Buying a ham

[Night Elf]

I have never cooked a ham in my life. The only time we eat it is at the holidays and we get it from Honeybaked Ham. This year I'm seriously considering preparing one myself. How on earth do I buy a ham? Is there anything to look for? We always buy lean meat with very little fat, really because none of us like meat fat. Ewww.. My mom said to just get anything that says spiral. Are there different kinds of hams, like beef cuts or chicken parts (that's a gross way to put it)? Or is ham just ham?

[zoobie]

Look for Alton Brown's Good Eats Country Ham/City Ham episode online. It's Ham 101. :)

 

And um if you want to buy a spiral ham, Trader Joe's and Costco have ones that are really good and cheaper than Honeybaked. ;)

[amyco]

Yep, you can buy a spiral sliced ham in the grocery store that is close in quality and taste to Honeybaked.  They are usually wrapped up in colored foil.  They usually come with slicing directions and a packet of glaze.  We don't use the glaze, the ham still tastes good without it.  So after you unwrap the ham, just put it in a baking dish and heat it like you would the Honeybaked.  There are directions on the label.  They are already all cooked (but make sure it says "fully cooked" on the label), you just want to get it warm.  Sometimes we slice the meat cold and just heat the portion we are going to eat that night. 

 

 

[LucyStoner]

Cooking ham at home is essentially just heating up something.  Very easy and saves money.  

[kbutton]

 Very easy to heat up. You just want to make sure it doesn't dry out in the oven. Oven bags are good for this, or you can use a lidded pan, and take the lid off partway through cooking to brown things up. Some people fancy things up by poking holes (or making little slits) on the surface of the ham and putting whole cloves into the holes or slits (space them about an inch apart if you want to try it). It really flavors the gravy nicely. Some people add pineapple slices to the outside of the ham also (you pin them on with toothpicks)--I wouldn't do this if you prepare the glaze that sometimes comes with the ham. Ham gravy is really good, but if the juices from the ham are really concentrated, you'll want to water the broth down before making the gravy (you don't want it overly salty). We dump the water from boiled potatoes into the ham broth if we're cooking potatoes with the meal. Most ham fat is on the surface--you could trim it if you like. If it's thin, it mostly disappears as you cook the ham. If you get a ham with a bone, the bone is great flavoring for bean soups, split pea soup, or homemade noodles.

 

Aldi also has good spiral sliced hams, and they are inexpensive.

 

 

[MyThreeSons]

I really like the spiral sliced hams from Aldi. They cost a little more per pound than the non-sliced, but I find that they go farther. I think it has to do with the thinner slices -- I'd never slice a ham that thinly myself, but when you serve a thin slice, no one seems to feel like they aren't getting a good portion. 

 

As others have said, all you have to do is heat.

[Belacqua]

And um if you want to buy a spiral ham, Trader Joe's and Costco have ones that are really good and cheaper than Honeybaked. ;)

 

Seconded. We paid the big bucks for a Honeybaked one year and didn't find it any better than the plain Costco ham we usually get. 

 

I've never used the glaze packets that come with hams, because they usually have a long list of arcane ingredients. They might taste just fine; I just don't have experience with them. I prefer to make a simple glaze with brown sugar and fruit juice (and perhaps a little mustard). 

[Farrar]

Well, I do think the Honeybaked one is a little better.  But not so much better for the price.  There are really, really simple directions on the little tag with the ham.  They come with the glaze and presliced.  I second that Costco and Trader Joe's both have good ones.

[gardenmom5]

to me - it isn't a ham if it doesn't have a bone.  my grandmother grew up on a farm, and every year she'd visit her family and bring back a ham from one of their hogs.  I looked forward to that dinner every year.

[MyThreeSons]

to me - it isn't a ham if it doesn't have a bone.  my grandmother grew up on a farm, and every year she'd visit her family and bring back a ham from one of their hogs.  I looked forward to that dinner every year.

