Is Honey Baked Ham Real Ham? Examining This Sweet Tradition

Before you cut into a HoneyBaked Ham this holiday (because, come on, you know you’re getting one), learn about the brand’s long history.

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When the holidays roll around, Honey Baked Ham becomes a staple on many dinner tables across America. But is this beloved treat actually real ham, or is it something different altogether? In this article, we’ll take a close look at Honey Baked Ham and determine if it meets the criteria for being true, authentic ham

What Makes Ham Real?

Before examining Honey Baked Ham specifically, let’s first outline the factors that define real ham:

Made from pork: Real ham must come from pork, usually from the hind legs of a pig. This means “ham” made from chicken, turkey or other meats doesn’t qualify.
Cured and smoked Genuine ham is both cured and smoked Curing involves salt and natural preservatives while smoking infuses flavor and preserves the meat
Contains no artificial ingredients: Quality ham relies on natural wood smoke and basic curing agents, not artificial flavors, colors or preservatives.

Evaluating Honey Baked Ham

With those criteria in mind, let’s take a close look at the iconic Honey Baked Ham company and determine if its products constitute real ham.

Made from Fresh Pork Hind Legs

According to the Honey Baked Ham website, all of their hams are made from fresh pork hind legs, not from different meats. So they meet the first basic requirement.

Curing Process

Honey Baked Hams uses a curing process involving salt, natural juices and other traditional flavorings. Artificial preservatives are not mentioned.

Hardwood Smoking

The website details a smoking process for up to 24 hours using hardwood chips like hickory. This gives their ham an authentic smoked ham flavor.

Minimal Ingredients

The published ingredients contain no artificial flavors, colors or chemical preservatives. Only natural ingredients like honey, spices and hardwood smoke are used.

Hand-Crafted Glaze

While the signature glaze gives the ham a sweet, sticky exterior, it does not penetrate deeply or alter the inner cured and smoked pork. The glaze complies with USDA definitions for an authentic country ham.

USDA Designations

Honey Baked Hams carry the USDA designations for genuine country ham and smoked ham. This indicates they meet specific government criteria.

Based on all of these factors, Honey Baked Ham appears to meet all the requirements for traditional curing and smoking processes. The hams are clearly not “faux” ham made from other meats or highly processed.

Why the Sweet Exterior?

If Honey Baked Ham is real ham, why the sweet glaze coating the outside?

It mainly serves two purposes:

Flavor – The sugar, honey and spices provide a sweet, tangy flavor contrast to the salty, savory ham. This flavor profile has huge popularity at holiday gatherings.
Browning – Caramelization and browning of the sugars in the glaze gives the ham an appetizing and attractive golden brown exterior.

So while the glaze provides rich color and flavor, it does not fundamentally change the pork underneath. A few slices in and you quickly reach the authentic cured and smoked ham inside.

How Honey Baked Slices Their Hams

In addition to the glaze, another distinctive feature of Honey Baked Ham is the spiral cut. This helps the hams cook evenly, gives them a signature look, and allows for convenient serving.

The hams are sliced delicately along the bone using special stainless steel blades. While this machinery may seem industrialized, the process simply enhances enjoyment of the ham without compromising quality.

Quality Ham with a Sweet Twist

When you break it all down, Honey Baked Ham meets the major criteria that define real, quality ham – made from pork, cured, smoked, free of artificial ingredients. The sweet glaze and spiral cut gives this ham its signature style without making it any less authentic.

The glaze caramelizes beautifully when cooked, the spiral slicing makes serving a breeze, and the cured and smoked pork inside delivers the classic ham flavor people crave. While “Honey Baked” may sound like a branding gimmick, make no mistake – this is 100% real ham.

So this holiday season, feel confident that Honey Baked Ham will provide your family and guests with a genuinely delicious ham experience with deep traditions and culinary craft behind it. Embrace this tasty twist on an American classic!

is honey baked ham real ham

You can order ham four different ways.

People can eat four to six quarter hams, five different size half hams that weigh between six and ten pounds, 36 whole hams that don’t have bones and don’t have the signature spiral cut around the bone.

Every ham is hand-selected.

There’s a good reason why the brand says its hams are the best: they have to pass a 16-point inspection, which means that only one in ten making it to the stores.

Honey Baked Ham Serving Instructions

FAQ

Is honey baked ham processed meat?

Yep. “Processed meat” is any meat that’s preserved by salting, smoking or curing, or by adding chemical preservatives. That means sausage, bacon, cold cuts like pastrami and salami, hot dogs and, yes, ham.

What is HoneyBaked ham made of?

To meet my meat, so to speak. Take the HoneyBaked Hams that grace the tables of so many Christmas celebrations. The ingredient list looks like a chemistry lesson: Ham cured with water, salt, sodium lactate, sugar, sodium phosphate, sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrate.

Is honey baked ham made from pork?

Honey Baked Ham Pork Roasts are are cooked nice and slow the traditional way until the meat practically melts in your mouth. To make your meal even more tantalizing, we add a zesty barbeque sauce that will have you licking your fingers clean.

Are HoneyBaked hams frozen when you buy them?

Every product is individually frozen, boxed in our temperature control packaging with ice packs to guarantee that your order will remain fresh and delicious on its way to you. Our products are designed to thaw during transit so excess moisture or condensation is to be expected.

What is a honey baked ham?

Honey: This sticky sweet glaze is made with the delicious honey. The honey mixture locks in all the juices. Brown Sugar: Another component that makes this honey baked ham recipe. Spices: Paprika, onion powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, ground cloves, garlic powder and seasoned salt.

Is honey baked ham gluten free?

Yes, all the products from that brand, such as the hams, turkey breasts and whole turkeys are gluten-free. Always check the gluten-free logo in the products you choose.

Can You bake a ham with copycat honey?

Copycat honey baked has an easy ham glaze with honey and a bit of brown sugar. The glaze gets beautifully caramelized on the ham… and on your pan! Since the glaze can be sticky, line the baking pan with thick foil (or no-stick foil) for easy cleanup. A spiral ham is usually fully cooked and needs heating (double check on the package you buy).

How do you cook a Ham in the oven?

Place the ham cut side down in a rimmed baking pan and cover with foil. Bake until the ham reaches 135°F per the full recipe below. Brush the ham with the glaze mixture and turn the oven up to 425°F to caramelize the glaze. Remove the ham from the oven when the temperature reaches 140°F. Rest for about 20 minutes before serving.