrigerator to thaw. It takes about 4 to 6 hours for 500 grams of ham to thaw in the refrigerator. If it is 4.5 to 5 kilograms of ham, the thawing time per 500 grams is 7 hours. So it will take 2 to 3 days for 4.5 kilograms of ham to thaw in the refrigerator.
After the ham is thawed, it can be refrigerated for 3 to 5 days before cooking. If you don't plan to cook in the meantime, you can refreeze it.
2. If time is short, thaw the ham in cold water. Wrap the ham tightly in an airtight plastic bag, then block the sink, put the ham in and fill the sink with cold water. Drain the ham every half hour and change the water to ensure that the water is always kept at a low temperature, and then continue to soak. It takes about 30 minutes to thaw every 500 grams of ham.
It can only be cold water, not warm water or hot water. If the water is not cold enough, the surface temperature of ham will exceed 4 degrees Celsius before it is thawed, which will breed bacteria and easily lead to food poisoning.
Ham should be cooked immediately after thawing in cold water, and it can't be frozen again.
3. The last method is to thaw the ham in the microwave oven. Adjust the microwave oven to the thawing state, refer to the instructions of the microwave oven when operating, and determine the appropriate thawing time according to the weight of ham. This method is not suitable for large pieces of ham, otherwise it will lead to uneven heating of ham, and when the inside of ham is thawed, the surface will be cooked, and some parts will become hard or even paste. Therefore, ham weighing more than 2 kg can't be thawed by microwave oven.
Ham thawed in microwave oven should be cooked immediately and cannot be frozen again.
4. In order to save time, it may not be thawed. Ham can be cooked without thawing, but it takes longer. How long it takes depends on the weight of ham. Usually, it takes 50% more cooking time to freeze ham than to thaw it.
Method 2: Bake the frozen ham in the oven.
1, set the oven temperature to 163 degrees Celsius. Whether the ham is raw or cooked, the temperature of the oven is the same. Cooked ham should be roasted until the internal temperature reaches 60 degrees Celsius, while raw ham should be roasted until the internal temperature reaches 63 degrees Celsius. After the ham cooked in advance is sliced, it can be eaten even if it is cold. However, the flavor is better after heating.
2. Put the ham on the aluminum foil in the baking tray. Put aluminum foil in the baking tray, and then put the ham on it, with the fattest side up. For easy cleaning, you may wish to pad a layer of aluminum foil paper at the bottom of the baking tray.
3. Pour about 1/2 cups (120 ml) of soup, and then wrap the ham tightly with aluminum foil. Soup can moisten ham, but don't put too much. After all, the fat separated from ham during cooking can also moisten ham. You can use water, fruit juice, cider, wine and even cola as soup. Try it boldly!
The aluminum foil wrapped in ham should be sealed tightly to prevent water loss.
4. After the ham is put into the oven, set the appropriate baking time. The type and weight of ham determine how long it takes to bake. Remember to check the internal temperature of ham with a meat thermometer. Every 500g of fully thawed ham should be baked 18 to 20 minutes. Every 500 grams of half-thawed ham should be baked for 22 to 25 minutes. Remember that the baking time of frozen ham is 50% longer than that of thawed ham.
5. When the internal temperature of ham reaches 57 degrees Celsius, brush it with sauce. Remove the aluminum foil wrapped in ham, and brush the surface of ham with your prepared sauce with an oil brush. You can try different recipes of delicious sauces. The basic ingredients are nothing more than spices (usually mustard) and some sweeteners (such as brown sugar, honey, jam, fruit juice, sherry or maple syrup). In addition, you can also add clove, garlic, ginger and other spices or seasonings.
In order to avoid slipping off the ham, the sauce should be made into a thick paste. Adding dry materials such as flour and mustard powder can achieve this goal.
6. Raise the oven temperature to 200 degrees Celsius. Put the ham back in the oven without wrapping it in aluminum foil. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the surface becomes shiny.
7. Ham can be taken out when the temperature reaches 57 to 60 degrees Celsius. This is lower than the recommended minimum internal temperature of ham. Let the ham stand for 10 to 15 minutes, so that during this process, the ham will continue to warm until it reaches a proper temperature. Take out the ham before it is completely cooked to avoid overcooking it. Before eating, use a meat thermometer to check whether the internal temperature of ham has reached at least 63 degrees Celsius.
Method 3: Cook ham in a pressure cooker.
1, put the ham in the pressure cooker. You have to put the ham on the steamer in the pot. For better flavor, make sure the incision is facing down. Make sure the pressure cooker is big enough to put the whole ham in. The pressure cooker can't cook ham too thick, because it takes a long time to cook, and even if the surface is cooked thoroughly, it is still raw inside.
2. Pour juice on the ham. Sweet sauce goes well with ham. However, you can also be creative and mix your own special sauce. You can try mixing maple syrup, brown sugar, minced fruit or fruit juice, such as pineapple juice.
3. Cover the high-pressure pot and cook for about 35 minutes. Select "Manual" and set the time to 35 minutes. Remember to release the pressure before opening the lid. Remember that frozen ham takes longer to cook than thawed ham. The above cooking steps are only applicable to cooking a small piece of frozen ham. If the ham has been thawed, just adjust the cooking time accordingly. Frozen ham takes 50% more cooking time than thawed ham.
4. Take out the ham and thicken the sauce. Stir15ml corn starch and 30ml cold water until the mixture is smooth and free from caking. Set the pressure cooker to the "frying" position, pour in the mixture and mix it with the sauce thoroughly. Corn starch can be replaced by butter and flour. Melt15ml butter in a microwave oven, then mix it with about 22ml flour, then add it into the sauce, and mix it well with the sauce.
5. Cook the sauce until it is thick. Continue to stir the sauce until it reaches the concentration you want. Turn off the pressure cooker and pour the sauce over the ham. Before eating every time, check the internal temperature of ham with a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 63 degrees Celsius.
Warning USDA suggested that both livestock and poultry meat should be thawed before cooking in a slow cooker.