There are meat lovers who like turkey on Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving, and there are meat lovers who like pig. Pulled pork, deli-sliced ham, crispy bacon, and the spiral-cut ham you’ll find at holiday dinners are all different kinds of pork. It’s possible to eat ham by itself, or you can add it to other foods like soup, salads, and omelets.
But cooking a traditional ham can be time-consuming. So, if you don’t want to go through all that trouble, you might like this tender meat that comes in a can. The best canned hams are just as tasty as they are when they’re not in a tin, and they last longer than the stuff from the deli counter. There are many different brands of canned ham that you can find both online and in grocery stores. This list includes 11 common brands ranked from worst to best. We wont be including products that are made from multiple meats.
Canned hickory honey ham is a delicious and convenient way to enjoy the classic flavor combination of smoky, savory ham with sweet honey glaze. With its long shelf life and no-fuss preparation, canned honey ham makes an easy addition to meals and entertaining. In this article, we’ll explore why canned hickory honey ham is so popular, how it’s made, and creative ways to serve it.
The Appeal of Canned Hickory Honey Ham
There are several reasons why canned hickory honey ham has become a pantry staple for many households:
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Convenience – Canned hams are fully cooked and ready to eat right out of the can. No lengthy prep or baking time required! Just open the can slice heat, and serve. This makes honey ham an ideal grab-and-go protein for quick lunches or weeknight dinners.
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Long shelf life – Properly processed and sealed canned hams can keep unopened for 2+ years at room temperature. Once opened, they’ll last 3-5 days refrigerated The lengthy shelf life means you can stock up on sale prices
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Portability – The canned format and no-refrigeration-needed storage lends itself perfectly to portable meals. Canned honey ham travels well in lunches and is great for picnics, camping, and road trips.
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Budget-friendly – Due to mass production and minimally invasive packaging, most canned hams are very affordable compared to artisan whole ham or deli ham prices. Canned ham gives you tasty ham flavor on a budget.
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Versatility – Canned ham’s milder flavor and uniform shape lets it work in both savory applications (sandwiches, omelets, pasta salads) and sweet ones (biscuits, creamed ham dishes). It’s a remarkably versatile canned meat.
How Hickory Honey Ham is Made
True hickory smoked ham starts with fresh pork leg cuts that are brined, smoked over a hickory wood fire, and coated with a sweet honey glaze. To transform it into canned ham, the process continues:
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The ham is cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of at least 160°F throughout.
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After cooking, it is pressed to make the shape uniform and compact.
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The ham is then sliced into portions, layered into cans, and sealed.
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The filled cans are heat sterilized by cooking to 250°F to eliminate bacteria.
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After sterilization, the cans are quickly cooled and stored until delivery.
The press-pack canning process cooks the ham a second time, ensuring it is fully pasteurized and shelf-stable. The airtight can also locks in the signature hickory smoke flavor.
Serving Canned Hickory Honey Ham
Canned hickory honey ham may come fully cooked, but a quick reheat is recommended before eating to enhance flavor and texture. Here are serving tips:
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For optimum flavor, remove ham from the can, cut into portions, and reheat gently in a skillet or oven at 300°F until warm throughout, 10-15 minutes.
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Hickory ham pairs especially well with sweet flavors. Consider topping with brown sugar, maple syrup, fruit glazes, or bakery-style mustard glazes.
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Use larger ham slices as a base for eggs benedict or in Monte Cristo sandwiches. Dice smaller pieces to add smoky depth to omelets, quiches, and breakfast hashes.
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For an easy dinner, simmer canned ham chunks in bean soups, vegetable soup, or ramen. Add to pasta or rice bowls.
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Use diced ham in appetizers like stuffed mushrooms, deviled eggs, or ham salad.
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Give sandwiches and wraps a pop of flavor with sliced ham. Enjoy on rolls, biscuits, croissants, flatbreads, and more.
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Bake canned ham slices topped with pineapple rings, cherries, or peaches for a sweet-savory flavor contrast.
Top Brands of Canned Hickory Honey Ham
The hickory honey ham aisle features a variety of brands and sizes to suit different needs:
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Hormel – This top brand offers 5 oz mini cans of Black Label hickory smoked ham, perfect for sandwiches or portable snacks. Hormel Natural Choice and Cure 81 hams also come in full 1 lb loin cans.
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Smithfield – Look for Smithfield’s 1 lb cans of hickory smoked spiraled sliced ham, as well as smaller pulled and diced ham cans.
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Armour – Armour’s Star line features both honey baked and smokehouse hams packed neatly in 12 oz rectangular cans.
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Swift Premium – Swift offers a budget-friendly 13 oz can of Brown Sugar Honey Glazed hickory smoked ham.
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Farmland – Farmland hams are minimally processed with no added water. Try the Hickory Smoked & Honey Glazed Loaf style ham.
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Hatfield – The rectangular 12 oz cans of Hatfield Premium Black Label Ham offer savory hickory smoked flavor.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Ham
Like most meats, canned ham is best when fresh, but leftovers can be stored and reheated safely:
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Store opened canned ham in an airtight container in the fridge. Use within 3-5 days for optimum quality.
