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Friday, September 11, 2009

What I Recomemnd

Well as much as I love shank ham I like to mix it up every once in a while so I like to try the beef shank. It is very lean, it is widely used to prepare very low-fat ground beef. It has soo much flavor and so many juices. Thinking about it makes me hungry, but nothing compares to the shank ham. Its honestly a preference type thing. You cant say you like or dislike something until you try it. No only try it, but cook it in different ways. Meats sometimes taste a lot better if there smoked, boiled, grilled,and braised. You can also do so much by making all different types of food and soups. Its all up to you and your imagination.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Cook Time for Shank Ham

Pork cooking times and temperatures for different cuts of meats and cooking methods are diff rent. For example Shank Ham (raw with bone in). Place ham fat side up on a rack in a shallow baking pan.with a little water under rack cover with foil. bake at 325 until internal temperature reaches 160. The bigger the ham the more it has to cook. Here are sometimes to help you understand what I mean.

8/10 lb. around 3 1/2 hours

10/12 Ib. around 3 1/2 to 4 hours

12/15 Ib around 4 to 4 1/2 hours

15/18 Ib around 4 1/2 to 5 hours

18/22 ib. around 5 to 6 hours

22/24 lb. around 6 to 6 1/2 hours

Once you do this a few times you'll become a pro. I hope you'll get it perfect from the first time, but occasionally on the first few tries you either bake it too much or too little. Show me your talent

Monday, September 7, 2009

Smoked Ham Shank

I have long been a huge fan of cured, smoked ham hocks in soups, stews, and greens. Recently I've used cured, smoked ham shanks instead, which are even better. Ham shanks end up like the braised veal or lamb shanks one finds in expensive bistros, only better because they're cured, smoked, and pork! Let me be explicit about this: After long simmering, the texture and flavor of a cured, smoked ham shank blows away that of pork butt. Here's one of my favorite recipes the navy bean soup with smoked ham shank:

Ingredients:
    Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
    Carrots, raw, 2 small (5-1/2" long)
    Onions, raw, 1.5 cup, chopped
    Celery, raw, .5 cup, diced
    12 cups water
    navy beans, Giant Eagle, 454 gram(s)
    smoked ham shank, 12 oz
    (about 1.5 lbs with bones)
    Grey Poupon Dijon Mustard, 6 tsp
    Salt, 2 tsp
    Pepper, black, 2 tsp
    Butter, unsalted, 4 tbsp
    Flour, white, .25 cup


Instructions:
Quick soak beans according to package.Heat olive oil. Add carrot, onion, celery, salt and pepper and saute until lightly browned.Add water ham shank, beans and mustard. Stir. Partially cover and cook for 45 minutes on medium heat. Remove ham shank. Trim skin and separate meat from bone. Add half meat to food processor with half of the beans from the soup. Process until smooth. Add back to soup with the other half of meat, broken into small pieces. Continue to cook on medium low heat for 45 minutes.In a separate small pan, cook, constantly stirring with whisk, butter and flour together until lightly browned. Carefully whisk into soup. Let me know how it tastes.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

What is Ham Shank?

The cured and smoked picnic portion of the front shoulder is sometimes called "picnic ham". This is not true ham. Remember, ham is a cut of meat from the hind leg, not the process of curing and smoking.If the label on a half ham reads "shank end half" or "butt end half", then it includes these meaty center slices.Shank ham is a processed cut taken from the bottom half of the leg. The shank end contains less fat, is not as meaty as the butt end, but it contains only one leg bone, making it easier to carve. It also has a slightly sweeter flavor and is perfect for cooking with beans.Pig Wings are also made from Ham Shanks that are trimmed leaving just a single bone surrounded with lean tender ham meat. With ham shanks the possibilities are endless.