What Ham To Choose?

Not sure which of our distinctively flavored gourmet hams your tastes would prefer? Follow this simple guide for great tasting flavor - start to finish.

 Genuine Smithfield Hams

A long cut ham with the most distinctive pungent flavor and salt content. Best when sliced paper thin. These hams are dry salt-cured, slowly hickory smoked, and aged for six months to one year.

The Jordan's Virginia Ham - Curing, smoking, and aging is the same as the Genuine Smithfield Ham - the difference is that after brown sugar is added the ham is baked well-sauced with wine glaze.

Smithfield, Williamsburg & Captain Basse's Country Hams

The Smithfield and Williamsburg Brand Country Hams are a milder flavor, short cut, hickory smoked ham that should also be sliced very thin. This too is dry salt-cured, but with less salt content because the curing process is shortened and aged to a minimum of three to six months.

Captain Basse's Country Hams have a similar aging and curing process as the Williamsburg Brand Ham, but with its own unique flavor pattern. Slice paper thin or try a spiral sliced ham.

In case of mold on your uncooked dry salt cured ham or bacon, simply wash in hot water and scrub mold off with a stiff brush before cooking. Like fine aged cheese, dy cured hams and bacon tend to mold under certain conditions.

Smithfield Premium Pork

These smoked hams are the most tender, with the mildest flavor, and much lower in salt than the dry-cured country style hams.

Gwaltney Smoked Hams

The Sugar Cured Ham - old fahioned, mild flavor in natural juice. Also spiral sliced. The Master Trimmed Ham - for the health conscious who love ham, but want reduced salt levels. The Old Smithfield Spiral Sliced Ham - boneless and honey glazed.

Basse's Choice Genuine Virginia Hams

Spiral Sliced Honey Ham - their best selling gourmet ham. Pre-sliced around the bone. Milder flavored, smoked, then glazed with honey, maple and brown sugar. Not a country ham, with lower salt.

Smithfield Lean Generation Pork

Designed for the health-conscious consumer, Smithfield Lean Generation is up to 97% fat free. In fact, several items carry the American Heart Association HeartCheck Certification.

To Prepare Your Cooked Ham

Further preparation of fully cooked country and genuine Smithfield hams is unnecessary. The ham may be heated in aluminum foil on low heat just until warm. If you add a glaze on the ham, bake until caramelized on top (approximately 15 minutes).

To Prepare Your Uncooked Ham

Wash ham thoroughly in warm water. Use a stiff brush to remove surface mold if present. This mold is in no way injurious. Aged hams, like aged cheeses, mold in the process. To reduce saltiness, soak ham in cold water for 12 - 24 hours prior to cooking.Change water every four (4) hours. Changing the water during soaking will aid in drawing salt from the ham. (If a milder salt flavor is desired, soak ham for 36 hours.) Cook your ham using the Water or Oven cooking instructions listed below.

Water Cooking

Place ham skin side down in vessel and cover with cool water. Bring water to 190ºF (simmering, not boiling). Cook approximately 25 minutes per pound or until 163ºF internal temperture. Add water as needed to keep ham covered. When done, take ham from vessel. While the ham is still warm, remove skin carefully without tearing the fat. If a sweet coating is desired, sprinkle the fat side with brown sugar and bread crumbs and bake in oven at 400ºF. until brown (approximately 15 minutes).

Oven Cooking
Wrap ham in heavy-duty aluminum foil joining edges carefully and forming a vessel with the bottom layer. Add five cups of water within the foil and place in oven with a tray or shallow pan underneath for support. Cook by the following method:Preheat oven to 300ºF. Bake ham for approximateoly three hours or 20 minutes per pound. Using a meat thermometer, check for 163ºF. internal temperature in the thickest part of ham. Remove ham and let cool at room temperature for one hour. Remove skin and fat as desired.  If a sweet coating is desired, sprinkle the fat side with brown sugar and bread crumbs and bake in oven at 400ºF. until brown (approximately 15 minutes).  

