FOOD NEWS
13 Spiral Ham Brands, Ranked Worst To Best
BY CRAWFORD SMITH
13. Market Pantry
This brand is the cheapest on the list at about $1 a pound, but many reviews characterize it as inedibly salty, with it needing to be soaked to reduce the sodium.
12. Honey Baked Ham Co.
Honey Baked Ham Co. ham is easy to prepare, and many people praise its juiciness and flavor, but some question whether the quality is worth the price.
As of December 2023, an 8-pound Honey Baked Ham Co. half-ham costs around $105. Reviews on Amazon were also bad, with complaints of bad quality and customer service.
11. Cook's
Cook's various hickory-smoked hams can be bought for a fair price, with an 11-pound one costing just over $40 at Albertsons. The reviews are also mostly positive.
Despite one worrying comment from a home cook who purchased one in 2021 and found that it had degraded in quality and was much too salty, Cook's is a decent option at its price.
10. Smithfield
Smithfield offers great value, with their hickory selling for $2.30 a pound from Food Lion as of December 2023. Both of their flavors have received decent reviews.
Their brown sugar flavor has been better received. The positives tend to focus on ease of preparation and the price point, with the negatives focusing on a variety of defects.
Some said the hickory-flavored ham was dry after cooking, while others complained it was too fatty. Some others also said the ham either lacked flavor or outright tasted bad.
Overall, it seems like Smithfield has some problems with consistency, but when the company is on its A-game, it makes a tasty product.
9. Nueske's
Nueske's offers bone-in hams and a boneless option, which is nice. You can also buy smaller quantities of ham from the company when you’re only feeding a few people.
Nueske's hams are applewood-smoked and come pre-glazed, so they're ready to serve once they reach room temperature. The brand has positive reviews on average, but not always.
Several reviews cite issues with the spiral slicing leading to difficulties in carving, while others complain that the meat is dry, overly fatty, too sweet, or lacking in glaze.
In contrast, those who had good experiences said it was moist and delicious. The brand might have inconsistencies, which is an issue for a premium-priced ham at over $10 a pound.