Hams: They can be fresh, cook-before-eating, cooked, picnic and country types. There are so many kinds, and their storage times and cooking times can be quite confusing. This background information serves to carve up the facts and make them easier to understand.
Hams may be fresh, cured or cured-and-smoked. Ham is the cured leg of pork. Fresh ham is an uncured leg of pork. There will be the word “fresh” in the name of fresh ham, which means that it has not been cured. “Turkey” ham is a ready-to-eat product made from cured thigh meat of turkey. The term “turkey ham” is always followed by the statement “cured turkey thigh meat. “.
Cursed ham is usually a deep rose or pink color. Fresh ham, which isn’t cured, is the color of a fresh pork roast, which is pale pink or beige. Country hams and prosciutto, which are dry-cured, are pink to mahogany.
Hams are either ready-to-eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include prosciutto and cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the package. People must cook fresh hams and hams that have only been treated to destroy trichinae (this could mean heating, freezing, or curing in the processing plant) before they can eat them. Hams that must be cooked will bear cooking instructions and safe handling instructions.
If a ham isn’t ready to eat but looks like it is, it will have a big message on the main display panel (label) saying that it needs to be cooked, examples g. , “cook thoroughly. ” In addition, the label must bear cooking directions.
Sodium or potassium nitrate (or saltpeter), nitrites, and sometimes sugar, seasonings, phosphates, and cure accelerators are added to make something cure. g. , sodium ascorbate, to pork for preservation, color development and flavor enhancement.
Nitrate and nitrite contribute to the characteristic cured flavor and reddish-pink color of cured pork. Clostridium botulinum is a deadly microorganism that can grow in foods in some situations. Nitrite and salt stop it from growing.
Pork can be injected with flavoring and curing solutions or massaged and tumbling the solutions into the muscle. Both methods make the pork more tender.
For dry curing, which is how country hams and prosciutto are made, fresh ham is rubbed with a dry-cure mix of salt and other things. Dry curing produces a salty product. In 1992, U. S. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) approved a trichinae treatment method that lets potassium chloride be used instead of up to half of the sodium chloride. This lowers the amount of sodium in the food. Since dry curing takes away the moisture, the weight of the ham is reduced by at least 20%, but usually by up to 25%. This makes the flavor more concentrated.
Dry-cured hams may be aged more than a year. Six months is the traditional process but may be shortened according to aging temperature.
These hams that haven’t been cooked can be kept at room temperature without getting spoiled by bacteria because they don’t have much water in them. Dry-cured ham is not injected with a curing solution or soaked in a curing solution to make it, but it can be smoked. Today, dry-cured hams may be sold as items that need to be prepared by the customer before they are safe to eat. Just like with any other meat, it’s important to read the label on a ham to see how it should be cooked.
Is Ham Considered Poultry? The Surprising Truth About This Popular Deli Meat
Ham is a deli meat staple found in most refrigerated cases, beloved for its versatility in sandwiches, appetizers, and entrées. But if you look closely at the packaging, you’ll notice that it simply says “ham” without specifying which animal it comes from. This leaves many to wonder – is ham a type of poultry like chicken or turkey? Or does it belong to a completely different meat category?
The answer is that while ham contains small amounts of poultry, it is not considered a poultry product Ham is primarily made from pork and belongs to the pork family. Let’s take a closer look at what deli ham contains, how it’s produced, and why it doesn’t fall under the poultry label
What is Ham Made From?
Traditionally, ham referred to the hind legs of pigs that were cured with salt and then smoked or air-dried for preservation. So real ham contains:
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Pork from the rear legs of pigs
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Salt used to cure the pork
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Smoking or drying to preserve it
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Spices like peppercorns, cloves, or honey for added flavor
The end result is pork that has been transformed into an entirely new preserved meat product through the process of curing, smoking, and aging – thus creating what we know as ham.
What is Modern Deli Ham Made From?
The ham you find pre-packaged at the supermarket deli counter today contains a blend of meats:
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Pork – Still the dominant meat, usually 51% or higher.
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Turkey – Often added as a leaner, cheaper meat.
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Chicken – Also used as an inexpensive way to reduce fat.
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Beef – Small amounts for texture.
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Mechanically Separated Meat – Pink slurry from scraped bones.
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Water – For moisture and cutting costs.
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Binders – To meld the meat bits into a sliceable loaf.
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Flavors & Preservatives – For consistent taste and shelf life.
While not exactly the same as traditional dry cured ham, this modern version uses the same curing and smoking techniques on a meat mixture heavy in cured pork.
