Spiral hams are pre-cooked and pre-cut to make preparation easier. Butchers use a machine to make a continuous, even cut around the ham, usually leaving the bone in for more flavor. High-quality hams should have clear, uniform slices and can be glazed before heating.
A spiral ham is a pre-cooked ham, pre-cut to simplify the preparation process and serve the ham as much as possible for the home cook. Butchers create spiral hams by making a continuous, even cut with a machine all the way around the ham. Most spiral hams are bone-in, but some butchers may sell boneless versions as well.
Typically, butchers begin making a ham by selecting a cut of meat from the leg of an adult pig. Some butchers may use a cut from the shoulder of the front leg – creating a variation known as a “picnic ham” – but this cut is less common when preparing spiral ham. A back cut of pork always initially contains a central leg bone. Leaving the bone in makes it more difficult to prepare and cut at home, but because the spiral process makes cutting easier, butchers often leave this bone in for spiral hams. Many cooks believe that hams on the bone have more flavor than hams without the bone.
After obtaining a good cut of meat, the butcher cooks the ham completely by cooking, curing or smoking it. The fully cooked ham is then locked onto a rotating base. This mechanical base turns the ham round as it moves downwards. Meanwhile, a fixed blade cuts the side of the ham, cutting it in a spiral. This process also creates slices, usually measuring about 0.375 inches (about 9.525 millimeters) thick per slice.
Because the slices aren’t cut all the way through, a spiral ham retains its overall shape. The consumer buys the whole ham, prepares it as desired and finishes cutting the pre-cut sections when needed. A well-prepared spiral ham sold by an experienced butcher or reputable producer makes cutting and serving equal-sized slices almost effortless, even with bone-in hams.
Consumers wishing to purchase a spiral ham should select a bright pink ham with a uniform color throughout. Marbling indicates how much fat a ham contains and too much fat will negatively affect the texture and flavor of the ham. High quality spiral hams should have clear and uniform slices that the consumer can identify through a transparent wrapper.
Spiral hams are usually fully cooked, which means they can be eaten as they are without presenting any health hazards. Most consumers prefer to heat them before eating, and many also prefer to prepare a glaze for the ham before heating it. Many simple ham glazes combine brown sugar with some sort of fruit juice, such as pineapple or orange juice. Others combine brown sugar and other sweeteners, such as honey or maple syrup. The thin glazes tend to seep between the slices on a spiral ham, and depending on the glaze used, this pre-sliced ham may absorb the flavors of the glaze more thoroughly than sliced hams do.
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