A two-time “Prime Chef” winner has not solely shared the importance of ham through the holidays — he is additionally supplied useful tricks to keep away from widespread cooking errors and revealed a recipe impressed by his childhood traditions.
Chef Kah-wai “Buddha” Lo gained consecutive seasons of “Prime Chef” in 2022 and 2023, turning into the present’s first two-time winner.
“Ham has a historical past of being a preserved meals, a practice particularly robust in Chinese language tradition,” Lo instructed Fox Information Digital. “As a result of the vacations fall in winter, when it is too chilly to entry contemporary meat, pigs had been sometimes slaughtered within the fall, then cured to protect the meat, making it an awesome meal for the winter season.”
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Born in Australia to a father from Hong Kong and a Malaysian mom, Lo grew up round a kitchen. He first discovered to cook dinner at his household’s Chinese language restaurant, the place he began working on the age of 12.
That is additionally the place Lo, who now lives in New York, discovered to good the vacation ham.
Buddha Lo, born in Australia to a father from Hong Kong and a Malaysian mom, is a two-time winner of “Prime Chef.” “Ham has a historical past of being a preserved meals, a practice particularly robust in Chinese language tradition,” he mentioned. (David Moir/Bravo through Getty Pictures)
Ham, Lo mentioned, is a good vacation meat as a result of it is “accessible for many households, feeds a big group and serves as a fantastic centerpiece to share on the desk.”
However cooking a ham, he mentioned, may be sophisticated.
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“One of many foremost challenges of cooking ham, in comparison with different meats, is that it is not one thing folks cook dinner year-round,” Lo mentioned.
“Hams are sometimes related to the vacations, like pumpkin pie, so many individuals solely cook dinner it a couple of times a 12 months and do not get sufficient observe to grasp it,” he mentioned.
“Moreover, hams typically require a bigger oven than different meats, which is usually a problem.”
“The actual purpose is to heat the middle of the ham to a particular temperature.”
Lo mentioned there is a widespread false impression about how lengthy a ham needs to be left in an oven.
“Not like steak, the place you possibly can purpose for medium-rare, or turkey, which have to be absolutely cooked, ham is already absolutely cooked,” he mentioned. “The actual purpose is to heat the middle of the ham to a particular temperature.”
Additionally complicating issues is usually a ham’s glaze.
“Folks typically wrestle with attaining the proper consistency for the glaze,” Lo mentioned. “Since this system is not used repeatedly, it may be difficult to handle oven temperatures and make sure the glaze would not burn.”
Lo’s vacation honey, soy and chili glazed ham is impressed by the flavors of the two-time “Prime Chef” winner’s youth. (Buddha Lo)
5 widespread errors when cooking ham
Lo shared 5 widespread errors in terms of cooking ham and provided some pointers to stop them.
1. Forgetting to take away the pores and skin earlier than scoring
“Ensure to take away the pores and skin from the ham earlier than scoring it and including cloves,” he mentioned.
“Scoring permits the glaze to soak up straight into the meat, enhancing each its taste and presentation. Do not toss the pores and skin; it makes a tasty addition to stuffing.”
2. Burning the glaze
“Caramelizing and burning are two very various things, but folks typically find yourself doing the latter,” mentioned Lo.
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“To keep away from this widespread mistake, I like to recommend utilizing a sugar thermometer to observe the sugar’s temperature,” he added. “These thermometers are particularly helpful as they’re designed to learn greater temperatures than meat thermometers and are perfect for sugar and caramel.”
3. Making use of the glaze too quickly
“Sugar cooks otherwise from meat,” he mentioned.
“When you apply the glaze firstly, it’ll burn earlier than the middle of the ham reaches the specified temperature. As an alternative, cook dinner the ham by itself for about 20 minutes, then apply the glaze and return it to the oven.”
4. Not permitting the ham to relaxation
“Most hams offered within the U.S. are already cooked, so that you needn’t depart them within the oven so long as you may suppose,” mentioned Lo.
“No one likes dry meat. Prepare dinner the ham till the inner temperature reaches about 140 levels Fahrenheit, then take it out and let it relaxation. The residual warmth will proceed cooking the ham. This additionally helps the glaze set, creating a fantastic, hardened coat.”
There’s a widespread false impression, mentioned Lo, about how lengthy a ham needs to be left in an oven. (iStock)
5. Overcooking
“Bake the ham at a reasonable temperature. Low and sluggish ensures the inner temperature reaches your purpose with out drying out the meat,” he mentioned.
“If wanted, you possibly can at all times add extra warmth on the very finish to complete caramelizing the glaze.”
Honey, Soy and Chili Glazed Ham Recipe by Buddha Lo
Lo mentioned the key ingredient on this “beautiful, scrumptious dish” impressed by the flavors he grew up with is the Lee Kum Kee Chili Crisp Oil used to make the glaze.
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“Not like different chili crisps, this one packs a whole lot of warmth and umami taste,” he mentioned. “Mixed with honey, sugar and premium soy sauce, it creates a candy and spicy glaze that completely enhances the richness of the ham, giving it a deliciously glazed end.”
Substances for the ham
4-5 kilos spiral-cut boneless ham (or bone-in, if most well-liked)
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1 cup rooster inventory (or water, to maintain the ham moist throughout baking)
Substances for the glaze
1 cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee Chili Crisp Oil
1 tablespoon Lee Kum Kee Premium Soy Sauce
30-40 entire cloves for studding the ham
This honey, soy and chili glazed ham “packs a whole lot of warmth.” Lo mentioned his particular ingredient is the Lee Kum Kee Chili Crisp Oil. (Buddha Lo)
Instructions
Put together the ham
1. Preheat your oven to 325 levels Fahrenheit.
2. Place the ham cut-side down in a roasting pan.
Bake the ham
3. Insert cloves into the ham, spacing them 1 inch aside.
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4. Add 1 cup of rooster inventory (or water) to the pan to maintain the ham moist.
5. Bake the ham, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
Put together the glaze
6. As soon as the ham is finished baking, switch the inventory right into a bowl to arrange the glaze.
7. In a medium saucepan, mix honey and brown sugar. Warmth the combination to 240 levels Fahrenheit till it reaches a darkish caramel colour.
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8. Rigorously stir within the reserved inventory, soy sauce, and chili crisp oil to decrease the temperature. Let the glaze simmer for five minutes till it barely thickens.
Glaze the ham
9. Pour the glaze generously over the ham.
10. Place the ham again within the oven and bake for an additional half-hour, basting with extra glaze each 10 minutes. The ham is prepared when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest half reads 140 levels Fahrenheit.
Serve the ham
11. Let the ham relaxation for a couple of minutes after eradicating it from the oven.
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12. Carve the ham and drizzle any remaining glaze over the slices earlier than serving. Get pleasure from!
This recipe is owned by Buddha Lo and was shared with Fox Information Digital.
