I picked up a Kirkland spiral ham on a whim a few weeks back and just never had a chance to serve it over the holidays. It is unopened, in the original packing, in the back hall fridge (opened less than the kitchen).
It has a Best Buy date in February. Any reason to think I can’t have this anytime this month and it be totally fine? As I understand it, it’s been commercially cured and smoked and is totally fine but wanted to consult the brain trust.
I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t be good with a Best Buy date in February. The only possible reason would be that your fridge doesn’t keep the proper cooling temperature.
The Best Buy date is only an estimate by the producer of when quality may start to lessen. It is not an expiration date. You will be safe throughout February
By all indications it should still be good through this month as long as it has been properly handled and stored by everyone throughout it's journey. I've regularly held them until their Best Buy/Use By date without any spoilage. Except once, when I opened it and the smell had changed and it was clear it was no longer good. Even though I handled it and stored it well I have no idea how it was stored prior to me purchasing it. So, what I'm saying is that you'll know for sure once you open it.
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Spiral cut means it will go downhill more quickly after you start on it. Otherwise, I buy whole hams 2-3 times during the year and ignore the dates, paying attention to the feel and the smell. Ham that has seen its day is pretty obvious; there isn’t any, “Is this still good?” about it.
A vacuum sealer is PERFECT for two older people working through a ham over a couple-three months. In the case of a spiral cut ham, start by taking what you think you’ll use in the next few days, and seal up (basically re-seal) the remainder. For a regular whole ham, cut your slices. Continue this until you’re about halfway through, or until you’re a week or so from the expiration date, then take the remainder and cut and seal up individual portions for use. A spiral ham will have nice slices; a whole ham starts getting irregular. I wind up with bags labeled “dinner slices” “sandwich slices” and “omelet/soup chunks”. Chunks can also be ground in the food processor for ham salad. 3 weeks past the “use by” date has been fine for us.
(Note: if you use a (edit: suction) vacuum sealer, it pulls moisture out of the ham, and it will feel watery when you open the seal. Run it under cold water, it’s fine. You won’t have that with a chamber sealer.)
At a certain point you’re just going to think you won’t be able to use it all; just make soup, or freeze it. Ham freezes well. It looks weird when it’s frozen, but it turns normal when it’s thawed. It’s like chicken breasts that way.
John "JR"
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Ham is the ultimate fridge meat!! Growing up we had one in the fridge at all times. Open the door, tear off a piece of spiral cut ham, close the door, come back 20 mins later and repeat. All four of us brothers did this all the time.
You will be fine. Obviously, if it smells bad, you throw it out. Ham lasts a long time in the fridge.
A while back, I had a bad experience with a Smithfield spiral cut. Purchased it a few weeks before the sell-by date, but let it sit in the fridge until just a couple days before. Although it should still have been good, it was Slime City inside, unfit for man or beast by a long shot. Luckily, the store provided a refund as it was still a day before sell-by, but lesson learned on my part. As slimy as it was, it must have been on a downhill slope for a while. I now look for about a month minimum before expiration, and use it within days of purchase. In my case, I’m usually cutting it up and vacuum packing and freezing it in portions, for soups or sandwich meat.
As long as it's not a year old and it ain't February yet.
Plus ya need to git a proper unnerstannin of what Best Buy dates is and whilst yer at it those Expry dates to. Some folk freak out at the expry date, my wife bein one of em.
Yes. Many don’t realize that the only federal mandated expiration date for food products is for baby formula and everything thing else is basically an estimate of best quality by the producer or the retailer.
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