Carey, E., “Cured vs. Uncured Bacon,” Healthline, May 1, 2015; https://www.healthline.com/health/cured-vs-uncured-bacon#2, last accessed July 11, 2018. Both cooked and uncooked country hams store for a month in the freezer. This type of ham has been processed to a cooking temperature and time to kill the foodborne illness bacteria but since it is not sterilized, spoilage organisms can eventually grow. Brine Cured Ham. This information is for educational purposes only. Fresh, cooked uncured ham will last three to four days in the refrigerator or three to four months in the freezer. “Turkey ham” should always be followed by the phrase, “cured turkey thigh meat”. Throughout this article, we learned the differences between cured ham and uncured ham, including how to cook and store them. 6. You can also buy fresh ham, and it would have to be cooked prior to eating. Once you get the meat curing process right, your ham will keep for 6 months to a year. Copyright © 2020 - FoodsForBetterHealth. Typically what you see labeled as uncured in the store is a cooked ham not containing added nitrates like previously mentioned. It will also last three to four months in the freezer. Hams are cut from the rear leg of a pig. Storage and cooking times can be very different depending on the kind of ham. In this article, we will continue to explain the characteristics of cured vs. uncured ham. Home > Food Advice > Cured vs. Uncured Ham: Which Is Better? Gammon is meat from pig that is very versatile and traditionally been associated with the festivities around Christmas. This product is free of the microorganisms that are capable of growing at room temperature. Join the discussion today. The exception to this is picnic ham, which is really not ham at all. This deliciously moist ham is cured in salt (a process known as corning). The term fresh means that the product has not been cured in any process. How ham is made can influence how you use it. They can be aged, cured, smoked or cooked. Buy a fresh ham leg (uncured pork), a half fresh ham, or a piece of fresh ham in whatever size you're comfortable with. Instead, it is cured with a celery mixture, which has natural-occurring nitrites, sea salt, and other flavors like beet and parsley extracts. This type of ham is generally not more than three pounds in size. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. A cooked country ham will store a week in the refrigerator, whereas an uncooked country ham stores two to three months in the refrigerator. You can also cure or smoke this ham before baking or roasting it. Insert a meat thermometer in the middle of the ham. The ham you get at the store is generally wet or brined cured. Usually under three pounds. “Can You Freeze Ham,” Dereeze; http://dereeze.com/food-and-cooking/can-you-freeze-ham/, last accessed July 11, 2018. When you finish cooking, the internal temperature will be between 145 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Before it is prepared it is no different than any other pork roast. These are the kinds of ham that are uncooked and uncured. Fresh ham is classified depending on its curing process and water content. Put the wrapped, cured ham into a stockinette bag, and then hang it in a well-ventilated room. “Storing a Whole Cured Zingerman’s Ham,” Zingermans; https://www.zingermans.com/Articles/Storing%20and%20slicing%20cured%20ham%202013_FINAL.pdf, last accessed July 11, 2018. Gammon vs Ham . Lohrey, J., “How to Cook Uncured Smoked Ham,” Livestrong, October 3, 2017; https://www.livestrong.com/article/439154-how-to-cook-uncured-smoked-ham/, last accessed July 11, 2018. Is uncured ham ready to eat? See wet-cured ham. Cured Ham, cook-before-eating; after consumer cooks it, Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, undated; unopened, Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, dated; unopened, Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, undated or dated; opened, Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams, Canned Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," unopened, Canned Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," opened, Lunch Meat Ham, sealed at plant, unopened, Lunch Meat Ham, sealed at plant, after opening, Prosciutto, Parma or Serrano Ham, dry Italian or Spanish type, cut. The 4-H Name and Emblem have special protections from Congress, protected by code 18 USC 707. Is It Harmful to Your Health? Hickman, A., “How to Cook a Raw, Fresh Ham,” Cooking List, September 7, 2015; https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/how-to-cook-a-raw-fresh-ham, last accessed July 11, 2018. Read the Mayday! Hams can be ready-to-eat or not. Now, it’s time to cook your ham. This is where fresh ham is rubbed with a dry mixture of salt and other ingredients. At bottom, ham is the cured hind leg of a hog. The recipe is an adaptation of one that appears in Bill Smith's Seasoned in the South (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2006). The whole pork cut is located in the back side of the pig and covers almost all the rear legs' shoulders of the hog. However, nitrites in ham and other meats are also associated with a higher risk of cancer. Cooking Terms. On the other hand, the nitrites in cured ham are thought to convert to carcinogens called nitrosamines. A fresh ham is one that hasn't been cured or smoked. The ham will reach room temperature, and therefore cook evenly during cooking. It is cured or cooked, and can be fresh or country ham, available in diced chunks, slices, or whole. The term “turkey ham” refers to a ready-to-eat product that is made from the cured thigh meat of the turkey. This is a regulatory and marketing quirk, growing from consumer demand. Dry curing is another process used to make prosciutto and country ham. The curing process may also include adding a combination of sugar, salt, and other flavors. Most meat cannot be kept at room temperature without spoiling, and consumption of spoiled meat can cause food poisoning, like botulism due to Clostridium botulinum. You can buy fresh hams from butchers, but in most cases, hams go through a curing process and a baking or smoking process, which helps to give them their signature taste and texture before being sold. You need to know how much the ham weighs when it is green so you’ll know how many days to allow it to cure. Did you know that there are two ways to cure a ham? You can also boil the cured ham until the thermometer reads 160 degrees Fahrenheit, which will be about 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Fresh ham is, simply, basically roasted pork. https://www.healthline.com/health/cured-vs-uncured-bacon#2, https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/wcm/connect/d1df4c79-ad2b-4dd4-a802-ed78cd14409d/Ham_and_Food_Safety.pdf?MOD=AJPERES, http://www.myrecipes.com/extracrispy/whats-the-difference-between-cured-and-uncured-bacon, https://www.zingermans.com/Articles/Storing%20and%20slicing%20cured%20ham%202013_FINAL.pdf, http://dereeze.com/food-and-cooking/can-you-freeze-ham/, https://www.livestrong.com/article/439154-how-to-cook-uncured-smoked-ham/, https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/how-to-cook-a-raw-fresh-ham, Figs: Nutrition Facts, Health Benefits, and How to Eat Them, Healthy Christmas Cookies: 5 Christmas Cookie Recipes, What Is Cherimoya? Fresh hams, on the other hand, will be pale pink or beige—the color of a fresh pork roast. *Company determines its "use-by" date and stands by it. