(Source)

I’m excited about Easter this year.  The weather is really starting to get nice and I love getting together with my family.  Plus, I’m hoping that the Easter bunny will give me the chocolate covered bacon that I asked for!

                Many family get togethers will often have ham as the center piece in the meal.  Here are a few tips for picking out and making your Easter ham:

1. All varieties of cured ham are either boneless or bone-in. Bone-in hams are traditionally considered more attractive and boneless are considered easier to serve because of simplified carving.
2. Most hams are fully cooked, as noted on the label.
3.  Cooked hams can be served cold or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion (not touching bone) registers 140°F (about 15-18 minutes per pound).
4.  Uncooked hams should be heated to an internal temperature of 160 degrees F.
5. Leftover ham for use in a variety of soups or casseroles can be cut up into slices or cubed and stored in the freezer for two to three months

Glazed Ham with Pecan Crust

Ingredients:

10 pound bone-in fully-cooked ham
2 cups apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Insert meat thermometer into center of ham without touching bone. Place ham in baking dish and pour cider over. Roast in oven, basting with cider every 30 minutes for a total cooking time of 2 1/2 hours (about 15-18 minutes per pound), or until thermometer registers 140 degrees.

Meanwhile, in bowl, combine brown sugar, mustard and pecans.

Remove ham from oven during the last 40 minutes and firmly pat the sugar pecan mixture all over the ham. Return to oven and continue roasting until crust is brown and ham is done. Slice and serve with sauce. Some of the topping falls into the sauce, making it the perfect accompaniment to ham.

I hope that everyone has a fantastic Christmas and holiday season.  

If you need some help celebrating, take a look at our Bacon Carols!

I found a ham recipe that I think looks delicious!

Baked Ham with Honey-Apricot Glaze

Ingredients:

10-14 pound fully cooked smoked ham, spiral sliced
1 cup honey
1 6-oz can orange juice concentrate, thaw
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Cooking Directions:

If you want to go a little more adventerous with your holiday meal take a look at some holiday recipes that are sure to please your family!

May your day be filled with joy, happiness, and a little bit of pork!

No, not this type of pig wing…

How about this type….

This little baby comes from around the ham bone and the meat is in fact made of ham.  Pig wings became a very popular fair food at the Ohio State Fair this year (stand back deep-fried Twinkies).  They were on the radio, television, and were photographed more than Brittany Spears on vacation!  It may look completely innocent but when pig wing and its fellow pig wingers (I just made that word up) were gone they caused exasperation, jealousy, and even anger.  All for a piece of ham!

I had my share of the pig wings during the fair and I can understand the excitement.  They proved to be juicy and delicious each time with or without the barbecue sauce, with or without the use of utensils, and without or without trying to eat it all in one bite… not that I would know.

What’s your favorite fair food?

-B

Today we would like to take a few moments to salute television’s biggest fan of bacon and everything else pork, Homer J. Simpson.

Ok, so he doesn’t know that pork comes from pigs, but he sure has eaten a lot of it and is quite possibly responsible for keeping all of Springfield’s invisible hog farmers afloat. And since so many pork lovers tune in to watch their kindred spirit, we’re pretty sure Homer’s eating habits are the reason for the show’s success.

Since Homer doesn’t know the most basic thing about pigs and pork (one becomes the other) we’re guessing he’s not up on other facts of modern hog farming either. Like how pigs are raised in state of the art barns that provide a stable climate year round and protection from predators and disease, or that they eat feed that has been specially formulated to meet their needs at every stage of growth. He probably also missed the memo announcing that pork is leaner than ever and that pork tenderloin is just as lean as skinless chicken breast. But we can forgive him for not knowing all that as long as he remembers farmers are doing what’s best and keeps right on eating pork!

So, Homer keep baconing up your sausage, ordering your smiley-face breakfasts with bacon noses, bacon hair, bacon mustaches, five o’clock shadows made of bacon bits and bacon bodies, and enjoying the wonderful, magical animal that gives you pork, bacon and ham, and we’ll keep watching your show for another 20 years.

Today is the most important day of the year. It is a day to stay home from work. It is a day of celebrating with family and friends. It is bigger than Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s and the Fourth of July combined. It is a day to honor the reason there can be delicious bacon and pork chops and swine inspired doo-dads and even a nation of Porktastic. My fellow Porktasticans prepare yourselves because today is National Pig Day.

My friends, we will be grilling, baking and slow roasting all of our favorite forms of pork throughout the day, not to mention watching our favorite famous pigs like Babe, Porky, Gordy and Miss Piggy. So come party with us! We’ll be easy to spot since we’ll be the ones decked out head-to-toe in true pig style – nose, ears and of course curly-q tail.

But, if for some crazy reason your boss won’t let you off to celebrate this holiday of holidays, we have a few ideas to help you take the party to work with you:

1. Choose your favorite pig tie or jewelry to commemorate the day.
2. Hang a string of pig lights around your office or cubicle.
3. Grill up some pork loin chops and bring enough to share with your coworkers, remembering they want to be home celebrating just as much as you.
4. Get a pig piñata filled with bacon candy.
5. Wear your favorite pig inspired tee underneath a button-up dress shirt. When everyone complains about missing Pig Day rip your top shirt off like Clark Kent and set up a completely awesome celebration of pigs and pork.

Have a Porktastic day holiday and be sure to tell us how you celebrated National Pig Day by emailing stories or pics of your celebration to Mr.Oinkers@gmail.com.