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Freezing is option for longer term storage. Freeze slices or chunks in airtight bags for 1-2 months.
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Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven until warm, about 1 minute per slice in the microwave.
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Add a splash of water or broth to leftovers to prevent drying out when reheating.
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Wrap ham and cheese sandwiches in foil and reheat gently in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
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Dice and sauté leftover ham with onions, peppers, and eggs for a quick ham scramble.
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Simmer leftover diced ham in tomato sauce or gravy to use in casseroles or pasta dishes.
With minimal time and effort, canned hickory honey ham can be turned into easy, delicious meals and snacks the whole family will relish. Keep a few cans in your pantry for those busy weeknights when you need a fast dinner solution. The sweet honey and smoky hickory flavors are sure satisfy any ham craving.
Iberia Boneless and Skinless Cooked Ham
Before we get to the good canned hams, we have to work through some of the not-so-good products. Iberia is a company that has been around for more than 90 years and makes many types of food, such as rice, beans, pasta, and meats. The companys products are available in over 12,000 stores in the U. S. (via Iberia). Its Iberia Cooked Ham comes in a 16-ounce black can with a picture of a hot, roasted ham on the front. The meat is labeled as having no skin or bones, and it is mostly kept fresh with water, salt, sugar, and other things. This was one of the most unappealing canned hams on this list. Most ham is rich, salty, and full of many other incredible flavors. When its glazed in honey, that makes the ham even better.
It’s possible that a canned ham won’t taste as good as a real ham, but we think it should still taste like something. Unfortunately, this didnt have anything in terms of taste. Iberias cooked ham was pretty flavorless, and ham by itself should have some flavor. Bizarrely, it did have a strong smell despite its bland taste. You could add your own spices to Iberias canned ham to make your ham pot pie taste and smell better, but it won’t help with the recipe.
People think that if a food brand is called “Royale,” it must be good enough for Queen Elizabeth to eat. That being said, this Canadian ham brand is not something we would even feed to our dogs. Royale’s Boneless Cooked Ham wasn’t fit for royalty, and it wasn’t fit for any of us either.
This canned ham is in the group of hams on this list that “tastes like Spam instead of ham.” It had a disturbingly soft texture. The meat easily fell apart and was a little mushy. Royales Ham, like other canned meats, can be eaten hot or cold, but we wouldn’t choose either way. This ham is not only one of the worst on this list, but it’s also pretty pricey on Amazon. Its listed at about $20 for a pack of two cans. There’s a chance it would be cheaper in a store, but you probably shouldn’t waste your money on this anyway. This is not something we would serve to a member of the Royal Family or anyone else for that matter.
Dutch Colony Cooked Ham
The next canned ham on this list wasnt horrible, but it wasnt out of this world either. The black can of Dutch Colony Cooked Ham has a picture of a happy, blonde Dutch woman in a flower field on it. While the graphic is pretty, we cant say the same about the meat. The meat has a softer texture than we would like and is pretty salty.
It looks like it’s hard to get good at canned ham because it has to be able to stay fresh for a long time and taste like real ham. Most people like this product, but some don’t. It has a higher rating than most canned meats, but a lot of people complain about it. One Amazon customer said, “We bought a few of these hams in the early weeks of the pandemic when meat supplies were uncertain.” They are as advertised and relatively inexpensive but quite fatty, more like spam than canned ham. We would eat this ham if we had to, but it wasn’t our first choice. It was better than other canned hams.
Smithfield spiral sliced hickory smoked ham/Smithfield spiral ham review/How to bake a spiral ham
FAQ
Do they still make ham in a can?
Does hickory honey ham exist?
What is Hickory Honey Ham?
Hickory Honey Ham is a delicious and flavorful type of ham that has been cured and smoked with hickory wood and sweetened with honey. This ham is perfect for any occasion, whether it’s a holiday feast or a simple sandwich. The combination of smoky and sweet flavors makes it a favorite among many meat lovers.
Does smoked ham taste like hickory?
Most smoked meats are infused with the distinctive flavor of wood smoke, but this product lacked the hickory taste we were looking for. Though we don’t expect the same level of flavor as, say, a Benton’s country ham from a canned product, Bristol’s ham was bland and tasted a lot more like Spam than canned ham, let alone fresh ham.
Does Bristol’s hickory smoked ham taste good?
However, Bristol’s Hickory Smoked Canned Ham shouldn’t be the one you choose. Most smoked meats are infused with the distinctive flavor of wood smoke, but this product lacked the hickory taste we were looking for.
What is hickory smoked honey used for?
Hickory smoked honey can be used as a glaze for ham or salmon, as an ingredient in barbecue sauce, or even as a condiment to drizzle over fried chicken, salads, or ice cream. It’s important to note that all pork products labeled as “ham” have been cured with nitrate solutions to give them their characteristic pink color and tender texture.