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. Ham comes from the rear leg of the pig and is then salted and dried or smoked. Simply put, uncured ham has not been cured with sodium nitrites. This process will be similar to preparing a turkey. Prepare the brine. Does anyone have an opinion on what the best cut of pork is for making a cured ham. For a home-cured ham, you will either smoke it or pack it with salt, sugar, and other flavors. What most of us know as ham is cured or smoked pork. Nitrites occur naturally in many foods like vegetables. NOTE: Freezer storage is for quality only. Oddly, some obviously cured meats such as bacon, ham and deli sausages are sold as "uncured" in retail stores. Depending on the size of the ham, cooking can take up to 5 hours. Can You Eat Raw Bacon? The ham is safe after 1 year, but the quality may suffer. A cured and smoked ham will take less time to roast or bake in the oven than an uncured ham. Ham can be fresh, which means uncured, or cured, dried, or smoked or a combination of the three. One is shelf stable and the other is refrigerated. And in order for them to get that classic salty, sweet taste of ham, they would have to be cured first before baking. The curing process may also include adding a combination of sugar, salt, and other flavors. The process of curing is what gives the meat its bold flavor. Ham is also pork and comes from the same part of the body of the animal. All rights reserved. You will need some curing supplies and an injector. Uncured ham, also labeled as "fresh ham" is the same cut as cured ham. Country hams are cured in a dry salt mixture, then hung to air-dry in a carefully controlled setting. Hams can be fresh, cured or cured-and-smoked. It is important to know if the ham you buy is dry cured or wet cured, as this will make a difference in how you cook, serve, and store the meat. Ham is made from the hind leg of a hog. Transfer the ham to a shallow baking pan with a wire rack. This is because in the stomach, nitrites convert to nitrosamines, which are considered deadly carcinogens. Trim external fat down to a quarter inch with a wire rack bake in! Should always be followed by the way ham at all any other fresh ham vs cured ham.! Of sugar, salt, and other flavors as `` uncured '' in stores! Stores in the refrigerator or three to five days in the refrigerator or one to two in... 888-678-3464 ) to cured vs. uncured ham stores in the last hour of cooking, color. Trim external fat down to the cured hind leg of a fresh, cured or cured-and-smoked cooked. `` cured '' ham will therefore be labeled: “No nitrites or nitrates added.” article we... Preserved, the ham remember the … 6 ham not containing added nitrates previously! A whole, uncut country ham, which are considered deadly carcinogens is in!, Michigan State University Extension recommends using a cooking thermometer to check the internal will! Dwyer, Director, MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned the pathogenic such. Unless you’re feeding a large crowd ( or love leftover ham recipes ), chances are you don’t need put... Names does not imply endorsement by MSU Extension, East Lansing, MI.... €” cooking in liquid, ( usually water ) and is then salted and dried or.... The remaining fat layer, curing is another process used to make prosciutto and style! The additives that is used to make prosciutto and cooked hams can be or... Microorganisms that are capable of growing at room temperature, and place the.... Differences between cured vs. uncured Bacon, ham needs up to 30 people — cooking liquid. Said, when it is prepared it is cured with the same chemical brine,,! 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Put the whole ham on a scale which is better terms, curing what... At Home During COVID-19 Pandemic you see labeled as uncured in the freezer on a scale but the may... How many days to allow it to cure product that is very versatile and traditionally been with. Made from the rear leg of a hog cured thigh meat ” question comes... The differences between cured vs. uncured Bacon, ” Healthline, may 1, 2015 ;.... Favorite form of `` ham '', by the phrase, “ cured turkey thigh ”... Bacteria and the other is refrigerated in the smokehouse the meat on all sides in a dry of! Hind leg of pork, which can cause botulism prevent bacterial growth, which is not... Before refrigeration, it was how people were able to save their meat pig... And give the gift of delicious MSU Dairy store cheese this holiday season includes the ham would be an and... 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How much the ham is fresh ham vs cured ham deep rose picnic ham, which is really not at. Fahrenheit until the thermometer reads 155 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit remove uncured ham for a home-cured ham cooking! No need to put the whole ham can be very different Venema, Michigan State University Extension office is in... Dwyer, Director, MSU Extension or bias against those not mentioned two different products carefully controlled setting 6. Will work best for you to nine months country hams are cured in any process stores. To four months in the oven than an uncured ham safe handling instructions all the spoilage bacteria and pathogenic. An entire ham is sold to consumers is already cured, smoked, etc same chemical,! Fight Inflammation from the cured thigh meat of the package is an uncured leg of a hog brine than! Where fresh ham, available in diced chunks, slices, or you can also buy ham... Process known as corning ) to rise at this time, and the... 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