How to cook a Honey Baked-style ham at home

For many people, a huge shortcut to holiday eating is letting the Honey Baked Ham Co. do most of the work.

The Georgia-based company, which was founded more than 40 years ago, has about 500 stores nationwide, including two in San Antonio, with reported sales of as much as $500 million a year.

Smoked with a sweet, crackling glaze, the hams are darn good. Honey Baked hams have made multiple appearances on my holiday spreads with no complaints. They can be reheated (they come precooked) using a simple formula of about 10 minutes per pound in a 275 degree oven, with a shallow pan of water placed beneath the ham, according to the company’s website, honeybaked.com.

There is just one problem — Honey Baked hams can cost from $85 for a 7-pound ham to $125 for a 16-pounder. Meanwhile, you can buy a ham at the grocery store for about $2 per pound — or less than $14 for that 7-pound ham. And just like those Honey

Baked hams, most are precooked, often with hardwood smoke.

Hams come in all sorts of sizes and cuts. I usually prefer bone-in hams, but there’s nothing wrong with going boneless, and it’s far more convenient to slice. Hams get labeled as the “butt” or the “shank.” Both are taken off the hind leg of the pig, and there are some differences.

The butt is taken from the top of the leg and has more fat to it, while the shank is the bottom portion and is leaner with more connective tissue because it handles most of the weight of the pig.

“I love it all,” said Joe Saenz, a butcher who owns the San Antonio-based Swine House. “The

William Luther / Staff photographer A Honey Baked-style glazed ham is easy and affordable to prepare at home.