ISO Best Spiral Ham
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Yep - you might try one from HoneyBaked Ham ... don't know where you live but if they don't have a store near you they ship. Dad got one for Christmas one year that had a lot of girstle - he took the remaining half back and they replaced it with one that was even bigger than the one he originally purchased - no questions asked.
Honeybaked brand is excellent but very pricey. At this past Christmas, I economized and bought an $18 Hillshire Farms brand spiral sliced ham instead of a $75 Honeybaked ham. I made my own glazea and it was quite good. I usually splurge at xmas and get the Honeybaked but this year I couldn't justify spending $75 for ham. Another brand I like in ham is Cooks. I've not tried their spiral sliced ham but the regular bone in ham is very good.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
I would be curious why you were not pleased with the Smithfield?
I've used both the Smithfield, HoneyBaked (Over Priced IMO) and a Bryan's (I think) all were pretty good for what they are...
A little more trouble, but well worth the effort IMO is to buy an whole bone-in ham..or a butt portion. Cook (225*-250*) on your BBQ Pit/Grill.. set up for indirect heat until you get between 135*140*...Pull, double foil, and let it rest for an hour or more....Slice to your desired thickness...Scraps, bone etc. can be frozen and saved for later use as seasoning meat in vegetables, soups etc. The bone itself is a gimme to make a ham stock for Red Beans & Rice....Some people call this method of cooking..."Double Smoked"
Enjoy!
I've used both the Smithfield, HoneyBaked (Over Priced IMO) and a Bryan's (I think) all were pretty good for what they are...
A little more trouble, but well worth the effort IMO is to buy an whole bone-in ham..or a butt portion. Cook (225*-250*) on your BBQ Pit/Grill.. set up for indirect heat until you get between 135*140*...Pull, double foil, and let it rest for an hour or more....Slice to your desired thickness...Scraps, bone etc. can be frozen and saved for later use as seasoning meat in vegetables, soups etc. The bone itself is a gimme to make a ham stock for Red Beans & Rice....Some people call this method of cooking..."Double Smoked"
Enjoy!
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
We have found the Carando spiral sliced ham to be very similar in taste to the Honey Baked brand and very tasty. Visit Carando.com . Their specialty is Italian but their hams are traditional.
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Callisto in NC
Washing Up
I cannot stand ham in general. I don't eat it but if I'm going to Easter dinner and want to keep the peace, I bring a HoneyBaked ham. Basically three years ago there was a huge fight in my family when, pre-warned 3 weeks in advance, I refused to eat the generic "honey baked spiral" ham from Walmart. To avoid the fight in the future, I have taken to bringing the real thing, straight from the store. So, coming from someone who despises ham, I enjoy HoneyBaked.
Uncle Bob,
It was the texture of the ham that disappointed me. It was moist, and I brought it up to temperature slowly, but the pig that the ham came from must have been fed a diet of rubber tires. The meat was tough.
I have had Honey Baked before, and they do make a very good ham. They cost so much, though.
I heard about a company called Schaul's that has a tasty ham that was rated very good at the New York Food and Wine Show. The price isn't bad. If I get it, I promise to report back to you.
I have looked for the Cooks Hams in the stores in my neighborhood, and can't find them.
Exactly why I don't like or buy Spiral Cut Ham. I go for the "old fashion" ham. Sometimes I glaze it with Apricot/Mustard glaze, most times not.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
I know what you mean about the meat being tough (chewy) --- On a rare occasion or two I have run across that problem...It can be disappointing -- However I wouldn't give up on Smithfield...Their products are normally very good...As are the (Over priced IMO) Honey Baked...In my area the Cooks hams or mostly used around Holidays as "Promotional Hams" --- Front page, low price leader --- In store obvioiusly they have other pricer (better?) hams. I've never heard of the Schaul's, but I look forward to your report should you choose that route...I used to be able to buy a Bryan's Ham locally that was awesome -- Whole, Bone in, etc, that I would "double smoke" It gave me a somewhat more dense texture..Still moist and tender, but not that "mushy" "spongy" texture that some of the Water(added) Cured hams can have at times. I have enjoyed the Spirial Cut hams, but at the end of the day I"m like Miss Patty1 -- Give me the "Old Fashion" whole, bone-in ham...
