Holiday Ham 101: How to Pick the Best Ham for Your Easter Table

Few hunks of meat scream “holiday” like a burnished ham that glistens with a flavorful glaze. It’s no wonder why it’s the centerpiece of so many tables for Easter and other celebrations. Most people love ham, and it’s hard to mess up. 

Since most hams are pre-cooked, you don’t have to worry about precise cooking times or dried-out meat. In fact, the most complicated part about making ham may be how to select one at the grocery store or butcher. Here’s a guide to choose the right ham for your feast. 

Types of ham

Ham is the hind leg of a pig that is usually, but not always, cured with salt. Globally, ham encompasses a wide range of cured pork products like prosciutto and jamón serrano. These are some of the main types you might find in the U.S.

• City ham: If you’re thinking of a holiday ham, it’s likely a city ham: wet-cured (or brined) and pre-cooked. It’s often smoked, spiral-cut, and reheated with a sticky glaze. City ham also shows up at the deli counter.
• Country ham: Country ham is a dry-cured American ham akin to prosciutto. It’s best savored in paper-thin slices, not as the centerpiece of a table.
• Fresh ham: Fresh ham, often sold as pork leg or pork leg roast, is the uncured leg of the pig. It’s not as easy to find as other pork roasts like shoulder or loin, but is worth seeking out. It falls somewhere between tender and lean loin, and the unctuous, fall-apart texture of shoulder and butt.
• Picnic ham: This term is sometimes applied to the lower part of the shoulder. It’s smaller than a country ham and has more fat. Picnic ham is less expensive than other hams and generally used for sandwiches and soups.

Bone-in vs. boneless (and spiral-cut) ham

You can find high-quality hams, either bone-in and boneless, at the grocery store or butcher. The curing, cooking, and smoking processes are more important to the quality of a ham than whether it has a bone.

“Semi-boneless” hams have the wide hip bone (or aitch bone) removed, but the central leg bone remains intact, which makes for easier slicing. Semi-boneless, spiral-cut hams are the most sold ham in the U.S. Harry Hoenselaar invented the spiral-slicing machine in the early 1930s, and popularized spiral-cut hams when he opened the first Honey Baked Ham Co. store in Detroit in 1957. These hams are easy to serve, and the dozens of grooves allow the glaze to seep into the meat.

If you want the ease of a spiral-cut ham, but can’t find one, try a boneless ham, says PJ Jackson, co-owner of The Chop Shop Butchery in Asheville and Charlotte, North Carolina. “Boneless hams are a great alternative,” he says. “They reheat evenly and are easy to slice and serve.”

How to cook a holiday ham

“Cooking” ham is a misnomer, as almost all wet-cured hams are pre-cooked. Though you can snack on it directly from the fridge, a pre-cooked ham’s texture and flavor improves when it’s reheated. The fat softens, its juiciness can be enhanced by reheating in a moist environment, and you can add a tasty glaze while it bakes. It’s also safer. Though there’s little risk of bacterial development in a ham that goes straight from fridge to oven, you want to follow USDA guidelines.

“Even though a fully cooked ham is ready to eat, if you’re serving it hot, you should heat it to an internal temperature of 145°F, which won’t dry out ham the way it will fresh pork,” says Jackson. “You can also eat it cold from the fridge, but like any ready-to-eat food, anything in between those temperature safety zones can be a risk.” Here’s a step-by-step guide to re-heating a ham.

1. Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan, add about a quarter-inch of water or other liquid (Jackson likes apple cider), and cover the pan tightly with foil.
2. Heat in a 350°F oven for about 12 minutes per pound, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°F, as the temperature will rise as it rests. (This means that half a ham will take about an hour and a half to cook, and a full ham will take at least two hours.)
3. If glazing, uncover toward the end of heating, when the internal temp is about 120°F. Brush on the glaze, and keep baking until it’s sticky.
4. Broil for a minute or two at the end to get extra brown and crispy bits, if desired.

How to store ham

Dry-cured ham can be stored at room temperature, tightly wrapped. However, wet-cured ham, such as city and spiral-cut hams, needs to be refrigerated. 

“Like any ready-to-eat food, follow the [cook-by] date, keep refrigerated under 40°F, and trust your nose,” says Jackson. “If it smells off in any way, it probably is.” He recommends refrigerating ham leftovers for no more than four days, though they can be tightly wrapped and frozen for up to two months. Pile on sandwiches or use it in ham soup or broth.

How to pick the best ham

Like any meaty centerpiece, sourcing is key. Look for hams raised without antibiotics, no added hormones, and certified humane. If possible, buy pasture-raised ham.

“Pasture-raised pork tastes better,” says Jackson. “Well-exercised pigs with a varied diet and minimal stress always have better flavor and texture, and when they’re processed locally — within hours, instead of days — it improves everything from taste and texture to the environment and local economy.” 

Some sources for excellent pasture-raised pork include Niman Ranch, Whole Foods, and local butchers.