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Ham and Food Safety
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Ham and Food Safety
Ham and Food
Safety
Definition
Curing Solutions
Dry Curing
Wet Curing or Brine Cure
Smoking and Smoke Flavoring
Foodborne Pathogens
Quantity to Buy
Cooking or Reheating Hams
Timetable for Cooking Ham
Ham Storage Chart
Ham Glossary
Hams: They can
be fresh, cook-before-eating, cooked, picnic, and country types.
There are so many kinds, and their storage times and cooking
times can be quite confusing. This background information serves
to carve up the facts and make them easier to understand.
Definition
Hams may be fresh, cured, or cured-and-smoked. Ham is the cured
leg of pork. Fresh ham is an uncured leg of pork. Fresh ham
will bear the term "fresh" as part of the product
name and is an indication that the product is not cured. "Turkey"
ham is a ready-to-eat product made from cured thigh meat of
turkey. The term "turkey ham" is always followed by
the statement "cured turkey thigh meat."
The usual color for cured ham is deep rose or pink; fresh ham
(which is not cured) has the pale pink or beige color of a fresh
pork roast; country hams and prosciutto (which are dry cured)
range from pink to a mahogany color.
Hams are either ready to eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include
prosciutto and cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the
package. Fresh hams and hams that are only trichinae treated
(which may include heating, freezing, or curing in the plant)
must be cooked by the consumer before eating. Hams that must
be cooked will bear cooking instructions and safe handling instructions.
Hams that are not ready to eat, but have the appearance of ready-to-eat
products, will bear a prominent statement on the principal display
panel indicating the product needs cooking, e.g., "cook
thoroughly." In addition, the label must bear cooking directions.
[Top of Page]
Curing Solutions
Curing is the addition of salt, sodium or potassium nitrate
(or saltpeter), nitrites, and sometimes sugar, seasonings, phosphates
and cure accelerators, e.g., sodium ascorbate, to pork for preservation,
color development and flavor enhancement.
Nitrate and nitrite contribute to the characteristic cured flavor
and reddish-pink color of cured pork. Nitrite and salt inhibit
the growth of Clostridium botulinum, a deadly microorganism
which can occur in foods under certain situations.
Curing and flavoring solutions are added to pork by injection
and by massaging and tumbling the solution into the muscle,
both of which produce a more tender product.
[Top of Page]
Dry Curing
In dry curing, the process used to make country hams and prosciutto,
fresh ham is rubbed with a dry-cure mixture of salt and other
ingredients. Dry curing produces a salty product. In 1992, FSIS
approved a trichinae treatment method that permits substituting
up to half of the sodium chloride with potassium chloride to
result in lower sodium levels. Since dry curing draws out moisture,
it reduces ham weight by at least 18% — usually 20 to
25%; this results in a more concentrated ham flavor.
Dry-cured hams may be aged more than a year. Six months is the
traditional process but may be shortened according to aging
temperature.
These uncooked hams are safe stored at room temperature because
they contain so little water, bacteria can't multiply in them.
Dry-cured ham is not injected with a curing solution or processed
by immersion in a curing solution, but it may be smoked. Today,
dry cured hams may be marketed as items that need preparation
on the part of the consumer to make them safe to eat. So, as
with all meat products, it is important to read the label of
hams to determine the proper preparation needed.
[Top of Page]
Wet Curing or Brine Cure
Brine curing is the most popular way of producing hams. It is
a wet cure whereby fresh meat is injected with a curing solution
before cooking. Brining ingredients can include ingredients
such as salt, sugar, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium
erythorbate, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, water and
flavorings. Smoke flavoring (liquid smoke) may also be injected
with brine solution. Cooking may occur during this
process.
[Top of Page]
Smoking and Smoke Flavoring
After curing, some hams are smoked. Smoking is a process by
which ham is hung in a smokehouse and allowed to absorb smoke
from smoldering fires, which gives added flavor and color to
meat and slows the development of rancidity. Not all smoked
meat is smoked from smoldering fires. A popular process is to
heat the ham in a smoke house and generate smoke from atomized
smoke flavor.
[Top of Page]
Foodborne Pathogens
These foodborne pathogens (organisms in food that can cause
disease) are associated with ham:
Trichinella spiralis (trichinae) - Parasites
are sometimes present in hogs. All hams must be processed
according to USDA guidelines to kill trichinae.
