If its thrown away without any precautions, mold spores can go airborne, making anyone sick. Leftover cooked ham should be tightly wrapped and refrigerated promptly after the meal. The ham bone is the best part, it makes the most amazing baked beans! Same thing for thawed meat. Otherwise, if its just lightly smoked or not vacuum-sealed, it will only last for 3-4 days in the fridge. Here's What You Need to Know. Although leftover ham is perfectly fine to eat cold, the USDA says to keep leftovers out of the danger zone, which is between 40 degrees and 140 degrees. The most common variety of ham available in U.S. grocery stores is cured with a combination of wet salt brine and smoking methods. In the freezer, fresh uncooked ham lasts around three months, and cooked fresh ham up to six. This will help to prevent the ham from drying out. How long does honey baked ham last in the fridge? We asked Justine Schofield, cook, author, TV presenter and MasterChef Australia alumna, for her top tips for storing a Christmas ham. If you store it in the fridge after cooking, it can last for about three to four days. In the refrigerator, it's safe for consumption within 7 to 10 days after cooking. According to Google Trends,the most popular searches for leftover ham include split pea soup, ham and potato casserole, leftover ham and mashed potatoes, ham and noodle casserole and ham bone soup. Up to four days, as long as it is properly stored and reheated before eating. Here I talk about tips, hacks about recipes, cooking, and review Kitchen related gadgets I use for the kitchen. If your ham starts to take on a green or grey hue, or even gets black or brown in a few areas, throw it away. Cooked turkey shouldn't be kept more than two days. However, if you want to extend the shelf life of your ham, you can freeze it. Cure it: Curing your ham in salt and spices will extend how long does ham last in the fridge by up to 6 months. The best way to tell if your ham is turning is to smell it. Here is what you can do with that ham so it doesn't go to waste. If youre not planning to cook your ham any time soon, freeze it so it wont go bad. While ham can technically be eaten after its sell-by date, its not going to taste as good as it would have if youd eaten it sooner. Tweet. Smoked ham steak will keep in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days, or until the expiration date on the box, if stored properly. Got leftover ham? Have leftover ham? Properly stored, cooked ham will last for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. I love to cook since I was a small child. Layer the slices of ham with paper towels to reduce excess moisture, and keep your ham super fresh. If the ham is past its expiration date, then its probably not safe to eat. Does vacuum packed Country Ham need to be refrigerated? Cured, cook-before-you-eat, uncooked From 5 to 7 days (or . Shelf stable; Opened: 1 to 2 months. If you eat bad ham or you suspect that youve gotten food poisoning, immediately contact a health professional to seek treatment. Vacuum-sealed hams can usually last up to 1 year before going bad. If it looks grey or greenish-brown, then its probably gone bad. So, if you're planning on keeping your smoked ham around for a while, make sure to buy one that is fully cooked and sealed tight. When throwing away ham with mold on it, place it in a sealed garbage bag. How Long Does Christmas Ham Last in the Fridge? Ham is a cured meat, so it has a longer shelf life than other pork products. Whole cured hams last in the refrigerator about a week. After all, nobody wants to eat spoiled meat. If it's slimy, too wet or discoloured, it's time to get rid of it. When thawing frozen ham, always do so in the refrigerator; never at room temperature or in the microwave. Yield: 1 Serving. Repeat every 2-3 days or when the wrapping dries out. Because of that, I am here to help guide you to the best of the best and help you save time and money by avoiding the junk. Youve got grilling questions. This curing process prevents the growth of bacteria, allowing the ham to be safely stored at room temperature for several weeks. If not refrigerated at the right temperature, cooked ham can go bad relatively quickly. Unless it has been opened, if it is still sealed in its original packing, it should be good until the best before date printed on the packaging. Hams are offered fully-cooked, partially cooked, and uncooked. Any leftover cooked ham should be sealed tightly, with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and refrigerated. How long will ham last in the freezer or refrigerator? I've tried just about every type of grill, accessory, and gadget you can imagine. See the chart below for cook times. Wordfence is a security plugin installed on over 4 million WordPress sites. Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Ham wrapped in plastic and foil and then frozen will last in the freezer for up to a month. The USDA also recommends wrapping up leftovers well. Christmas ham stored in the refrigerator, either on the bone or sculpted off and wrapped in plastic and foil, will keep perfectly well for as much as two weeks. "Keep Refrigerated" label; Unopened: Don't Freeze. All Rights Reserved. Once opened, these hams should be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap or placed in an airtight container. This Easter ham is slow-cured with hickory hardwood smoke, has no fillers, no MSG, and is gluten-free. Homes around the country celebrate Easter, Christmas and other holidays by making ham the star of the meal. This will help lock in its natural juices and help to keep the ham from drying out. How long is a fully cooked ham good for in the fridge? Christmas ham stored in the fridge, either on the bone or carved off and wrapped in plastic and foil, will keep perfectly well for up to two weeks. If you have a whole ham, it can last in the fridge for up to seventy-five days. But how long does sliced ham last? -Ham and bean soup Christmas ham is so delicious on the 25th of December, and its just as good as leftovers in the days afterwards. 5) Refrigerate the ham for no more than three weeks. Here's how long it's good after you put it away. If the ham is fully cooked and vacuum-sealed, it can last up to 6 months in the fridge. Still unsure about the safety of your ham? The pinkness arises from the curing process, which involves injecting the ham with sodium nitrate. 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 follow the guidelines above, store your ham properly, and youre careful to check the hams color, texture, and appearance for abnormalities before eating, you will be able to eat your ham without concern. The answer to this question depends on a few factors, such as how the ham was prepared and how it was stored. PrimeSafe Victoria , the regulatory body for meat in Victoria, indicates that cooked ham when unopened has a shelf life of two weeks. This means you should only open the ham when you're about to eat it. If youre like most people, you probably dont think twice about eating food thats past its sell-by date. Yes, you can freeze frittata. You can refrigerate cured for up to 7 days or freeze it for up to four months. How long does whole ham or half ham last after being frozen and thawed? The nutritional value of the ham will be maintained, but not its full flavor and texture. If your ham has a sour smell, throw it out. Ham should be kept in its original packaging so that it can last longer. After cooking, Ham can remain in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or frozen for four months. If you need more time to use up those leftovers, ham will last up to two months in the freezer. Answer. ), How long ham will last in the fridge whether its cooked or not. To further extend the shelf life of whole ham or half ham, freeze; when freezing, place whole ham or half ham in the freezer before the number of days shown for refrigerator storage has elapsed. Keep your refrigerator at 40 F or less and your freezer at or near 0 F. As we mentioned in the post, if the ham is unwrapped and/or older than 6 months, we would recommend throwing it out. 3-4 days in refrigerator, 3-4 months in freezer Cured ham, cook-before-eating, after consumer cooks it 3-5 days in refrigerator, 1-2 months in freezer Spiral-cut hams and leftovers from consumer-cooked hams 3-5 days in refrigerator, 1-2 months in freezer Country ham, cooked 7 days in refrigerator, 1 month in freezer If your ham is cured, then it has undergone a preservation process using salt to prolong its shelf life. Some leftover meat makes for easy meals after Christmas, but you don't want too much. In this TheGrillingDad.com guide, youll learn: Ham can last 4-5 days in the fridge mainly depending on whether or not it has been cooked. The best way to determine how long your ham will keep in the refrigerator is to check the packaging and throw it away if it is past the expiration date. Ideally, a clean tea towel, a clean pillowcase, large piece of calico fabric, or a purpose-made ham bag. Keep these tips by your side and youll have yummy and healthy Christmas! The exact answer depends to a large extent on storage conditions - keep ham refrigerated at all times. Unopened whole ham or half ham may be kept in its original store packaging when refrigerating; to maximize the shelf life of whole ham or half ham, do not open the package until ready to use. View complete answer on stilltasty.com. If you are a WordPress user with administrative privileges on this site, please enter your email address in the box below and click "Send". Because of this, ham can be stored for months or even years without going bad. You can also read the documentation to learn about Wordfence's blocking tools, or visit wordfence.com to learn more about Wordfence. You may find sliced ham on the market with packaging that suggests it has a longer shelf life but that likely means MSG or higher-than-usual nitrites and nitrates have been used to preserve it. The answer to this question is no. Whether youre enjoying it as part of a holiday meal or as an easy weeknight dinner, you want to make sure that your ham is fresh and safe to eat. To store ham on the bone it needs to be wrapped in a seasoned cloth. A bone-in ham, however, is somewhat of a gift that keeps giving. The bone can be used for making soups and stews for future meals. If frozen, it will last six months. The best way to extend the shelf life of sliced ham is to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or foil before storing it in the fridge. This blog post discusses how long smoked ham is good for. All will freeze for at least a month. -When ready to eat, remove the ham from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before slicing. April 17, 2023, 5:29 PM. 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