Is Ham Safe To Eat Without Cooking?
Ready-made hams do not require any cooking – you can eat it directly out of the box. But other than these, you can not eat ham without cooking as you are at a risk of developing trichinosis when doing so. It is always recommended to cook ham before eating it.
Typically, a label will say that fresh ham needs to be cooked completely at a certain temperature before eating. Any Ham not cooked ready-to-eat needs to be cooked to a minimum of internal temperature of 145 degrees F, and allowed to rest for at least three minutes before cutting and serving. Refrigerated Uncooked or cooked hams can safely last several days stored in the fridge at 40 degrees F or lower. Whole, uncut dried-cured or rustic hams can safely be stored at room temperature for up to a year.
To learn about How To Preserve Lemons, check out my article where I cover everything you need to know.
The exception is if the ham is canned or dry cured, it will be allowed to be stored at room temperature. The short answer is that, if it is been aged, smoked, or baked, then the ham is considered to have been precooked, and technically, it does not have to be cooked. If you are warming up ham, which is either pre-packaged or left over, then you will want to heat it up to 165 degrees F.
| Storage | Shelf life |
| Fresh ham needs to be cooked completely at a certain temperature | 145 degrees F |
| Uncooked in refrigerator | 40 degree |
| Cooked ham in refrigerator | Should be store at 40 degree |
To heat the ham, put it into the skillet and heat it until it is at 165 degrees F., or 75 degrees C. Cooking Ham To prepare ham, place it in a skillet and pour just enough water in the skillet to fully coat the ham. To help keep the ham moist and juicy, put your ham, cut-side down, into the roasting pan and tent it with foil. That is pretty much it for cooking your ham–just preheat to the perfect temperature before serving, and cool down afterwards.
If you would like to reheat either the whole ham or the halves, set your oven to no lower than 325 degrees F, and heat to a internal temperature of 140 degrees F, measured using your food thermometer. At 325 degrees F, it will take almost 2 1/2 hours for a 6 pound smoked bone-in cooked ham to reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Most of the hams sold in the United States are fully aged and cooked, but even so, they still may require a few hours of warming in an oven. According to USDA, pre-cooked ham needs to cook in an oven at 325 degrees for 10 minutes per pound, or until 145 degrees.
If you are starting from a city-style, fully cooked ham, roast it for about 10 minutes per pound in a 350-degree oven. A fully cooked, ready-to-eat ham (also called city ham) can be cut up and served chilled or at room temperature–no rewarming is necessary for fully cooked.
Ham is typically heated once a ham is eaten, so it is fine to eat straight from the fridge, although this is similar to the case of meat at delis. This means fresh ham is raw pork, and needs to be fully cooked, which depending on the size of your ham, may take around 5 hours. The length of time an uncooked or cooked ham may need to be refrigerated will vary depending on the type of ham, how fresh it was at purchase, what temperatures it was exposed to during transportation from store to home refrigerator, and what kind of packing is used. Whatever type of ham you select, read the package carefully to determine whether your ham is completely cooked, partially cooked, or uncooked.
By the way, if you’re interested in How To Preserve Carrots, check out my article on that.
Fortunately, there are a few obvious clues to help you figure out whether your ham is cooked (and simply needs warming) or needs to be completely baked before eating. It is important to recognize the difference between a ham that is completely cooked versus one that is not cooked in order to avoid foodborne illnesses.
Make sure uncooked ham does not come into contact with foods that are already cooked, or foods that require no cooking before consumption, such as raw vegetables and fruits. Use different plates and cooking tools for cooked vs. raw meat, if not adequately cleaned and dried after exposure to uncooked ham. Otherwise, your hams label should say to heat (not cook), which will suggest the meat has been precooked.
When baking the ham, it is recommended that you remove the meat from the heat when it has reached a temperature that is 5degF below your desired doneness, then let the meat rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving or carving. Cook all fresh, raw and prepared hams to a minimum internal temperature of 145degF, measured using a food thermometer, before removing meat from the heat source. To mitigate your risk, cook fresh ham and other hams that need cooking to a minimum internal temperature of 145degF. To make sure the ham is safe from Trichinosis, you are encouraged to bake raw hams until about 160 degrees F, which is medium rare, and should ensure juicy, flavourful meat.
Cooking Safety It is important that you do not overcook the hams if the desired outcome is to create tender, juicy meat. Fried ham works by using hot oil to render meat, producing a portion of ham that has a crisp, browned exterior, but also juicy, flavourful meat on the inside. Slicing or carving large chunks of ham, then layering or stacking slices into a microwave-safe bowl, speeds up cooking and results in juicy, tender meat. Spiral-Sliced Hams Your spiral-sliced ham is completely cooked, allowing it to gently heat up or be served chilled.
All these items, as well as the spiral-sliced cooked ham, are safe to eat chilled or they can be warmed to an internal temperature of 145degF since they are fully cooked. Because a cooked pre-cooked ham has more fat than a lean, pre-cooked ham that we typically purchase, it needs a little more cooking, and not just heating. Cans, spiral cuts, or whole-boned, or whole-leg, cooked hams are all options, though the bone-in, fresh shanks and butt pieces might require a slower cook or braise, depending on the recommendations of your butcher. Check with your butcher before choosing your ham, and follow his recommendations on how to cook or heat up the ham.
Tip If your ham is completely cookedA and comes from a factory that has been inspected by the Federal Government,A and is vacuum sealed,A then you canA safely eat it chilled, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Cooked ham that does not meet these criteria a such as one that is been prepared by your butcher, or was not packed at a federally-inspected facility a may contain pathogens, and you will need to heat it before eating. Cooked means all you need to do is toss most uncured meat into an oven, heat to desired temperature, serve, and enjoy!.
Can you eat sliced ham without cooking?
Without reheating, spiral-sliced ham is safe to consume. Avoid drying it out if you do decide to serve it warm. When it hits 140 degrees, cover it with thick foil and heat it at 325 degrees for roughly 10 minutes per pound.
Are hams always pre-cooked?
A pre-cooked ham is exactly what its name implies. In the hands of the home cook, it only needs to be re-heated to an appetizing serving temperature so that its flavor is at its optimum. It has already been fully cooked, either by baking, curing, or smoking. City ham is another name for this.
Can you eat ham without heating?
Spiral-cut ham, boneless or bone-in hams (wholes, halves, or parts), and dry hams like prosciutto are all ready to eat. Right out of the package, these can be consumed cold. Set the oven to no lower than 325°F and heat the cooked hams until they reach an internal temperature of 140°F.