Reasons Ham is Not Considered Poultry
Given that commercial ham contains bits of poultry like turkey and chicken, it’s understandable why some people question if it qualifies as a poultry product. However, there are several reasons ham remains categorized as pork:
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The dominant meat is pork. Poultry meat is included only in small amounts.
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Ham gets its unique flavor profile from pork and the curing process – not from poultry.
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On ingredient labels, pork is always listed first, while poultry appears far down.
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USDA labeling regulations require meats to be categorized by the first meat listed.
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Even when higher in turkey, ham is labeled as “turkey ham” not poultry.
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Traditional ham production methods were developed solely for pork, not poultry.
So while commercial ham deviates slightly from original dry cured versions, it’s still very much a pork product both by convention and regulation. The fact that ham can contain small amounts of turkey or chicken does not override its categorization as a pork-based meat.
How Ham Differs from Other Deli Meats
We can further distinguish ham from true poultry luncheon meats by comparing it to other sliced meats at the deli counter:
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Turkey – Made 100% from turkey meat.
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Chicken – Contains only chicken meat.
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Roast Beef – All beef, although may be from different grades of beef.
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Salami – Primarily pork and beef, without poultry.
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Bologna – Typically contains beef, pork, and chicken.
The key difference is that while ham includes poultry, turkey and chicken lunchmeats do not contain any pork. This demonstrates that ham belongs to an entirely different category than products that qualify as poultry.
Why Doesn’t Ham List Specific Meats?
Given its mixed meat composition, you may wonder why don’t ham manufacturers list exact meat percentages? There’s a few reasons ham gets this broad labeling:
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It allows flexibility in ratios for cost savings.
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Consistent taste and texture would vary if ratios changed.
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Regional flavor preferences can be accommodated.
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Avoiding stricter regulatory requirements.
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Consumers expect only the familiar “ham” name.
So while it would provide more transparency, listing meat ratios would also make large-scale ham production more difficult and expensive.
Should You Buy Ham Based on Meat Content?
When purchasing ham, the meat composition likely matters less than factors like:
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Flavor – Cured pork is the core ham taste.
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Dietary needs – Avoid if require 100% pork for religious reasons.
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Ingredients – Check if wanting to avoid odd additions.
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Nutrition – Varies more by other factors than meat type.
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Price – Cheaper versions use more turkey and chicken.
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Brand reputation – Some still use primarily pork.
For most consumers, meat content takes a backseat to these other considerations when selecting pre-packaged ham. But it’s helpful to understand what you’re buying whether it’s for sandwiches, omelets, or holiday dinners.
The Takeaway: Ham is Not Poultry
While its definition has expanded over time, ham is fundamentally a cured and smoked pork product. Modern mass-produced ham still contains mostly pork, supplemented with small amounts of other meats. But the pork curing process provides the distinguishing flavor, identity, and labeling – thus excluding ham from the poultry category despite traces of turkey or chicken. And at the end of the day, qualities like taste, price, and nutrition are usually more important than the specific meat ratios used in pre-packaged ham.
So next time you grab a pack of sliced ham at the grocery store deli, you can confidently conclude that it’s not a poultry product, but rather belongs to the pork family. While ham may contain bits of turkey and chicken, it’s the timeless process of curing pork that provides genuine ham its signature flavor, texture and classification.
Smoking and Smoke Flavoring
After curing, some hams are smoked. When ham is smoked, it is hung in a smokehouse and allowed to soak up smoke from smoldering fires. This gives the meat more flavor and color and slows down the rancidity process. Not all smoked meat is smoked from smoldering fires. A popular process is to heat the ham in a smokehouse and generate smoke from atomized smoke flavor.
Pathogens that can make you sick can be found in pork, as well as other meats and poultry. These are Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes. They are all destroyed by proper handling and thorough cooking to an internal temperature of 160°F. The following pathogens are associated with ham:
- The trichinella spiralis family includes parasites that can be found on hogs. To kill trichinae, all hams must be processed according to USDA rules.
- Staphylococcus aureus (staph): These bacteria are killed by heat and processing, but they can come back if they are handled incorrectly. Then they can make a poison that can’t be killed by cooking it any further. Dry curing of hams may or may not destroy S. auxreus, but the high salt content on the outside stops these bacteria from growing. When the ham is cut into slices, the moister inside will make it easier for staphylococcus to grow. Thus, sliced dry-cured hams must be refrigerated.
- Mold — Can often be found on country cured ham. Most of these are safe, but some molds can make mycotoxins. Molds grow on hams during the long process of curing and drying them because the high salt and low temperatures don’t bother these tough organisms. DO NOT DISCARD the ham. Use hot water to clean it and a stiff vegetable brush to get rid of the mold.
