Spiral Cut Ham: Trader Joes, Costco or Sam's Club

[lilygirl]

Need to purchase a spiral cut ham for the family potluck/gathering on Christmas day. Need to feed 10 so how big a ham do I need? Also any thoughts on taste - I have Trader Joes, Costco or Sam's Club nearby - who sells the best tasting ham in your opinion? Thanks!

[mariacarmen]

ok, not to beat a dead pig, but can someone please tell me why they like the Costco Kirkland hams better than Honeybaked? i had a sliver of a Honebaked this weekend and It was really good - loved the sugary topping, and the meat was very tender and marbled with good fat. Does the Costco brand have a sweet topping? I have a Honeybaked reserved for pick-up today, but if I find a Kirkland ham I will cancel that order, if you all can please tell me why it's so much better? thanks!

[Cathy]

It costs less.

You make your own glaze from the packet of dry spices (I mix with orange juice, someone above mixes with apple juice) and brush onto the exterior and in between slices so it glazes while re-warming. You have to do that yourself, otherwise you just have a pre-sliced ham.

Both taste very good. I have never had them side by side to be able to say which is better. I buy from Costco a few times a year because I live closer to it than the Honeybaked store, but also because the price is less.

[mariacarmen]

ok, thanks for that.

[RGC1982]

I have had hams from Costco and Sam's, both with a bone and boneless, and I get raves about the flavor for both. Sorry, I have not tried a TJ's. I have not cooked a Niman's, but the Sam's and Costco house brands. I cook one or two of these as part of my mid-December Christmas party buffet that we do each year for a group of about 50. I like both the Sam's and Costco with the bone, but for ease of serving (yes,even the spiral has to be cut to be served), the boneless are easiest. When I am trying to get five entrees out on a buffet at once, I now choose the boneless, but for my smaller Christmas dinner, I prefer the one with the bone. If you are responsible for one and only one dish, get the Sam's or Costco with the bone. To me, they are a bit juicier in the middle. What I do is mix the glaze packet with some apple cider, and pour that over the ham, taking care to open the slices. I cook it covered in foil to keep it moist. Make the mixture on the thin side. You might end up using half a quart of apple cider for half a ham, and only half of the powdered glaze mixture.

As for quantity, I used to buy a whole ham with the bone and serve it with other entrees for this large party, and this was just too much food. I now buy half a ham and cook that. The boned varieties are about seven pounds or so, and the boneless is about five pounds or so. If there are going to be other entrees, buy half a ham only. If it is the primary entree, you might buy a whole one for ten, but a lot of sides could get you by with a half if the room is not overpopulated with carnivores. The leftovers freeze well for soups and omelets.

[rockandroller1]

I've gotten the Kirkland one from Costco several times for group gatherings and it goes over very well.

[mtngirlnv]

Ditto for the Costco ham. We did side by side tasting last year, and it won hands down.

[Breezychow]

Just this morning I picked up two lovely "Smithfield" spiral-cut hams from our local Walmart. (Here in VA, "Smithfield" is THE last name in ham - lol!). Anyway, they were very reasonable, & I picked up 2 to donate to our local food pantry. So if you come across the "Smithfield" brand, don't hesitate to give it a try.

[cheesemonger]

Smithfield is a brand that I wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole.

Niman Ranch pigs are humanely raised, and are darned good hams! If you can find them at Costco, then all the better.

[mcf]

I won't buy Smithfield products or Niman, but for different reasons. I've just never had a Niman product with good moisture and flavor.

[wekick]

We usually buy any of locally made hams but one year we did a Kirkland (costco) spiral ham and people raved about it. I'm not sure how many it would feed though because we had a bunch of other stuff.

[mucho gordo]

Are the 10 guests big eaters? Will any of them eat a pound of ham by themselves? Is there a HoneyBaked Ham store in your area? You might consider them. I think a 10# (12 at the most)ham should be sufficient given the fact that the bone weighs a couple of pounds. That would leave you with about 8 pounds of meat for 10 people.

[Melanie Wong]

Tried TJ's uncured ham last yr, rather bland. In the San Francisco Bay Area Costco stores the spiral ham is made by Niman Ranch. if your local Costco has Niman, that's the one to buy.

[Melanie Wong]

Wanted to add that the Niman Ranch hams I saw at Costco are labelled Niman, not Kirkland.

Last yr we wound up with 2 Honeybaked hams. Not a fan.

[mariacarmen]

the costco one (niman ranch) - does it have a bone? i have a honeybaked ham on reserve, but if i find a Costco ham that is bone-in, maybe i'll cancel that, since a lot of you are saying it's good....

[Melanie Wong]

Most of the people in this thread are talking about Costco's Kirkland brand, not Niman Ranch.

[mariacarmen]

thanks, but what i really want to know is if the Costco ham, whichever it is, is bone-in....

[wekick]

I don't know about the Niman Ranch, as I haven't seen it at our Costco but the Kirkland spiral cut ham does have a bone.

[mariacarmen]

thanks!

[ospreycove]

The best tasting by far is Harrington's of Vermont. We get one every year!!
http://www.harringtonham.com/