What Is The Difference Between Ham And Deli Ham?

HOWEVER, in this day and age of modernization, your deli provision companies, i.e. BoarsHead, Thumann’s, Dietz & Watson, etc, etc, just use a plain old boneless brine cured ham and apply different glazes to the outside. So, yes, they will all taste the same on the inside.

Ham comes from the back leg of a pig. A baked ham lets someone with modest cooking skills serve a large and impressive piece of meat for a holiday gathering or dinner crowd. From boneless to bone-in to spiral-sliced, the local grocery store carries a ham for any occasion.

A whole ham is the entire cured leg of pork, including the thigh bone, part of the pelvic or aitch bone, and sometimes a section of tailbone as well. This feeds up to 20 people. For serving ease, look for a spiral-sliced one.

Country hams are not as common as city hams in the U.S., especially in more urban areas. Country hams can be eaten just as they are since they are preserved. They have a very salty taste and a drier texture compared to city hams. In other words, they more closely resemble preserved meats rather than the juicy ham you may picture for a holiday meal.

What is the difference between a city ham and a country ham?

The distinction between city and country ham is how the meat is cured. Hams that are wet-cured are referred to as city hams. Most hams you’ll find at your local supermarket are city hams. In addition to being wet-cured, they are usually smoked.

Another distinction you’ll see is between boneless and bone-in hams. A bone-in ham tends to be moist and have a nice, rich flavor that comes from the bone, but carving it can be a bit challenging since you have to work around the bone. Once you finish carving a bone-in ham, the bone can be used to flavor soup beans, collard greens and other Southern classics.

Once you finish carving a bone-in ham, the bone can be used to flavor soup beans, collard greens and other Southern classics. A boneless ham is made to be easier to carve. Rather than working around a bone, you can make clean passes through the ham to create uniform slices.

Shank end hams are what you likely picture when you think of a Christmas or Easter ham. They’re pretty enough to be a centerpiece for a holiday dinner in addition to being the main course. However, the meat on a shank end ham tends to be fattier and less tender than the meat you’ll find in a butt end ham.

Though ham hocks are not actually part of a ham, they are taken from the portion of the leg just below where the ham stops, at the end of the shank. Essentially, this is a hog’s calf area. Ham hocks contain a lot of collagen, which breaks down as it cooks to turn the meat tender and delicious.

Black Forest ham: Black Forest ham, strictly speaking, is made in the Black Forest region of Germany. It is characterized by a blackened exterior and a flavor profile that comes from the herbs that are added to the cure.

Hams are cut from the rear leg of a pig. The exception to this is picnic ham, which is really not ham at all. These “hams” are cut from the front leg. If a rear leg cut of meat were immediately cooked, it would simply taste like any other pork roast.

What is Ham?

All types of ham start out as a roast cut from the hind leg of a hog. This is called a fresh ham. Before it’s prepared, it is no different than any other pork roast. To become ham, the pork is aged, cured, smoked, and/or cooked.

In order to be labeled a Smithfield, this specially aged country ham must be cured in this specific manner within the city of Smithfield, VA. The meat is deep red in color and salty with a pungent flavor. Considered a gourmet’s choice, they are expensive and need to be cooked long and slow before eating.

Smoke: Smoked hams are typically cold smoked at under 100 F for days or even weeks. Age: Some hams are aged for deeper flavor, meaning they are heavily cured, smoked, and hung to age from one to seven years. They are covered in a mold which must be scraped and washed off prior to eating.

Country ham is popular in the southern United States and must be cured, aged, and dried at least 70 days. They are usually dry-cured in salt, smoked over fragrant hardwoods, and aged at least six months. Most country-cured hams are uncooked and need to be cooked.

Speck. Another Italian ham, speck is dry-cured in a similar manner to prosciutto and then lightly smoked. It is made from a deboned hind thigh and is available mass-produced or as a specialty item like speck alto Aldige, a PDO-protected variety from northern Italy.

Wet-cured, this type of ham uses honey or maple syrup as at least half of the sweetener in the curing mixture. These sweet-savory hams are frequently pre-cooked and only require reheating.

Dry-cured ham is where the entire surface of the meat is thoroughly covered with salt and then stored until the salt permeates the meat, thereby preserving it. Cook: Another distinction you will find is whether the ham is fully cooked, partially cooked, or uncooked.

What is a baked ham?

A baked ham lets someone with modest cooking skills serve a large and impressive piece of meat for a holiday gathering or dinner crowd. From boneless to bone-in to spiral-sliced, the local grocery store carries a ham for any occasion.

A 3.5-ounce serving of ready-to-heat ham contains 133 calories and 6.2 grams of fat. 1  It’s a good source of protein but can also be quite high in sodium, with more than 46 percent daily value in one portion. 2 

A basic boneless ham will be shaped like an oval and come sealed in plastic or foil. Your best bet with a boneless ham is a spiral-sliced ham because you’re getting an entire quarter of a ham—either the inside or outside of the leg muscle, from the shank (bottom) or butt (top) end.

Cut by a machine at the processing plant or a butcher, this technique slices a bone-in ham in one continuous spiral , leaving the meat on the bone in its original shape. Instead of carving a ham by hand, you simply cut the meat perpendicular to the bone to have perfect, consistent slices.

Storing Ham. The length of time you can safely store ham depends on the variety you purchase. Ready-to-eat whole hams can be stored in the refrigerator for a week in the original packaging. Ready-to-eat half hams in the store packaging should be used within three to five days, though.

In the United States, mass-produced supermarket hams —often called city hams—typically come brined and precooked. The brine, water flavored with salt, sugar, and other seasonings, gets injected into the meat, infusing it with flavor and juiciness while also helping to preserve it.

Heat a spiral-cut ham at 275 F for 12 to 15 minutes per pound. A half ham that hasn’t been pre-sliced needs to heat up at 325 F for about 10 to 15 minutes per pound, and rest for another 10 to 15 minutes before you carve it. Heat a whole ham at 325 F for 10 to 15 minutes per pound, and increase ​the resting time to 20 minutes.