Staphylococcus aureus (staph) - Bacteria are
destroyed by cooking and processing but can be re-introduced
via mishandling. The bacteria can then produce a toxin which
is not destroyed by further cooking. Dry curing of hams
may or may not destroy S. aureus, but the high
salt content on the exterior inhibits these bacteria. When
the ham is sliced, the moister interior will permit staphylococcal
multiplication. Thus sliced dry-cured hams must be refrigerated.
Mold - Can often be found on country cured ham.
Most of these are harmless but some molds can produce mycotoxins.
Molds grow on hams during the long curing and drying process
because the high salt and low temperatures do not inhibit
these robust organisms. DO NOT DISCARD the ham. Wash it
with hot water and scrub off the mold with a stiff vegetable
brush.
[Top of Page]
Quantity to Buy
When buying a ham, estimate the size needed according to the
number of servings the type of ham should yield:
1/4 - 1/3 lb. per serving of boneless ham
1/3 - 1/2 lb. of meat per serving of bone-in ham
[Top of Page]
Cooking or Reheating Hams
Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in
federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold
just as they come from their packaging.
However, if you want to reheat these cooked hams, set the oven
no lower than 325 °F and heat to an internal temperature
of 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
Unpackaged, cooked ham is potentially contaminated with pathogens.
For cooked hams that have been repackaged in any other location
outside the plant or for leftover cooked ham, heat to 165 °F.
Spiral-cut cooked hams are also safe
to eat cold. The unique slicing method, invented in 1957, solves
any carving difficulties. These hams are best served cold because
heating sliced whole or half hams can dry out the meat and cause
the glaze to melt and run off the meat. However, if reheating
is desired, hams that were packaged in plants under USDA inspection
must be heated to 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer
(165 °F for leftover spiral-cut hams or ham that has been
repackaged in any other location outside the plant). To reheat
a spiral-sliced ham in a conventional oven, cover the entire
ham or portion with heavy aluminum foil and heat at 325 °F
for about 10 minutes per pound. Individual slices may also be
warmed in a skillet or microwave.
Cook-before-eating hams or fresh hams must reach 160 °F
to be safely cooked before serving. Cook in an oven set no lower
than 325 °F. Hams can also be safely cooked in a microwave
oven, other countertop appliances and on the stove. Consult
a cookbook for specific methods and timing.
Country hams can be soaked 4 to 12 hours or longer in the refrigerator
to reduce the salt content before cooking. Then they can be
cooked by boiling or baking. Follow the manufacturer's cooking
instructions. 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
cooked hams packaged in USDA-inspected plants to 140 °F
and all others to 165 °F.
[Top of Page]
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, 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
10 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 hours in refrigerator. Cover with
water and boil 20 to 25 minutes per pound. Drain, glaze,
and brown at 400 °F for 15 minutes.)
[Top of Page]
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 months
Fresh
(uncured) Ham, cooked
3 to 4 days
3 to 4 months
Cured
Ham, cook-before-eating; uncooked
5 to 7 days
or “use-by” date*
3 to 4 months
Cured
Ham, cook-before-eating; after consumer cooks it
3 to 5 days
1 to 2 months
Cooked Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, undated;
unopened
2 weeks
1 to 2 months
Cooked
Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, dated; unopened
“Use-
by” date*
1 to 2 months
Cooked
Ham, vacuum sealed at plant, undated or dated; opened
3 to 5 days
1 to 2 months
Cooked
Ham, whole, store wrapped
7 days
1 to 2 months
Cooked
Ham, half, store wrapped
3 to 5 days
1 to 2 months
Cooked
Ham, slices, store wrapped
3 to 5 days
1 to 2 months
Spiral-cut
hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams
3 to 5 days
1 to 2 months
**Country
Ham, uncooked, cut
2 to 3 months
1 month
Country
Ham, cooked
7 days
1 month
Canned
Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," unopened
6 to 9 months
Do not freeze
Canned
Ham, labeled "Keep Refrigerated," opened
7 days
1 to 2 months
***Canned
Ham, shelf stable, opened
3 to 4 days
1 to 2 months
Lunch
Meat Ham, sealed at plant, unopened
2 weeks or
“use-by” date*
1 to 2 months
Lunch
Meat Ham, sealed at plant, after opening
3 to 5 days
1 to 2 months
Lunch
Meat Ham, sliced in store
3 to 5 days
1 to 2 months
Prosciutto,
Parma or Serrano Ham, dry Italian or Spanish type, cut
2 to 3 months
1 month
*Company determines its "use-by" date and stands by it.
