Preparing Your Spiral Ham

If your ham is frozen, place in refrigerator for 24 - 48 hours to thaw before heating. To warm and glaze your honey ham, many families have recommended using the rectangular glass pan. Line the pan with foil so you don't have to spend time in the kitchen cleaning up after the meal. Place the ham on the foil, add about a quarter cup of water and close the foil tightly. You want to keep the moisture in!

While your ham is heating, you can prepare a glaze mix. Then, about 10 minutes before serving, take the ham from the oven, pour the smooth glaze over the ham (the slices will have started separating) and return the ham to the oven for a few more minutes. 

The pineapple slices and cherries are optional.

If you have leftovers, wrap in foil, and then place the foil packets in baggies to keep the air out.

Storing Country Hams

All cooked hams should be refrigerated after delivered or purchasing. (As they are salt cured and vacuum packed, they are safe to be unrefrigerated for up to 5-7 days. After opening, you can keep it covered in your refrigerator for up to 30 days. You can freeze your uncooked or cooked ham for up to 90 days if well wrapped. If you plan to use the uncooked country ham within 60 days of receipt, it will be best stored in the original sack having the shank side down in a cool dry room.

Complete Cooking Directions

After washing and soaking your RAW Country Ham overnight, you may cook the ham using either of these two easy methods.

Baking Method Number One

After washing the ham, place it in a roaster with 5 cups of water, skin side up. Cover the roaster. Next, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F), put roaster in the oven, and turn the oven to 500 degrees (F) for 10 minutes only. Turn oven off and leave for 3 hours. Finally, turn the oven to 500 degrees (F) for not more than a total of 25 minutes. Leave the ham in the oven for 6 to 8 hours. Do Not Open Oven Door at any point during this process until it is complete. When done, insert thermometer to check temperature has reached 160 degrees (F). Remove the skin while warm and trim away fat as desired.

Baking Method Number Two

Shake one tablespoon of flour into a turkey size (19" x 23 1/2") oven cooking bag. Place bag in large roasting pan at least 2 inches deep. Place ham in the bag. Add 4 cups of liquid into the bag (apple juice, wine or any carbonated beverage) and close the bag with a nylon tie. Make six slits in top - approximately 1/2" each. Through the slit in the bag, puncture the thickest part of the ham with a knife and insert a meat thermometer into the ham, but not touching the bone. Cook 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 160 degrees (F). Remove from the oven, discarding bag and drippings. Remove the skin while warm and trim away fat as desired. Follow directions for glazing a Country Ham.

Glazing your Country Ham

Brown Sugar Glaze - 1 cup brown sugar; 1 tablespoon dry mustard; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves or cinnamon orange marmalade or any of your favorite fruit jams. This recipe can be doubled if you like a generous glaze or if your ham is larger than 13 pounds. Mix brown sugar, mustard and round cloves or cinnamon, adding just enough jam to make a stiff paste. Spread over ham. Put ham in 400 degree (F) oven for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the glaze on your ham to caramelize and brown nicely. You may optionally score and dot your ham with cloves before glazing. 

 reminder... Fully Cooked Country Hams do not require additional cooking.

To restore the glaze, place in preheated 375 degree (F) oven for 5 to 10 minutes only.

... then carve into very thin slices to enjoy the unique flavor and texture!

Carving Instructions

For "Bone-In" Country Hams, trim all excess fat off of ham if you desire. Turn ham lean side up, bone side down. Pick up knife with cutting hand.

Grasp shank of ham with other hand so that the center of the ham is in front of you and not off to the side. Going down about a third of the shank side of the ham, make a straight cross-cut to give you a stopping point for the slices. Slice all the way down to the bone, rolling the knife forward and backward until ham is cut apart except for the bone.

Put knife on 45 degree angle and begin slicing from the center of ham to the cut you made in the ham earlier. Be sure to make slices even and very, very thin. Move the knife forward and backward around ham while slicing, continue slicing until most of the top of the ham is sliced. Turn ham on side and continue slicing around the whole ham.

Support ham with cutting stand or towel while slicing. 

Save the bones and scraps for seasoning. Your ham should be used within two weeks or sliced and frozen for later use.

Heating Instructions

For a Spiral Ham, thaw ham out completely before warming. Place ham in shallow side pan with fat side up. Add 1/2 cup warm water & cover tightly with aluminum foil. Heat in 325 degree (F) oven 30 - 45 minutes for Half Ham

*remember, this product is already fully cooked.