University of Wisconsin - Extension

MADISON, Wis.—As springtime celebrations approach, perhaps you are considering cooking a ham for Easter. It’s a good time to consider some basic tips for selecting and preparing a holiday ham, says Dr. Jeff Sindelar, University of Wisconsin-Extension meat scientist.

Sindelar offers the following information and recommendations for selecting a ham to suit your needs.

There are three styles of ham: bone-in, semi-boneless, and boneless. A bone-in ham is an attractive, traditional ham containing all the bones. A semi-boneless ham contains all bones except the leg bone, which has been removed. There is less shank meat present and it has a higher percentage of high quality ham. A boneless ham, as is implied, has all the bones removed. The ham muscles are bound back together, making this ham more convenient for more uses than a bone-in or semi-boneless ham.

Hams are further classified according to their added ingredients, such as water, salt or sugar. A product labeled “Ham” contains 0 to 5 percent added ingredients over the raw ham weight. This ham is slightly dry and the texture can be tough. A “Ham with Natural Juices” contains 10 to 12 percent added ingredients over the raw ham weight. This ham is moist, juicy and very high in quality. It makes a great “special occasion” ham. A “Ham, Water Added” contains 20 to 25 percent added ingredients over the raw ham weight. This ham is very juicy and has a moist texture. It makes a great all-purpose ham for sandwiches or Sunday dinner. Adding more than 25 percent added ingredients (35 to 40 percent) over the raw ham weight results in a ham that, while moist, has an undesirably soft texture. The exact amount of added ingredients is always displayed on the label. The least expensive of the four, it is useful when on a budget or in need of large quantities.

To prepare a ham, Sindelar offers the following guidelines:

For roasting a ham, roast according to the following internal temperatures:

*Ready-to-Eat Ham: 160°F

*Baked Ham: 160°F

*Ready-to-Cook Ham: 165°F

For baking a ham, follow these baking guidelines:

*Whole--Boneless: 15 to 18 minutes at 325°F

*Whole--Bone-in: 15 to 18 minutes at 325°F

*Half—Boneless: 18 to 24 minutes at 325°F

*Half—Bone-in: 18 to 24 minutes at 325°F

*Spiral Cut Ham: 10 to 14 minutes at 275°F

*Baked Ham: 10 to 14 minutes at 275°F

Always check that the ham has reached a safe internal temperature with a meat thermometer before carving and eating. Times for cooking ham are for minutes per pound.

Carving recommendations depend upon whether you have a bone-in ham or a spiral cut ham. For a bone-in ham, start by removing a few slices from one side of the ham to build a “carving platform.” Lay the ham on the “platform” and cut ham slices towards the leg bone. Then loosen the slices by locating the leg bone and making a cut parallel and close to the leg bone.

To carve a spiral sliced ham, begin by making a cut along the leg bone to loosen pre-sliced ham slices. After the top slices are removed, additional slices can be made on both sides of the leg bone to easily remove bottom slices. After carving, ham remaining on the bones can be further trimmed and consumed or used in soups.

A serving size of ham should be approximately 6 to 8 ounces per person. A whole ham should provide servings for 30 to 40 people and a half ham should serve 15-20 people.

Ham can be stored for 12 to 14 days in the refrigerator or up to 6 months in a freezer for extended storage.

For further information, contact the United States Department of Agriculture’s Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline or 1-888-674-6854. For online information, visit Food Safety and Health (Wisconsin) http://www.foodsafety.wisc.edu for a brochure that includes how-to pictures on carving a ham; Cooks Ham at http://www.cooksham.com; Hormel Foods at http://www.hormel.com; or The Honeybaked Ham Company at http://www.honeybaked.com.

To learn more, contact your county UW-Extension office.