Enjoy!
Loprraine
Executive Chef
We buy Smithfield. We've only been disappointed with it once, that was when his cousin overcooked it.
Andy,
There is a grocery store near me that has this ham on sale. I had never heard of it until your post. I think I'm going to get one for my son and do a comparison taste test.
I purchased a Mash's ham this year..unsliced. I will give it one more try, and if it doesn't work out, then I am ordering my ham next time.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
I think you'll like it, Toni. Save the bone for a super tasty split pea or bean soup.
Andy, I'll let you know how we like the Carando Ham. I'll tell my son to wrap it in heavy duty foil, and roast it at 325 degrees at 20 minutes per pound.. And, I'll throw this in for good measure... I read something at one website where I was researching spiral sliced vs unsliced hams, to bring the ham up to room temperature for about an hour or so prior to baking. I didn't remember reading that in any of my cookbooks. So, I checked.
That tip isn't there in any of my books that I have checked thus far. So, I'm going to do that since I don't recall having done it before. I may have done it by accident in the past, not realizing that some cooks think it's a good idea.
Now that I think about it...My Mom used to roast a whole hickory smoked ham. By the time she got through trimming the skin, scoring the ham, inserting the whole cloves and putting the pineapple slices on it, it probably took her a while to get the ham in the oven. Plus, she was always multi-tasking.. and prepping the other dishes at the same time. The ham was probably out for an hour while she did all that.
That tip isn't there in any of my books that I have checked thus far. So, I'm going to do that since I don't recall having done it before. I may have done it by accident in the past, not realizing that some cooks think it's a good idea.
Now that I think about it...My Mom used to roast a whole hickory smoked ham. By the time she got through trimming the skin, scoring the ham, inserting the whole cloves and putting the pineapple slices on it, it probably took her a while to get the ham in the oven. Plus, she was always multi-tasking.. and prepping the other dishes at the same time. The ham was probably out for an hour while she did all that.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Toni, just follow the directions on the package. I don't think you have to wrap it in HD foil or let it come to room temperature. The ham is already fully cooked and just needs to be heated. There is usually a sauce packet in with the ham.
bandonjan
Senior Cook
I like Kansas City Steak Company spiral cut ham. It is not
pumped with water and has a nice smoky flavor.
pumped with water and has a nice smoky flavor.
I got an email last week from Kansas City Steak Company because I order steakburgers from them. Their ham was on sale for $49.95.
If the quality of the Kansas City ham is equal to their steakburgers, then it must be a pretty good ham. I won't purchase any other brand of burgers.
Every now and then, Kansas City Steak Company has a $6.99 shipping special, which is a very good deal considering how well their products are packaged and shipped.
We like the John Morrell EZ Cut Ham... On sale for $1.97 at Kroger today when I was there. Also, I have always been told that meat should be at room temp prior to cooking. Of course that does not mean leaving out a lont time.
Helen
Helen
Uncle Bob,
I said I would report back about the ham and here it is... Andy had recommended the Carando Ham, but the hams were fairly large and I wanted something a little smaller.
So, I rolled the dice and purchased a Mash's Brown Sugar Ham. The company is out of Baltimore, so considering I live in the Washington burbs, it's a local ham.
I didn't do the spiral sliced, and the eight pound ham cost $11.70, which I thought was a good value. If I didn't like it, I would be out the cost of large pizza.
This ham was one of the best I have ever eaten. It was moist and the texture was almost buttery. I could not be more pleased. I followed the instructions and wrapped it in foil and baked it 325 for the required cooking time.
I would compare the texture of the meat to a Honey Baked Ham. It was that good.
I thank everyone for their input, and for reminding me to go back to cooking it the way my Mom used to. She never cooked a spiral ham, and hers were always great.
Needless to say, I am one happy camper. I got a great ham at a great price. It doesn't get any better than that!!
Toni
My experience with the Honey Baked Spiral is you have to eat it at room temp. From the frig pull off the amount needed (put the rest back in the frig) and let the ham come to room temp to enjoy. The ham is pumped with so much liquid that if you heat it, the results are dry and unappealing. We receive one each year from friends - hubby loves it. For just regular ham to enjoy that we cook, I suggest the Cook's brand.
Helen in Ark.
Helen in Ark.
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