The holiday season is well and truly on its way. With Thanksgiving a mere week away and Christmas creeping up ever so quickly, we’ve all got so much to think about. There’s the gifts, the drinks, the parties, the family gatherings – and of course, you guessed it, the food. Both Thanksgiving and Christmas Day are days of overindulging in traditional and delicious foods with all of the people we love the most – but what if you want to try a new recipe this holiday?
Today, we’re going to take a look at something totally different, in the form of deep-frying a joint of ham. It might sound like fictional food from The Grinch, but it’s an entirely feasible dish that’s an easy and delicious twist on tradition! Read on to find out more about preparation, and the pros and cons of serving up your ham this way.
Can You Deep Fry a Ham? Method and Preparation
Can you deep fry a ham? Then we would absolutely like to emphasize that the answer is YES – and like most deep-fried foods, it’s set to be delicious. After all, if they can deep fry pizza and chocolate in Scotland, why can’t we experiment a little?
To start with, we’re going to talk a little about preparation, because without the correct preparation, it won’t turn out how it should – so listen up!
- The first step should take place the day BEFORE you cook the ham. It is all about marinating it in a Brine made up of ingredients such as cider, brown sugar, cinnamon, and more. Leave the ham to marinade in the Brine, and place in the fridge overnight.
- The next step comes the next day. It is all about cooking – or should I say, frying – the ham. You should thoroughly dry the ham before putting it in the fryer, and be careful to follow exact instructions from the manufacturer in terms of cooking. Generally speaking, the amount of time the ham is fried for entirely depends upon the weight of the ham, but stick to the rule of around seven minutes per pound. Once the ham is fully fried, let it stand for fifteen minutes.
- The third and final step is all about serving. Recipes for ham glaze can be found online. However, as a rule, all the ingredients tend to be cooked together in a saucepan, then drizzled over the meat prior to serving.
It’ll most certainly be a showstopper at your gathering!
The Pros
Before looking at the negatives of serving your ham this way, it makes sense to begin with the positives:
- It’s something completely different. If you host every year and do the same things, your guests could very easily be getting sick of the same menu, and yet are too polite to say so. This recipe enables you not only to stick to tradition but to put your own spin on it too. You’ll soon become well known for your street-famous dish “deep friend ham,” and you’ll have friends and neighbors knocking on the door, begging for your recipe!
- Let’s be real. We didn’t think a joint of ham could get any more delicious, did we? And then we discovered that we could marinate it, deep fry it, and glaze it. Can you imagine anything more delicious than a crispy, sweet skin surrounding the tender deep-fried meat of the ham on the inside, adorned with a festive glaze? We can’t. Like we said: if Scotland can do it, so can we!
- It’s so quick and easy to prepare. Forget slow cooking overnight and constantly checking to see if you’ve overcooked the meat. You’re sticking the ham in the machine, and the deep fryer does all of the rest – which gives you more time to prepare the rest of the feast!
The Cons
As with anything, we need to be unbiased and look at the cons of deep-frying ham too:
- It does stray away from tradition ever so slightly – so if this isn’t for you and your family, you’ll maybe want to think twice.
- Deep frying food makes it higher in fat, and therefore eaten in great content can cause weight gain. However, with this being a once a year treat on a day of indulging and eating what you like, this isn’t something to worry about. Just don’t make it a regular meal and keep it as a treat, and you’ll be fine!
- Basically, it’s not good for you. But neither is pumpkin pie or Christmas pudding, so once a year can’t hurt, right?
That should answer the question: can you deep fry a ham? Treat yourself this season, and try something new! You never know who you might impress.
