If there had to be a hero of the traditional festive meal, it would have to be the juicy and succulent Christmas ham.
It’s just one of those cuts of meats that presents a gift that keeps on giving, with left-overs (if there’s any!) a big favourite in the days following on from Christmas.
With buyers rushing to stores to get their hands on the perfect Christmas ham, Australian pork have some great tips and advice when it comes to choosing and keeping your ham.
One of the biggest tips is storing your ham correctly in a ham bag, which can increase its longevity by up to three weeks, perfect for leftover creations to entertain long after the big day.
With this in mind, South Australian Drakes Supermarkets are partnering with Australian pork for a festive supermarket first, giving shoppers a free storage bag with every Drakes half or full bone in leg ham purchase from Drakes Supermarkets in the lead up to Christmas.
“We are so pleased to work with Australian pork this festive season to ensure our shoppers can enjoy an iconic Christmas table centrepiece ham beyond the big lunch or dinners planned with loved ones,” says Drakes GM Tim Cartwright.
A total of 4,000 ham bags will be available across all Drakes stores, and to sweeten the offer, Australian pork will be hiding four pink porky tickets inside ham bags, with the lucky recipients claiming a full refund on their festive purchase!
“2021 has been a year that none of us could have predicted. We are thrilled to partner with Drakes in this supermarket first so that shoppers can enjoy Aussie ham right throughout this festive period”, says Australian Port Limited CEO Margo Andrae.
So, as you start rushing out to get your hands on a delicious leg of festive ham, make sure you take on these top tips on how to choose and keep your perfect Aussie ham.
Choosing:
Ensure you’re picking Australian pork, here’s a couple ways of how to know:
- Anything on the bone is guaranteed to be Australian pork, due to strict biosecurity laws prohibiting the importation of meat on a bone.
- When purchasing a boneless ham, a green and gold kangaroo only signifies that the product was made in Australia, and it can still contain imported pork, look closely at the bar chart under the green and gold kangaroo and check the number in the statements is over 90% Australian ingredients.
Storing:
Maintain the freshness of your ham by following these tips:
- Soak a ham bag, pillowcase or tea towel in 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar.
- Wring out excess water and place ham in the Ham Bag, pillowcase or wrap in tea towel.
- Store this in the coolest part of your fridge.
- Re-soak your bag in solution every few days or when the bag dries out.
For recipes and more tips, including how to achieve the perfect crackling, head to the Australian Pork website.
More News
