Preparing Ham Safely for Easter

Many people are busy in getting all the needed ingredients for a Easter meal, including that all important holiday ham.

Marianne Gravely with USDA's Meat and Poultry hotline said it’s important to understand that cured or not, ham is a meat just like any other meat.

“Needs to stay in the refrigerator, and needs to be cooked or heated to the proper temperature.”

And what is that proper temperature? Gravely said, “Once it reaches 145 degrees, it’s safe but you may want to cook it a few minutes longer.”

Gravely said that “cured” hams use a liquid cure and thus does not extend shelf life. All hams should be stored in a refrigerator within two hours of purchase and leftovers, when not frozen are usually good for about four days.