** A whole, uncut country ham can be stored safely at room temperature
for up to 1 year. The ham is safe after 1 year, but the quality may
suffer.
*** An unopened shelf-stable, canned ham may be stored at room temperature
for 2 years.
[Top of Page]
HAM GLOSSARY
CANNED HAM: "Canned meat with Natural
Juices" is acceptable for product that has been pumped
or contains up to 10% of a solution before canning and processing.
Processed, canned, uncured meat products (when water or broth
is added to the can) may not be called "with natural juices."
The acceptable name would be "with juices." Canned
hams come in two forms:
Shelf stable - Can be stored on the shelf up to 2 years
at room temperature. Generally not over 3 pounds in size.
Processed to kill all spoilage bacteria and pathogenic organisms
such as Clostridium botulinum, Salmonella
and Trichinella spiralis. The product is free of
microorganisms capable of growing at ordinary room temperature.
However, high temperature storage — above 122 °F
(50 °C) — may result in harmless thermophylic
bacteria multiplying and swelling or souring the product.
Refrigerated - May be stored in the refrigerator for up
to 6 to 9 months. Its weight can be up to 8% more than original
uncured weight due to the uptake of water during curing.
It need not be labeled "Added water" except for
"In Natural Juices." Net Weight is the weight
of the actual ham excluding the container. Processed at
a time to temperature sufficient to kill infectious organisms
(including Trichinae); however, the ham is not sterilized
so spoilage bacteria may grow eventually.
CAPACOLLO, COOKED (Capicola, Capocolla, Capacola,
Capicollo, Cappicola, Capacolo – Italian): This product does not meet
the definition of ham because it is not from the hind leg of a hog.
It is boneless pork shoulder butts which are cured and then cooked.
The curing process may be dry curing, immersion curing, or pump curing.
The cured product is coated with spices and paprika before cooking.
This product shall always be labeled with "Cooked" as part of the
product name. Water added is permitted.
CAPACOLLA, HAM, COOKED: Ham
that has been cured and then cooked.
COOK BEFORE EATING: Needs
cooking or further cooking. Is not cooked in the plant or heat treated
in the plant and should be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 °F.
COTTAGE "HAM": A cut
from the top end of the shoulder, known as the shoulder butt, which
has been cured in brine. Because it is not from the hind leg of the
hog, it doesn't meet the definition of ham. The meat is not cooked.
Another term for it is "cottage roll."
COUNTRY HAM, COUNTRY STYLE
HAM, or DRY CURED HAM, and COUNTRY PORK SHOULDER, COUNTRY STYLE PORK
SHOULDER, or DRY CURED PORK SHOULDER: The uncooked, cured, dried,
smoked or unsmoked meat food products made respectively from a single
piece of meat conforming to the definition of "ham," or from a single
piece of meat from a pork shoulder. They are prepared by the dry application
of salt or by salt and one or more optional ingredients: nutritive
sweeteners, spices, seasonings, flavorings, sodium or potassium nitrate,
and sodium or potassium nitrite. They may not be injected with curing
solutions nor placed in curing solutions. The product must be treated
for the destruction of possible live trichinae.
FULLY COOKED or COOKED:
Needs no further cooking because it is fully cooked at the establishment
where it was produced and packaged. Product can be eaten directly
as it comes from its packaging or reheated. Fully cooked is synonymous
with cooked.
GELATIN: Gelatin is a binder/extender and is
only permitted in a few meat and poultry products like sausage,
luncheon meat, and meat loaves. About 1/4 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 and its presence is also qualified in the product
name, e.g., Canned Ham, Gelatin Added."
HALF HAM: "Half Ham" is permitted on labels for semi-boneless ham products
which have had the shank muscles removed during processing.
The two halves of the finished product have approximately an equal
amount of bone. The term "No Slices Removed" has also been deemed
suitable for use with a ham item referred to as "Half Ham."
HAM: Cured leg of pork. In order to be labeled as "Ham," the product must be at
least 20.5% protein in lean portion as described in 9 CFR 319.104.
Added water is permitted in a product labeled as "Ham." In fact, water
will be declared in order of predominance in the ingredients statement.
This is how the cure solution is introduced into a ham.
HAM AND WATER PRODUCTS X% of Weight is Added Ingredients: Product contains
more additives than a "Ham Water Added," but the product name must indicate
percent of "added ingredients." For example, "Ham and Water Product
25% of Weight is Added Ingredients" for any canned ham with less than
17.0% protein.
