Just because fine ham abounds

December 25, 2011 7:26 PM

Remove a cooked smoked ham from its cooking liquid before refrigerating the leftovers?

I baked a pre-cooked, spiral sliced smoked ham (Carando brand) tonight in a roasting pan with about a cup of pineapple juice. In addition to the pineapple juice, the ham gave off a lot of liquid and is now sitting, waiting for refrigeration, in that liquid. Is it better to remove the ham from the liquid when I refrigerate it? On the one hand, I like how moist it is. On the other hand, ???? TIA.

posted by Majorita to food & drink (8 answers total)

Store it dry. Reheat with the liquid, if you want.
posted by TheRedArmy at 7:38 PM on December 25, 2011

Take it out of the liquid. I don't know why, but I wouldn't ever think about storing it I the liquid.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:49 PM on December 25, 2011

In. In the liquid.
posted by SLC Mom at 9:49 PM on December 25, 2011

Yeah , I wouldn't even keep the liquid. It was a precooked ham, most of the liquid that drips out is actually brine that was injected as part of the curing process. It isn't any kind of awesome meat juice. Whenever I make ham, I end up with ham flavored water I then just throw away.
posted by Ad hominem at 10:10 PM on December 25, 2011

I always store it with the liquid. There's no downside, and the upside is it keeps the ham moist. Also, it's most definitely more than just brine. I have a ham sitting in my fridge right now, and the juice that came out of it gelled just like any other broth.
posted by TungstenChef at 11:21 PM on December 25, 2011

I removed the spiraled ham from the bone and stored it dry for sandwiches. Lots and lots of ham sandwiches. The still-fleshy bone is destined for a big pot of New Year's Day black-eyed peas...
posted by jim in austin at 4:33 AM on December 26, 2011

I e-mailed my mother-in-law, a great cook. At the time, TheRedArmy was only one who had replied. She agrees with her. :)
posted by htm at 2:05 PM on December 26, 2011

Separately. I slice the ham off the bone, stash the cuts of meat in the freezer, then put all the bones and dripping/juices in the crockpot overnight. It's full of gelatin, which makes for a broth with lots of body. Mmm.

The meat is still juicy upon reheating, even if put through the punishment of microwaving. A quick pan-fry holds the moisture well, and gets that extra bit of carmelizing going.

Hint: ham broth ice cubes are a flavorful addition/substitute in all sorts of things. I use them for miso, steaming veggies, cooking rice, etc.

It's fine to store the drippings with the meat, but keep in mind that the thick coat of cooled gelatin and rendered fat will make that sucker slippery. Taking a slice or two off later becomes a messy operation.
posted by nakedcodemonkey at 7:56 PM on December 26, 2011