 

All of the spiral sliced hams I've had over the years, including the one time I got one from HoneyBaked, have a bone. I when we've picked all of the good slices off the bone, a few days after thanksgiving, the bone and its remnants go into a pot for making soup.

[Night Elf]

I definitely want bone-in. I want it for soup. My mom wants me to pin pineapple slices on the ham and brush pineapple juice on while it's heating. So I guess we wouldn't use the glaze packet. I did find one that looked perfect, but the date on it was Nov. 18th. If I freeze that large of a ham, it seems like it would take days to thaw. But of course I'm worried every place will sell out if I wait too late. My first thought was to buy the 1-lb. packages of Honeybaked Ham, which I think will freeze better, but I want to try my own this year. My mom suggested I just go to the deli where they have sliced ham and just ask for thick cuts. That seems weird to me. If I can, I'm thinking I can buy a ham on the 26th and keep it in the refrigerator for the 28th. Two days would be okay, right? I don't think we'll have a lot left over if I can find a small ham. My mom will take some home with her.

[Farrar]

The date on hams is usually way out - like a month.  I would find it sketchy that you could only find one with such a close date.  Do you live out in the country without a lot of grocery options?

[Miss Mousie]

OP, it sounds like you are not huge ham eaters, nor serving a large crowd, but I wanted to mention that the absolute best hams I have ever had were whole hams (skin all the way around).  So flavorful and never dry!    :drool5:  

 

After we've had our fill at the first meal, I freeze various sized portions for use throughout the year.  I prefer unsliced hams, too, because I like different cuts for different dishes (like cubes for adding to scrambled eggs). 

 

I will also score the skin and poke whole cloves in the intersections.  I don't use the glaze because I don't care for the sweetness (so I'd never buy a Honeybaked ham - sounds like we have different tastes).

 

I so love ham season!  :) 

 

 

 

[Night Elf]

I live in a city. I have 3 grocery stores, Walmart and Super-Target. The ham I found was at Walmart and there was only one other that said honey spiral and it was over 5 lbs. which is too large for us. I think I might run to Kroger today or tomorrow and check out what they have.

 

No, we aren't big ham eaters, but we have it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We're not turkey people. We have a sit down Thanksgiving meal but Christmas is only sandwiches and finger foods.

 

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I'm going to cook some things I skipped last year. This is why it's on my mind more than a week early.

[MyThreeSons]

I live in a city. I have 3 grocery stores, Walmart and Super-Target. The ham I found was at Walmart and there was only one other that said honey spiral and it was over 5 lbs. which is too large for us. I think I might run to Kroger today or tomorrow and check out what they have.

 

I don't know that I've ever seen a ham that was less than 5 pounds. If you don't think you'll use it all right away, it freezes well for later use.

[Belacqua]

I don't know that I've ever seen a ham that was less than 5 pounds. If you don't think you'll use it all right away, it freezes well for later use.

 

Agreed. If you have a grinder, you can use leftover ham in meatloaf. 1/3 ground ham, 1/3 ground beef, and 1/3 ground pork = really lovely (and simple) meatloaf. Just some cracker crumbs, a couple of eggs, some milk (or a small can of evaporated milk if you're feeling swanky) and whatever seasonings you like. An hour or so at 375. 

 

Or just ham chunks in omelets. Or standing in the open freezer, gnawing on leftovers. That's good, too. :)

[kbutton]

Agreed. If you have a grinder, you can use leftover ham in meatloaf. 1/3 ground ham, 1/3 ground beef, and 1/3 ground pork = really lovely (and simple) meatloaf. Just some cracker crumbs, a couple of eggs, some milk (or a small can of evaporated milk if you're feeling swanky) and whatever seasonings you like. An hour or so at 375. 

 

Or just ham chunks in omelets. Or standing in the open freezer, gnawing on leftovers. That's good, too. :)

 

Ham loaf is heavenly!

 

Freezing is a great option. I dice some of our leftovers to put in soup (bean, split pea, etc.).