How to Break Down Ham for a Holiday Ham Feast! Transforming a large Holiday Ham into a Feast is easier than you might think. With just one large Ham, you can create a Braised Ham as the main course, glazed or unglazed, depending on your preference. While also unlocking its potential for multiple other Ham derived dishes. Including the Ham Bone, which is used to make a rich and flavorful ham bone broth that serves as a foundation for Soups, Stews, Ham Gravy and other dishes. Breaking down a Ham ensures nothing goes to waste while offering a delicious, Ham themed Holiday Feast that’s as practical as it is festive.
Pick up a large Ham (10+ lbs) to make Braised Ham and all the Ham sides for your Holiday Ham Feast!
Precooked Ham Shank
The main course features thinly sliced Ham for Braised Ham, either with a sauce/glaze, or cooked in the oven in its natural juices, or with seasoning. Portion out about 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb per person, or just shy of 1/2 lb of thinly sliced Ham. In order to do this, we start with a large precooked Ham, about 10 lbs or more. The pictured one below is right about 11 lbs. About 3-4 lbs will be used for the sides, depending on what you make and the remaining Ham used for the main course.
When you open the package, pour the juices into a casserole dish for the thinly sliced Ham you’ll cook, or into a pot to make Ham Bone Broth.
How to remove the Ham Bone
First, remove the Ham Bone along with the surrounding meat to make the Ham Bone Broth. This is easier than you think. Just remember that the muscle sections are separated by a thin layer of fat. Once you make a slit in this layer of fat between the muscles, you can pull them apart, using the knife to make small slits if needed to assist in separating the muscle group.
In the below image, you can see the Bone is closer to one side than the other and separated by a muscle group. All you have to do is make a slit where the muscles separate and run the tip of the knife along the bone, letting the bone guide your knife. Repeat for the other side and then tear. It should tear away with the muscle groups intact surrounding the bone. It may need help with the knife to make small slits to release it, but in general it should tear away nicely and fully intact. The Ham Bone with surrounding meat will be used to make Ham Broth.
Ham Bone Fat
Trim away the Fat on the Ham bone. This can be diced and saved to render out in the pan or to toss in with Spiced Baked Beans. Just toss them into a ziploc bag and freeze.
Boneless Ham
Once you remove the Ham Bone, the other side will be a whole Boneless Ham Roast that you can break down into smaller sections for easier handling and portioning for other dishes. Just like with the bone, make a slit where the muscles are separated, then pull the sections apart. Use the tip of the knife to make small slits to help separate the meat.
Follow the natural structure of the muscles. Once you start making slits in it, the muscle should at some point be easier to pull apart. Once the muscle groups are separated, it will be easier to see where or how the meat should be cut to make your dishes. Any chunks or attached fats can be trimmedf off, diced and included in the pot with the Ham Bone and surrounding meat to make Ham Broth.
Ham Fat
Start by making small slits to release the fat from the meat and then pull the fat while making small slits withe the tip of your knife to assist the fat from pulling away from the meat. Remove the Fat from all pieces of meat.
Once you have all the fat trimmed away, dice it to maximize fat rendering. Smaller pieces will more readily realease fat.
Fat Cap Ham Bone Broth
Rendering ham fat while making broth creates a fat cap, which forms when the fat settles at the top of the ham broth after refrigerating overnight. Scoop off the fat cap and heat it to evaporate the water, leaving behind pure fat that you can use for frying (especially great with hash browns or eggs), soups, stews, or as a roux for thickening ham gravy.
Set aside a bit of fat for beans or for rendering in the skillet with the ham bone. Toss the remaining fat into the pot with the ham bone to render it out, creating fat cap ham broth. Use this broth to make ham bone soup, ham hodge podge, ham gravy, ham split pea soup, or any other recipes you choose.
How to make Ham Bone Broth
Making Ham Bone Broth is straightforward but time-consuming. To create Ham Broth with a Fat Cap (lard), you simmer the ingredients for a full 24 hours. This method produces about 8-10 cups of Ham Broth from a single Ham Bone, or less if you prefer a stronger flavor. More information and instructions can be found in our Ham Bone Broth recipe. From a single Ham Bone with surrounding meat as well as the fat you will yeild a Ham Bone Broth, Tender Ham Meat, and Rendered Ham Fat.
How to make a Holiday Ham Feast
Once the whole Ham has had the bone removed with the surrounding meat and the fat trimmed off. We now get into chopping the meat down for the various dishes we want to include in our Holiday Ham Feast!
The main course is Brasied Ham and is where most of the meat will go. Chop the Ham down for whatever dishes you want to make and lay everything out in a Holiday Ham Tray. You will use about 3-4 lbs of ham for the additional ham recipes, depending on what you make. The remaining ham will be used for the main course (Braised Ham).
- Braised Ham: Thinly sliced Ham, weighing out 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb per person.
- Ham & Cheese Pasta Salad: Dice lean pieces of meat, weighing out 1/2 lb or 228 g.