Suggestions for Carving

Use a very sharp knife and cut VERY THIN slices of the Genuine Smithfield or Country Hams. If you have selected a boneless ham, just begin slicing at the small end of the ham and serve. Smoked hams are carved in a similar manner, but may be sliced slightly thicker, if preferred. CAUTION: Please be careful while slicing ham to avoid personal injury.

BONE-IN HAM

 There are three easy steps to elegantly carving your Genuine Smithfield and Country Bone-In Hams.
· With ham on platter, fat side up, begin slicing about two inches from hock or small end. Make first cut straight through to the bone.
· Slant the knife for each succeeding cut.
· Decrease slant as slices become larger.

WHOLE SPIRAL SLICED HAMS

This product is already fully cooked and we suggest that you serve it at room temperature. If you like it warmed, please heat in your oven at 325 degrees at 12 minutes/lb.  Please do not overheat this product because it is already fully cooked.

Start by cutting slices off the large (butt) end of the ham. After a few slices you'll run into the first of the spiral cuts. Then make cuts along the natural seams of the ham's surface parallel to the bone. There are three easy steps remaining:

• Cut along the natural seam on the top (as it faces you), extending knife point as far back into the ham as you wish to remove slices and then down and to the left, parallel to the bone, exiting at the natural seam.
• Then make a second cut along the top (where the first section was removed) parallel to the bone, around to the right and exiting at the natural seam.
• To remove the final section, cut down to the right, parallel to the bone until the section is free.

You are now ready to serve and enjoy your Whole Spiral Sliced Ham.

Cooking Instructions For Your  Princess Anne Spiral Sliced Ham or Spiral Slliced Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

To heat and glaze your Princess Anne Spiral Sliced Honey Glazed or Spiral Sliced Brown Sugar Glazed Ham, we recommend the following instructions for best results.

Warming-Conventional Oven
Place ham in pan with a small amount of water, cover pan tightly with aluminum foil or lid, and heat at 325 degrees F for approximately 12 minutes per pound.

Warming - Microwave Oven
Remove all packaging material and place ham on microwave safe roasting rack in utility dish. Heat on medium for about 10 minutes per pound, rotating ham every 15 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F.

Glazing
Remove ham from oven approximately 1/2 hour before end of recommended warming time. Empty contents of brown sugar glaze packet into small saucepan. Add 1/2 tablespoon of warm water. Heat glaze mixture on high, stirring constantly, until glaze begins to boil. Remove immediately from heat. Using a glaze brush, apply glaze immediately by brushing it evenly over the surface of the warm ham. (For a thicker coating, allow glaze to cool 4 to 5 minutes before applying to ham.) Bake glazed ham at 225 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove glazed ham from oven and serve.

***Note: Improper heating or overcooking tends to dry ou the ham.

Storing Ham

• Uncooked country hams may be safely stored hanging in a cool dry area. Smithfield Hams will keep for up to one year and Country Hams will keep for up to six months from date of manufacture without deterioration.
• Cooked Country Hams, Smithfield Hams and unopened Gourmet Slices will keep for at least six weeks under refrigeration at or below 40 degrees F. Gourmet Slices should be consumed promptly after opening.
• Cooked ham may be frozen; however, we recommend removal of the bone before freezing.
• Smoked hams will be shipped frozen and should be refrigerated or re-frozen upon receipt.
• Spiral Sliced Hams may be kept refrigerated for seven to ten days at 40 degrees F. The Genuine Virginia Boneless Ham, the Sugar Cured and the Master Trimmed Hams may be kept refrigerated for up to two weeks.
• Smoked hams may be kept refrigerated at 40 degrees F for up to two weeks or frozen for up to three months and will retain their maximum flavor.
• Dry Cured Bacon may be refrigerated at 40 degrees F for up to two months and frozen for up to six months