[Kitchen Witch]

CAPACOLLA - Boneless pork shoulder butts which are dry cured; not necessarily cooked.

HAM CAPACOLLA is made with ham instead of pork shoulder butts.

COOK BEFORE EATING - needs further cooking. Is not completely cooked in the plant and should be cooked to 160°F.

COTTAGE HAM - a ham made from the shoulder butt end.

COUNTRY HAM - uncooked, cured, dried, smoked-or-unsmoked meat products made from a single piece of meat from the hind leg of a hog or from a single piece of meat from a pork shoulder. Smithfield and country hams are not fully cooked but are dry cured to be safe stored at room temperature. They should be cooked before eating according to manufacturer's instructions. A ham labeled "Smithfield Ham" must be processed in the city of Smithfield, Virginia.

FRESH HAM - the uncured leg of pork. Since the meat is not cured or smoked, it has the flavor of a fresh pork loin roast or pork chops. Its raw color is pinkish red and after cooking, greyish white.

FULLY COOKED - needs no further cooking. Fully cooked in plant. Can be eaten directly as it comes from its packaging or reheated.

GELATIN - about one-fourth ounce of dry gelatin is often added before a canned ham is sealed to cushion the ham during shipment. During processing, natural juices cook out of the ham and combine with the gelatin. When the ham cools, a jell forms. Gelatin is included in the net weight statement on the label.

HAM - the product is at least 20.5% protein in lean portion and contains no added water.

HAM with NATURAL JUICES - the product is at least 18.5% protein. Can weigh 8% more than uncured weight. Example: canned hams.

HAM -- WATER ADDED - the product is at least 17.0% protein with 10% added solution; it can weigh 8% more after curing than uncured.

HAM AND WATER PRODUCTS - Product may contain any amount of water but label must indicate percent of "added ingredients." For example, "X % of weight is added ingredients" for any canned ham with less than 17.0% protein.

HAM STEAK - another name for center cut ham slices.

HICKORY-SMOKED HAM - a cured ham which has been smoked by hanging over burning hickory wood chips in a smokehouse. May not be labeled "hickory smoked" unless hickory wood has been used.

HONEY-CURED - may be shown on the labeling of a cured product if honey is the only sweetening ingredient or is at least half the sweetening ingredients used, and if the honey is used in an amount sufficient to flavor and/or affect the appearance of the finished product.

"LEAN" HAM - The term "lean" may be used on a ham's label provided the product contains less than 10 grams fat, 4.5 grams or less of saturated fat, and less than 95 milligrams cholesterol per 100 grams and Reference Amount Customarily Consumed (RACC).

"EXTRA LEAN" HAM - A ham labeled "extra lean" must contain less than 5 grams fat, less than 2 grams saturated fat and the same cholesterol as allowed per the amount of "lean" ham.

PICNIC, PORK SHOULDER PICNIC - a front shoulder cut of pork which has been cured in the same manner as ham.

PROSCIUTTO HAM - An Italian-style dry cured raw ham; not smoked; often coated with pepper. Proscuitti can be eaten raw because of the way they are processed. PARMA HAM is prosciutto from the Parma locale in Italy. These hams tend to be larger than the U.S. produced product, as Italian hogs are larger at slaughter.

SECTIONED AND FORMED or CHUNKED AND FORMED - a boneless ham that is made from different cuts, tumbled or massaged and reassembled into a casing or mold and fully cooked. During this process it is usually thoroughly defatted.

SHANK END, HALF OR PORTION - the lower, slightly pointed part of the leg. A "portion" has the center slices removed for separate sale as "ham steaks" or center cut ham slices. The half includes this meat.

SKINLESS, SHANKLESS - A ham with all of the skin and the shank removed. The leg bone and aitch (hip) bone remain.

SUGAR CURED - a term that may appear on ham labels if cane or beet sugar is at least half the sweetening ingredients used and if the sugar is used in an amount sufficient to flavor and/or affect the appearance of the finished product. Most hams contain sugar in the curing mixture.

WESTPHALIAN HAM - A German-style dry cured ham that is similar to Prosciutto; smoked, sometimes with juniper berries. Also called Westfalischer Schinken.


HAM STORAGE CHART
NOTE: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen hams remain safe indefinitely.
Type of Ham Refrigerate Freeze
Fresh (uncured) Ham, uncooked 3 to 5 days 6 mos
Fresh (uncured) Ham, cooked 3 to 4 days 3 to 4 mos
Cured Ham, cook-before-eating; uncooked v5 to 7 days OR Use-by date* 3 to 4 mos
Cured Ham, cook-before-eating; after consumer cooks it 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 mos
Fully Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, undated; unopened 2 weeks 1 to 2 mos
Fully Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, dated; unopened Use by date* 1 to 2 mos
Fully Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, undated or dated; opened 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 mos
Fully Cooked Ham, whole, store wrapped 7 days 1 to 2 mos
Fully Cooked Ham, half, store wrapped 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 mos
Fully Cooked Ham, slices, store wrapped 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 mos
**Country Ham, uncooked, cut 2 to 3 mos 1 month
Country Ham, cooked 7 days 1 month
Canned Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," unopened 6 to 9 mos Do not freeze
Canned Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," opened 7 days 1 to 2 mos
***Canned Ham, shelf stable, opened 3 to 4 days 1 to 2 mos
Lunch Meat Ham, sealed at plant, unopened 2 weeks OR Use-by date* 1 to 2 mos
Lunch Meat Ham, sealed at plant, after opening 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 mos
Lunch Meat Ham, sliced in store 3 to 5 days 1 to 2 mos
Proscuitto, Parma or Serrano Ham, dry Italian or Spanish type, cut 2 to 3 mos 1 month



*Company stands by its "Use-by" date.

** A whole, uncut Country Ham can be stored safely at room temperature for up to 1 year. After one year the ham is safe but the quality may suffer.

*** An unopened Shelf Stable Canned Ham may be stored at room temperature for 2 years.

Timetable For Cooking Ham
NOTE: Set oven temperature to 325°F. Both cook-before-eating cured and fresh hams should be cooked to 160°F. Reheat fully cooked ham to 140°F.
Cut Weight/lbs Minutes/lb
SMOKED HAM, cook-before-eating
Whole, bone in 10 to 14 18 to 20
Half, bone in 5 to 7 22 to 25
Shank or Butt Portion, bone in 3 to 4 35 to 40
Arm Picnic Shoulder, boneless 5 to 8 30 to 35
Shoulder Roll (Butt), boneless 2 to 4 35 to 40
SMOKED HAM, fully cooked
Whole, bone in 10 to 14 15 to 18
Half, bone in 5 to 7 18 to 24
Arm Picnic Shoulder, boneless 5 to 8 25 to 30
Canned ham, boneless 3 to 10 15 to 20
Vacuum packed, boneless 6 to 12 10 to 15
Spiral cut, whole or half 7 to 9 4 to 18
FRESH HAM, uncooked
Whole leg, bone in 12 to 16 22 to 26
Whole leg, boneless 10 to 14 24 to 28
Half, bone in 5 to 8 35 to 40
COUNTRY HAM
Whole or Half (Soak 4 to 12 hrs in refrigerator; then boil, covered with water. Drain, glaze and brown at 400°F 15 minutes.) 10 to 16, whole; 5 to 8, half 20 to 25