When buying a ham, figure out what size you need by looking at how many servings that type of ham should make:
- 1/4-1/3 lb. per serving of boneless ham
- 1/3-1/2 lb. of meat per serving of bone-in ham
Call Our Hotline For help with meat, poultry, and egg products, call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline:
Hams: They can be fresh, cook-before-eating, cooked, picnic and country types. There are so many kinds, and their storage times and cooking times can be quite confusing. This background information serves to carve up the facts and make them easier to understand.
Hams may be fresh, cured or cured-and-smoked. Ham is the cured leg of pork. Fresh ham is an uncured leg of pork. There will be the word “fresh” in the name of fresh ham, which means that it has not been cured. “Turkey” ham is a ready-to-eat product made from cured thigh meat of turkey. The term “turkey ham” is always followed by the statement “cured turkey thigh meat. “.
Cursed ham is usually a deep rose or pink color. Fresh ham, which isn’t cured, is the color of a fresh pork roast, which is pale pink or beige. Country hams and prosciutto, which are dry-cured, are pink to mahogany.
Hams are either ready-to-eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include prosciutto and cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the package. People must cook fresh hams and hams that have only been treated to destroy trichinae (this could mean heating, freezing, or curing in the processing plant) before they can eat them. Hams that must be cooked will bear cooking instructions and safe handling instructions.
If a ham isn’t ready to eat but looks like it is, it will have a big message on the main display panel (label) saying that it needs to be cooked, examples g. , “cook thoroughly. ” In addition, the label must bear cooking directions.
Sodium or potassium nitrate (or saltpeter), nitrites, and sometimes sugar, seasonings, phosphates, and cure accelerators are added to make something cure. g. , sodium ascorbate, to pork for preservation, color development and flavor enhancement.
Nitrate and nitrite contribute to the characteristic cured flavor and reddish-pink color of cured pork. Clostridium botulinum is a deadly microorganism that can grow in foods in some situations. Nitrite and salt stop it from growing.
Pork can be injected with flavoring and curing solutions or massaged and tumbling the solutions into the muscle. Both methods make the pork more tender.
For dry curing, which is how country hams and prosciutto are made, fresh ham is rubbed with a dry-cure mix of salt and other things. Dry curing produces a salty product. In 1992, U. S. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) approved a trichinae treatment method that lets potassium chloride be used instead of up to half of the sodium chloride. This lowers the amount of sodium in the food. Since dry curing takes away the moisture, the weight of the ham is reduced by at least 20%, but usually by up to 25%. This makes the flavor more concentrated.
Dry-cured hams may be aged more than a year. Six months is the traditional process but may be shortened according to aging temperature.
These hams that haven’t been cooked can be kept at room temperature without getting spoiled by bacteria because they don’t have much water in them. Dry-cured ham is not injected with a curing solution or soaked in a curing solution to make it, but it can be smoked. Today, dry-cured hams may be sold as items that need to be prepared by the customer before they are safe to eat. Just like with any other meat, it’s important to read the label on a ham to see how it should be cooked.
Brine curing is the most popular way to produce hams. It is a wet cure whereby fresh meat is injected with a curing solution before cooking. Salt, sugar, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium erythorbate, sodium phosphate, potassium chloride, water, and flavorings are some of the things that can be used for brining. Smoke flavoring (liquid smoke) may also be injected with brine solution. Cooking may occur during this process.
How Its Made – POULTRY DELI MEATS
FAQ
Is ham considered poultry?
What kind of meat is ham considered?
What category is ham in?
What meat is considered poultry?
What is chicken ham?
Chicken ham is a type of ham made from skinless chicken breasts that are cured and cooked to create a lean and healthy alternative to traditional pork ham. It is a popular choice for those who are looking for a low-fat and high-protein option for their meals.
Is ham gluten free?
Ham naturally by itself is gluten-free. Although, many companies made their ham with gluten-containing ingredients like broth, spices, and glazes. So, you must prefer brands that indicate they are gluten-free on the packaging.
Is chicken ham made from chicken?
Chicken ham is a processed meat product made primarily from chicken meat, which is cured, cooked, and sometimes smoked to achieve a ham-like flavor. Unlike traditional pork ham, which is made exclusively from pig meat, chicken ham offers a unique twist on the classic ham taste and texture. 1. Is chicken ham made only from chicken?
Does chicken ham contain pork?
No, chicken ham does not contain any pork. It is entirely made from chicken meat, making it a suitable choice for those who prefer not to consume pork. 5. What are the benefits of choosing chicken ham? Choosing chicken ham over traditional pork ham offers several benefits.