Ahh Spring…

[#1]

With Spring comes lighter clothing, colorful flowers and the celebration of Easter. Every year people flock to the grocery store to find the best possible ham for dinner, only to take it home and over cook it. Every ham is put through a smoking process before it is packaged for sale, so in essence it is already cooked before you buy it. The cooking method required here is just re-heating.

If you are one of those who tend to over cook their ham, I have a solution for you. At Safeway, we sell many types of wonderfully smoked hams at competitive prices. My personal choice is the Safeway Select Half Ham or the Safeway Select Spiral Sliced Half Ham. These hams will always be offered at competitive prices and offer something that no other retailer can, more eatable meat on the bone! Other retailers offer “portion cut” hams (read their labels) but Safeway has the Full Half cut. 

Cooking one of these hams is simple. Just place the ham, cut side down and wrap in foil. Position it in the center of a 325 degree pre-heated oven for 9 -10 minutes per pound. For example, if you have a 10 LB ham you will cook this for approximately 1 hr and 30 minutes. Remove the foil and glaze with your favorite mixture of brown sugar, butter, cloves or try the following recipe:

Orange Glaze

- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar

- 1/3 cup pineapple juice

- 1/3 cup orange juice

- 1/3 cup honey

- 2 tablespoons orange zest

- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Stir ingredients together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 10 minutes. 15 minutes before the hams is finished, begin brushing with the glaze, and continue doing this every 3 minutes until the total cooking time has been completed. Slice and Enjoy!

[#2]

I would like to let you know that I am not to happy with your weekly adds which come out in the paper.  My complain is that you are now putting in your seven day add one, two, or maybe four day adds.   This is confusing to people.  I have taken up items to the clerk for checkout only to find out the item was on sale on Fri. and today it is Mon.  No sale and NO ITEM SOLD to me.  Many people only come to the store from the country one day a week and if they aren't on the right day then they don't get to buy your product at a savings.  Solve the problem by putting all items in your weekly add that are good for the whole week Wed. thru Tue. 

Just my thoughts on the matter.

Thanks

[#3]

Thank you for your feedback David, and we apologize for the inconvenience. We will pass your comments along to our Marketing Department for their review. 

[#4]

Hi, I purchased the Safeway select spiral sliced ham and froze most of it. It was a great deal and has been handy to have around. I'm newly pregnant and I am avoiding nitrates and nitrites. I threw away the packaging for the product. Can you tell me if this product contains nitrates or nitrites? Thanks.

[#5]

Hello Gina,

As with all cured meat our spiral sliced ham does contain nitrates and nitrites. We hope this helps clear this up!

~Cynthia

[#6]

I purchased one of your 8 lb. spiral sliced pre glazed hams.  It says the ham is pre cooked!!!  Should I use the typical advice of 2-3 hours at 450 just to heat it up?  Since it is already cooked, what would be the best way to heat it up?

Thanks

[#7]

EJ, these hams are delicious cold, but if you want to reheat them, the instructions are on the package. Place the ham, cut-side-down, on heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap the ham thoroughly. Or use an oven roasting bag; follow instructions on the bag for preparation. Bake in a preheated 325 degrees F oven for 10-14 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer registers 140 degrees F. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. We hope this helps!

[#8]

I cooked a spiral ham last year and it was very dry.  I need suggestions how to prevent this this Easter.  Thank you.

[#9]

Thank you for sharing your feedback, Gdavis. We apologize for the inconvenience and will send your comments to our Corporate Brands Team for further review. Please feel free to speak with your local Safeway Meat Department for tips and tricks on how to cook the perfect ham.