- Ham & Cheese Biscuits: Minced or fine diced, weighing out 1/4 lb or about 80g-114 g.
- Ham Soup: The Ham Bone with the surrounding meat torn off to make Ham Hodge Podge or Ham Bone Soup.
- Ham Breakfast Slice: Thinly sliced ham to be fried or included in Ham n Egg McMuffins
- Ham Sandwiches: Very thinly sliced like paper thin (Arbys Style), weighing out 80g – 90g per sandwich.
- Spiced Baked Beans: Since the Ham Broth needs to be prepared the day before. The Beans can be soaked at the same time overnight and use the Ham Fat to flavor them more.
Braised Ham
Pick a lean muscle group that is intact pretty good and slice across the grain into thin slices. Toss them into a casserole to make Braised Ham or cooked Ham with or without any sauce, glaze, or seasoning. Serve these with dipping sauce or ladle Ham Gravy over the top for a delicious option.
Portion out about 1/4 lb to 1/2 lb per person. Trim away any fat which can be tossed into the pot with the Ham Bone & Fat.
Ham Dipping Sauces
If braising the Ham just as is, no sauce or glaze, just in its naturual juices. You can make a variety of sauces to serve on the side for dipping the Ham slices. Include your glazing sauce, which works well when served in small bowls for dipping. Other ones may include; S&S Pineapple Sauce for Pineapple Ham, Honey Mustard (which is equal parts Honey & Mustard) or Canadian Maple Dip included in the Braised Ham post.
Ham & Cheese Pasta Salad
Diced Ham for Ham & Cheese Pasta Salad. Portion out about 1/2 lb or 228 g of lean Ham, no fat, to make the Salad. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Ham & Cheese Biscuits
Chopped small bits of Ham for Ham & Cheese Biscuits. Portion out about 1/4 lb or 80g to 114 g.
Ham Soup or Stew
Use the Ham Bone Broth, along with the Ham Bone and surrounding meat, to create a variety of soups, stews, Ham Gravy, or other dishes. Such as Ham Hodge Podge, Ham Bone Soup or Chourico Ham Soup.
Breakfast Ham
Additional sliced Ham is set aside and used for a Breakfast Fried Ham. Use the smaller rounder meat muscles to slice these. Fry them up in a pan over medium heat to serve with some Eggs and other breakfast items.
These can also be used to make Ham & Egg McMuffins.
Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
Ham sliced paper thin and fried to make an Arbys style Ham & Cheese sandwich using about 80g – 90g per sandwich. You can also pick up a Deli Ham and slice thin with a Meat slicer or ask the Butcher to do it for you.
The Hamburger Buns are buttered and toasted over medium heat. Then the Ham Slices go into the pan to heat through and separate so that they can create the nice folds. Top the Buns with Ham & Cheese and choice of sauce. Wrap in tin foil and place into the oven at 400 F for about 5 minutes.
Spiced Baked Beans
The Spiced Baked Beans is also a very nice side with Braised Ham and uses the fat from the Ham to add flavor. Just toss in the Ham Fat when simmering the Beans.
Other Ham Recipes Ideas
There are a bunch of other Ham derived recipes that can be made, depending on how you chop the Ham down. Some ideas are below and can include picking up a can or two of canned Ham for Sandwiches, and/or a Deli Style Ham for sandwiches or the Charcuterie board.
- Roasted Vegetables with Ham
- Ham Scalloped Potatoes
- KD & Cheese or Mac & Cheese with Ham
- Fried Cabbage with Ham
- Grilled Cheese with Ham
- Ham Fried Rice
- Canned Ham Sandwiches with a can or two of Ham. You could also place ham in the food processor to chop fine like canned ham. One can is about 156g.
- Ham Charcuterie Board with Rolled Deli Ham Slices, Cheese, Crackers, and something Salty, Sweet, Spicy, Savory, and something Sour.
Holiday Ham Dinner
Pick up a large Ham and break it down based on the dishes you want to make. You can prepare a whole Holiday Ham Dinner with sliced cooked Ham and various ham derived sides, along with follow-up meals like Ham Hodge Podge, Ham Bone Soup, and breakfast with Ham and eggs. In staying with the Holiday Ham theme, you can also pick up canned Ham for a Ham Sandwich platter and Deli Ham to use in certain recipes as well.
Holiday Ham Dinner Sides
Besides the Ham derived sides, there are a bunch of other sides that can be included as well to fill out your Holiday Ham Dinner Feast. Below are some Ideas.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Plain Braised Ham that is uncovered to pink up more and concentrate the salty liquid into the Ham is spectacular with Mashed Sweet Potatoes. The combo of Salty & Sweet hits really nice.
Dinner Rolls
Dinner Rolls are an excellent addition to Ham Soups or Stew and can be used to make Ham Sliders too!
Vegetables
A whole array of Vegetable dishes to pick from and may include Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Broccoli, Coleslaw or Waxed Beans.
