Around the holidays, butchers cases and grocery stores overflow with ham options: spiral, smoked, cured, uncured and more. The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences says that most hams you can buy are already cooked.
Some hams are sold uncooked. The USDA says that even spiral-cut hams, which are made to be easy for home cooks, can be eaten raw.
Shawn Matijevich, lead chef for online culinary arts and food operations at the Institute of Culinary Education, says, “You won’t be able to tell if your ham is cooked just by looking at it.”
There are clear signs that will let you know if your ham is cooked and only needs to be warmed up, or if it needs to be fully cooked before you eat it. If you know the difference, you won’t eat a ham that is raw or undercooked, or one that is overcooked and dry.
He says that the only way to tell if your ham is cooked is to read the label on the package. The USDA says that if a ham isn’t actually cooked, the label will make it clear that it needs to be cooked and give cooking instructions.
There are plenty of different types of ham that you can purchase. Heres a quick review of the most common options:
For many busy cooks, the convenience of grabbing a pre-cooked entree can be hard to pass up. When it comes to ham, you may wonder – can you buy one that’s already fully cooked and ready to eat? The short answer is yes! In fact, the vast majority of hams sold at supermarkets and delis are fully or partially cooked during processing. Read on to learn more about buying pre-cooked ham.
Identifying Fully Cooked Ham
Pre-cooked hams have typically undergone a curing, smoking, and/or cooking process before being packaged for sale. To identify if a ham is fully cooked, check for these indicators on the label:
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The words “fully cooked” or “ready to eat”
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Cooking instructions indicating the ham is just needs to be heated or warmed before eating
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A description like “smoked ham” or “cooked ham”
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The presence of a USDA inspection stamp
Raw, fresh hams that require cooking from scratch are much less common in grocery stores. They need to be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145°F before eating.
Where to Buy Fully Cooked Ham
You can find pre-cooked hams in a few places:
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Supermarket meat department – Large bone-in smoked hams, spiral sliced hams, ham roasts, and smaller boneless hams are often sold fully cooked.
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Deli counter – Sliced deli hams are cured, smoked, and pre-cooked. You can get sliced ham off the bone or boneless lunchmeat-style ham.
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Specialty food stores – Artisan cooked hams like prosciutto and jamón serrano are ready to eat.
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Online mail order – Many companies sell fully cooked smoked hams you can order online and have shipped.
Popular Types of Pre-Cooked Ham
There are several varieties of fully cooked ham to choose from:
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Spiral sliced ham – The most common. Easy to carve, with a classic smoked ham flavor.
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Honey baked ham – Coated with a sweet glaze, often brown sugar and honey.
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Black forest ham – Seasoned with herbs and juniper berries and smoked over pine for a more robust flavor.
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Jambon de Paris – A French-style wet cured ham, seasoned and pressed into an oval shape during processing.
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Prosciutto – Dry cured and air dried Italian ham, usually sold sliced very thin.
How to Serve Fully Cooked Ham
Serving a store-bought pre-cooked ham is simple. Here are some tips:
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Read heating instructions. Most hams just need to be warmed to 140°F before slicing and serving.
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Use the cooking method recommended on the packaging – oven, stove top, or microwave.
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Let it rest 5-10 minutes after warming to make slicing easier.
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Carve into thin, even slices across the grain of the meat.
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Can be served cold or at room temp for appetizers.
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Goes great with biscuits, rolls, mustard, pineapple, scalloped potatoes, and more!
The Benefits of Buying Pre-Cooked Ham
Opting for a fully cooked ready-to-eat ham offers several advantages:
Convenience – No lengthy prep or baking time needed. Just heat and serve.
Great Flavor – Curing and smoking processes infuse the ham with delicious flavor.
Fewer Leftovers – Pre-sliced hams mean you can buy a smaller amount.
Time Savings – Skip the work of locating and cooking a fresh ham.
More Variety – Pre-cooked hams offer lots of flavors, like honey baked and cider cured.
Easy Entertaining – Impress guests with tasty ham without spending all day in the kitchen.
So next time you’re planning a meal that calls for ham, know that you can take a convenient shortcut and purchase one that’s fully cooked and ready to serve. With so many options for smoked, cured, and specialty hams at stores these days, you’re sure to find one with incredible flavor to suit your taste.
How to Tell if a Ham is Fully Cooked
Youll be able to identify a fully cooked ham by reading the label. Matijevich says that the only way to tell if a ham is fully cooked is by looking at the packaging and not how the meat looks.
A fully cooked ham wont have “cook thoroughly” on the packaging. Instead, it might say “precooked. If not, the ham’s label should say “reheating” instead of “cooking,” which would mean the meat is already cooked.
If your ham is fully cooked — and in a vacuum-sealed package from a federally-inspected manufacturing plant — you can safely eat it cold, according to the USDA. That’s true for canned ham, too. But cooked ham that doesn’t meet those criteria — for instance, a ham that was cooked by your butcher, or wasn’t packed up at a federally-inspected plant — could have pathogens, and should be reheated before eating.
Signs You Need to Cook Your Ham Before Eating
There are several clear signs on the packaging that should let you know when a ham needs to be cooked before it can be eaten. This is because looking at a ham won’t tell you if it’s cooked or not, and eating raw meat is never a good idea.
- A “cook thoroughly” statement: The USDA says that if a ham looks like it’s already cooked on the package, it needs to be clearly labeled to say it needs to be cooked.
- Cooking instructions: Also, Chef Brandon Collins, mustard sommelier for Maille, says that the label of an uncooked ham will have cooking instructions on it. On most labels, it will say that the ham needs to be cooked all the way through to a certain temperature before it can be eaten.
- The word “fresh”: Fresh ham is, by definition, uncooked. If that’s on the package, you should know that you need to cook it first.
- You can also find safe handling instructions on the label of a ham that needs to be cooked. These instructions will tell you how to store, cook, and handle the ham safety.
How to Reheat a Fully Cooked Spiral Ham | Step by Step
FAQ
Can you buy a fully cooked ham?
Is supermarket ham already cooked?
Are grocery store hams precooked?
Do you have to cook a fully cooked ham before eating?
Are all store-bought hams pre-cooked?
Yes, most store-bought hams are pre-cooked. Quick Tips and Facts: 1. Despite popular belief, not all store-bought hams are precooked: While many hams sold in stores are indeed pre-cooked, there are some varieties that are sold raw and require cooking before consumption.
Do hams need to be cooked?
Ham is usually salt cured in one of two ways: brined, or cured with a dry rub and hung to dry. These hams are deep rose or pink in color and can be sold ready-to-eat or may require cooking. Some hams are also smoked after they’re cured and aged. Always check the label — hams that need to be cooked must be labeled with cooking instructions.
Where can I buy a cured ham?
The type of ham is readily available at any grocery store and the prep is easy, too. These are usually cured by brining and are sold fully cooked. Country hams (dry-cured and uncooked) are harder to find. They’re cured with a dry rub, hung to dry and sold uncooked. They may or may not be smoked and can be very salty.
What is a fresh ham?
Fresh hams have the same color and texture as a fresh uncooked pork roast and must be cooked before eating. Fresh hams are not very commonly available and not what’s typically served around the holidays. Country ham is cured with a dry rub, hung to dry, aged usually for at least 6 months, and sold uncooked.