HAM, BOILED: A fully cooked, boneless product which
must be cooked in water and may be processed in a casing or can. The
product may be of various shapes and may be partially cooked in boiling
water.
HAM, FRESH (or uncured): 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,
grayish white. Ham that does not contain a cure must be labeled either
"Fresh" or "Uncured" – prepared without nitrate or nitrite. This also
applies to cooked product, and must be labeled cooked product "Cooked
Uncured Ham."
HAM SALAD: Product must contain at least 35% cooked
ham. Chopped ham may be used without it appearing in the product name.
HAM, SCOTCH STYLE: A cured, uncooked, boned, and rolled whole ham
either tied or in a casing.
HAM SHANK END, HAM SHANK HALF or HAM SHANK
PORTION: The lower, slightly pointed part of the leg. A "portion"
has the center slices removed for separate sale as "ham steaks." A
half ham does not have slices removed.
HAM, SKINLESS, SHANKLESS: A ham with all of the skin and the shank removed. The leg bone and
aitch (hip) bone remain.
HAM, SMITHFIELD: This is an aged, dry-cured
ham made exclusively in Smithfield, Virginia. The use of the words
"brand" or "style," e.g., "Smithfield Brand Ham," "Smithfield Style
Ham," does not eliminate this requirement.
HAM STEAK: Another name for ham slices.
HAM - WATER ADDED: The product is at least 17.0% protein with 10% added solution.
HAM with NATURAL JUICES: The product is at least 18.5% protein.
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.
Atomized liquid hickory smoke and heat can combine to produce "hickory
smoke."
HONEY-CURED: May be shown on the labeling of a cured product
if (1) the honey used contains at least 80% solids or is U.S. grade
C or above; (2) honey is the only sweetening ingredient or when other
sweetening ingredients are used in combination with honey, they do
not exceed 1/2 the amount of honey used; and (3) 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.
PORK SHOULDER PICNIC: A front shoulder
cut of pork. The term "picnic" cannot be used unless accompanied with
the primal or subprimal cut. Pork shoulder picnic is not always a
cured item. A shoulder "picnic" comes from the lower portion of the
shoulder.
PROSCIUTTO: Italian for ham, dry cured. The product
name "Prosciutto" is acceptable on labeling to identify a dry-cured
ham. An Italian-style dry cured raw ham; not smoked; often coated
with pepper. Prosciutto can be eaten raw because the low water content
prevents bacterial growth. 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.
PROSCIUTTO, COOKED: The product name "Cooked Prosciutto" is acceptable on labeling
to identify a Prosciutto that is cooked.
SECTIONED AND FORMED HAM or CHUNKED AND FORMED HAM: A boneless ham that is made
from different cuts, tumbled or massaged and reassembled into a casing or mold and
cooked. During this process it is usually thoroughly defatted. The
qualifying phrase "sectioned and formed" is no longer required on
boneless ham products, e.g., "ham" and "ham-water added." The addition
of small amounts of ground ham added as a binder to such products
may be used without declaration. The amount of ground ham that may
be used can represent no more than 15% of the weight of the ham ingredients
at the time of formulation. Products containing more than 15% ground
ham trimmings must be labeled to indicate the presence of the ground
ham, e.g., "a portion of ground ham added."
SUGAR CURED: May be used
on the labeling of a cured product (1) if the sugar used is cane sugar
or beet sugar; (2) sugar is the only sweetening ingredient or when
other sweetening ingredients are used in combination with sugar, they
do not exceed one-half the amount of sugar used; and (3) sugar is
used in an amount sufficient to flavor and/or affect the appearance
of the finished product.
WESTPHALIAN HAM: A German-style dry-cured
ham that is similar to Prosciutto; smoked, sometimes made with juniper
berries.
NOTE: Most of the definitions in this glossary are from the
FSIS "Food Standards and Labeling Policy Book." To access this book,
go to: www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/larc/Policies/PolicyBook.pdf (PDF Only).
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Last Modified:
April 3, 2007
Safe Food Handling
At-Risk Populations
Meat Preparation
Poultry Preparation
Egg Products Preparation
Seasonal Food Safety
Appliances & Thermometers
Foodborne Illness & Disease
Emergency Preparedness
FSIS Programs & Workforce
Production & Inspection
Food Labeling
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