18 Leftover Ham Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How long is leftover ham good for in the fridge? ›

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ham is good for three to five days in the refrigerator after it is cooked. If you need more time to use up those leftovers, ham will last up to two months in the freezer. The USDA also recommends wrapping up leftovers well.

A fully cooked, ready-to-eat ham (also referred to as a "city ham") can be sliced and served cold or at room temperature—there's no need to reheat it. A spiral-cut ham is delicious this way, whether eaten by the slice, tucked into biscuits, or in a grilled cheese sandwich.

Sliced meat, like fresh cut ham or spiral-cut ham from the store, will last in the refrigerator for only three to five days. The slicing reduces the amount of time the meat will be good.

Is Ham Bad for Dogs? Ham is not toxic to dogs, but it's also not a healthy treat for them. So if your pup eats a little piece that fell to the floor, they should be totally fine. But feeding ham to your dog as a regular snack can cause some long-term health issues.

Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams may be stored in the refrigerator three to five days or frozen one to two months. Keep your refrigerator at 40 °F or less and your freezer at or near 0 °F. See also Ham and Food Safety.

An uncooked, cut country ham can be refrigerated for two to three months or frozen for one month. A cooked Country Ham should be refrigerated for seven days and or frozen for one month. Freezer storage time is for quality only. Frozen hams remain safe indefinitely.

Cooked ham can be stored in the fridge for up to three days or in the freezer for up to two months. Make sure to store it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. This will help to prevent the ham from drying out.

Slimy ham is a sign of bacterial growth, so don't consume it if it's wet or oily. Some bacteria may cause ham to become sticky, too. In any case, avoid ham that doesn't feel right in your hand.

Add 1/2-3/4 of a cup of wine or stock to the pan (you don't want the ham swimming in liquid) and throw some aromatics in there—a few whole cloves, some star anise, and cinnamon sticks are all good options. Cover the ham with foil and place in a 250-degree oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 100℉.

Spiral-cut cooked hams are safe to eat cold. The unique slicing method, invented in 1957, reduces carving problems. 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.

How do you heat up a precooked ham without drying it out? ›

Arrange slices in a single layer on a greased baking pan. Add a couple of tablespoons of broth or water and cover with foil. Bake for about 10 minutes or until heated through, turning slices once.

Hams labeled “fully cooked” can be served cold or reheated to an internal temperature of 140° F. Both plastic-wrapped and vacuum-packaged hams must be refrigerated. A plastic-wrapped ham will keep about one week. A vacuum-packaged ham should be consumed by the “use by” date or within 1 week after the “sell by” date.

In short? Once you open a package of ham, or if it comes open — like if it was sliced at the deli counter— you can safely eat your leftovers for up to five days. In addition to these dates, it's always best to stick to the use-by date printed on the ham's package.

Ham has gone bad if it has turned gray in color, smells sour, or the surface is tacky, slimy, or moldy. After that, there's no saving it, and it's time to throw it out.

You can freeze delicious ham and it'll last for weeks before you need to use it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that fully cooked frozen ham is safe to eat for up to one to two months. If you find yourself with leftover ham, freezing it for future use is both easy and convenient.

No. Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold, right out of the package. 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.