Honey-baked ham is delicious. However, to believe that it will last forever inside your fridge is foolishness of the highest order. Read on to find out how long a honey-baked ham lasts in your refrigerator's freezer.
Like bacon, people make honey-baked (or honey baked) ham by curing pork meat from the hog's hind thighs. The pig rear offers some flavorful and thick ham slices as well. The curing process ensures the honey baked ham ends up fully cooked when all is said and done.
By going the honey-baked ham route, you don't have to prepare a brand-new meal as long as you have this easy-to-cook food item in your fridge. However, how long can you keep the ham in the refrigerator exactly?
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How Long Does a Honey Baked Ham Last in the Fridge?
So how long does a honey baked ham last in the fridge? Many ham food manufacturers claim the ham can be kept in the refrigerator portion of your fridge can be kept for a week or specifically 7 to 10 days. They also claim the ham can be kept in the freezer for 45 days.
This gives you about a week to work with your honey-baked ham leftovers and about more than a month or a month and a half to work with frozen honey-baked ham. Plenty of time to enjoy the succulent pork cut.
Actually, both turkey breasts and honey-baked ham last for about 6 weeks. Keep this mind to keep yourself from serving green ham and eggs to your guests, if you watch our drift.
What's the Lowdown on Honey-Baked Ham's Expiration Date?
This year-round popular meat sandwich serves as a centerpiece for the holidays like Christmas or Easter, whether you avail of half a ham or a whole ham pack. In regards to expiration dates though, we've listed the lowdown below.
Type of Ham | Freezer | Refrigerator |
|---|---|---|
Fresh, Uncured, and Uncooked | 6-8 months | 1-2 weeks (unopened) 7-10 days (opened) |
Fresh, Uncured, and Cooked | 3-4 months | 1-2 weeks (unopened) 7-10 days (opened) |
Cured, Cook-Before-Eating, and Uncooked | 3-4 months | 1-2 weeks (unopened) 7-10 days (opened) |
Fully-Cooked, Vacuum-Sealed, and Unopened | 1-2 months | 1-2 weeks (unopened) 7-10 days (opened) |
How Do You Go About Serving Frozen Honey-Baked Ham?
To freeze unused ham or turkey portions after the pack has been opened, you should wrap them in aluminum foil then freeze within 5 days from receiving them. After you've frozen them, you need to thaw them out by placing them in refrigeration for 1-2 days.
Once thawed, you can cook and serve them freely. The expiration date should also clue you in on how long the ham lasts. As a precaution, ham can last 1-2 weeks beyond their labeled date but not beyond that. Several variables can affect their freshness beyond the date of expiry.
Several things influence ham shelf life, which includes the manner of storage (preferably by fridge or freezer), the preparation method, and the sell by date.
What Happens to Improperly Stored Honey-Baked Ham?
Honey-baked ham that you didn't store properly will last a shorter time period. Like a lot of other protein products, it has a sell by date or the last date the store could sell it. This isn't the expiration date of the ham.
You can tell if ham has ended up bad, spoiled, or rotten by its smell. If the ham has gone bad it should have some sort of sour smell to it. It should also have slimy, dull flesh to accompany the bad scent. The pinkness of the meat should end up becoming grey once the meat ends up spoiled.
We also encourage you to practice proper hygiene and food safety techniques in order to prevent illnesses related to food. Don't bother making a stew out of spoiled meat because you risk food poisoning.
How Should You Store Honey-Baked Ham to Extend Its Shelf Life?
Keep your ham stored in the freezer and don't forget it's in the freezer before 3-4 or 6-8 months have passed depending on how it's prepared or cured. You should also store the ham immediately after use in order to keep it fresh after opening the package.
If you keep it in the refrigerator then consume within a week and 3 days. After cooking, store the ham in a tightly closed container to keep contaminants and moisture out that could hasten its spoilage. The long-term option for storage involves freezing he ham with a freezer-safe container.
The benefits you can enjoy with proper food storage include cutting food costs, eating healthier, and assisting the environment by keeping your food waste at a minimum.
What are Some Other Interesting Facts about Honey-Baked Ham?
Ham preparation can have it end up aged, smoked, dry cured, or wet cured. Thusly, they possess a longer shelf life compared to other fresh cuts of meat. When prepared in a dish, ham can last depending on the other ingredient in the dish, as in the case of a ham and eggs combo.
Foods mixed together with your recipe should have individual expiration dates. The rule of thumb is that the ingredient that expires the soonest will spoil the whole dish, so the dish spoils as fast as its quickest expiring ingredient.
Can Your Honey-Baked Ham Spoil Inside the Freezer?
Theoretically, ham kept consistently frozen at 0°F will be kept safe indefinitely. If your refrigerator has defrosting cycles, this might not be the case. Err on the side of caution and eat the ham as soon as you buy it.
Ham when properly stored can taste best within 1-2 months but remain edible beyond that time, for about 6-8 months or even a year. Beyond a year ends up being a crapshoot. Do you want to risk frying year-old ham from the deep recesses of your freezer?
The Final Score
Spend less time in your kitchen and cleanup and more time with your guests by knowing more about effective meal prep. For example, you should look into proper preparation of delicious honey-baked ham leftovers. You can enjoy this dish after the first time you cooked it.
Err on the side of caution. Theoretically, frozen ham remains safe to eat indefinitely or beyond the 6-8 months of storage barring your refrigerator undergoing long defrost cycles. It should be edible after a year but the quality of its safe due to long storage will definitely suffer regardless.
