Many of us will be buying a ham this week for Easter this Sunday. At my grocer they are all in those long cooler areas and sometimes it is a bit confusing as to which one to select. I thought I would share some information I have found helpful when shopping for a ham.
- Hams are generally fully cooked the way most of us buy them. What we are doing in the oven is heating them up and maybe adding some flavoring to them.
- If your ham has netting or string on it – remove before glazing it. I learned this the hard way the first year I was married. I made a nice ham with a pineapple glaze but didn’t even think about the string. It was baked into – under the glaze – the ham and everyone had to pick it off as they ate – yikes!
- Spiral-sliced hams are just a way they pre-slice a ham to make it pretty and easier. They are not sliced entirely though and you will still need to cut right up against the bone.
- Country-style hams are really salty! Many in my family like them, but it is not my favorite. They are often smoked as well which adds another flavor element.
- Bone-in hams are nice because after you eat the ham you have this wonderfully flavorful leftover part that you can use to make soups or stews. You can freeze the bone also if you do not want to make something right away with it.
- You can keep your leftover ham in the fridge for about 4 days. After that, freeze it. Not everyone like to freeze ham slices, but many do not mind at all. If you are going to use it for casseroles and such cut it into cubes or strips before freezing.
You can find more tips on Pork Be Inspired. Make sure you enter my giveaway to win a free ham also! Do you eat ham for your Easter/Spring celebration? What kind do you get and how do you prepare it?
Disclosure: While I am working with the National Pork Board on another post, this was just extra information I wanted to share with my readers and is in no way compensated.
© 2012, Robyn Wright. All rights reserved.
