Hillshire Farm Spiral Sliced Ham

Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham.  You may have come across the delicious Sara Lee spiral sliced honey glazed ham under the Hillshire Farm label.  That's the one that I buy for my family. 

Hams like Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham are tasty because they are dry-cured.  They're rubbed with salt and sugar or honey.  After that they are aged and dried for up to 6 months. 

Spiral Sliced Hams are smoked for several hours.  This step in the dry-curing process preserves and flavors the ham.  Hillshire Farm spiral sliced hams are smoked for maximum flavor.  Americans have long enjoyed hickory-smoked ham.  Hams are also smoked over pecan, apple wood, maple, cherry, oak and other hardwoods.  Some countries even use fir.

Most dry-cured hams are sold fully cooked and ready-to-serve.  This is the case with Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham, making it a great offering for almost any gathering.  Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham is an example of a ham that is OK to eat cold.  Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham, in fact, are BEST eaten cold.  Heating a spiral sliced glazed ham such as a Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham can dry out the meat and cause the glaze to melt and run off.

The slicing process used for the Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham was patented in 1957 by Harry Hoenselaar.  The machine he invented cuts a ham in one continuous spiral slice.  This helps to keep the ham moist and reduces waste.  At the end of the ham's "life," the bone of a Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham makes a fantastic ham and bean soup that I freeze in meal-size portions for winter use. 

I've been a registered dietitian for 25 years, and I use spiral sliced honey glazed hams, including Sara Lee/Hillshire Farm products, as part of a healthy diet.  Today's hams, such as the Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham, are much leaner than the hams our grandparents and greatgrandparents knew.  For this we can thank the science of livestock feed.  Fat is now a much lower part of a hog's body weight.  A ham such as a Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham has a healthier balance of major nutrients. A 3oz portion of a smoked honey glazed ham has 185 calories, 6 grams of fat (about 1/3 of it saturated), 45mg of cholesterol, and 18 g of protein. (Sodium in most processed hams remains high relative to other meats, so if you are on a special diet be sure to ask your dietitian or doctor about hams.)

Ham and bean soup is where the real nutrition comes in. Use dried beans, especially a mix of your favorites, and a good recipe, remembering to pour the fat off the broth. Voila! You've got vitamin- and mineral-loaded, low fat, high fiber heaven. Crock-Pot.com (Jarden Consumer Solutions)

Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham, and other ready-to-serve hams like it, are highly desirable for everyday use.  They are convenient and delicious.  For a tasty ready-to-serve ham, choose the Hillshire Farm spiral sliced ham.