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Supermarket hams are hit-and-miss for me. I'm not big fan of the spiral sliced supermarket hams, partly because they tend to dry out, and partly because I'd prefer different slices. If I'm going to make sandwiches, I want really thin slices, and I might want chunks for another dish.

Other than that, my biggest issue with supermarket hams is that some are too salty, and you never know until you've got it at the table.

I'd heard good things about Cook's hams, but I don't think I've seen that brand locally.

Most hams are completely cooked (some aren't so you need to check) so you don't need to cook it to death. I like to stud the ham with cloves and use a brown sugar/mustard/maple glaze that I just mix until it looks right. I tried a glaze that has orange in it once, and didn't really care for it.

Other than that, I can tell you that freezing a ham for a couple months, then thawing it, microwaving it, and dumping maple flavored pancake syrup on it is probably not going to get you the best result. Sigh.

Perky I go to Wegman's for the bone in ham. I would never serve anything else while I live near the Wegmans. It is in Downingtown.

Hit a wrong key and it sent. I used to shop at Wegman's in Fayetteville, NY, one of the very first and I could have set-up a cot in a corner and been very happy to live there. Mom lived 2 minutes away, so it was even convenient. When in a hurry or saving $, she shopped at Price Chopper which was 5 minutes away. I live in the wrong place, but don't miss that lake effect snow.

I can't afford to order one on the internet, and I've never had an outstanding supermarket ham. Poor dbcurrie - you have to eat a leftover, nuked ham for Easter. Thanks for the tips on the spiral - I won't bother.

Is it okay to freeze ham? I always thought it would ruin the texture.

I would check for a local butcher shop or smaller grocery that may make their own ham.
I have had a ham before called "Pitmaster" that was good.
For glaze I would gor for apricot jam, maple syrup and a dash of cayene for bite.

@dbcurrie........I'm going to have to freeze leftovers this year. I wonder how long it's safe to keep ham in the fridge? Anyone know? I'd think it would have to be well-wrapped in fridge and freezer to keep it from drying out.

I'd say your MIL should be grateful to have someone so sweet and understanding added to the family!

I like Jerzee's idea to use bourbon in the glaze.

I score a diamond pattern in the fat and place cloves all over. I pour a can of coke on when I put it in the oven. About 45 min. to an hour before it's done, I slather it with my glaze - a mixture of brown sugar, honey, mustard, ground cloves and a little pineapple juice. I then cover it with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries, and give it a brush with glaze every 15 minutes.

We have been to parties where they have served Honey Baked Ham. If they have been set to room temperature, they are not bad, but the folks that heat them in the oven dry them out and I really do not enjoy that. I do not recall if they are salty.

Sorry crazyspice.......Jerzee knows. I'm disabled and can't walk too well or stand for more than a few minutes at a time. I can no longer grocery shop, and have my order delivered from Acme - for which I'm grateful. They are the only store that delivers, but it limits my choices greatly.

@PerkyMac, my MIL raised my hubby, who learned to eat absolutely anythng that is put in front of him, and that's a plus. I can experiment as much as I want to without worrying that there will be some ingredient he will object to. Well, except canteloupe, but that doesn't come up much. :-)

And, when he says, "this isn't how my mom made it," I needn't worry about the comparison.

For that, and for the fact that she puts up with my numerous flaws, I will dine on whatever interesting things she serves. It's only one night, and it makes her happy. I can bake my own ham another day.

The only reason I wish she was more interesting in food and cooking is that I think that cooking with someone else can be fun, and for me, I think it would fun to spend a holiday cooking together and have the guys join us when its time to dine. For her, any more than 30 minutes in the kitchen is torture, so that's just not going to happen.

Not sure if this is a regional brand but I've found Gwaltney hams to be really good. Honey Baked Hams are superb but definitely not cheap.

Martha Stewart now has a line of food products at Costco, including whole hams. I would have purchased a MS ham over Christmas but it wasn't spiral sliced and I was looking for E-Z after having done a huge Christmas Eve dinner. I'd still be willing to try the MS ham for a dinner - I only wish there was a pre-sliced version.

Wow Jerzee, balancing that big ol' ham on those little cans of pineapple juice must be hard, but I'm agonna try it. Now, when they explode and baste the ham, do they do any damage to the oven it's own self, or just make a wee little mess?

Sorry, couldn't resist. I do like to make people laugh. And no, I'm not perky in the morning.....haha. The name is based on the valley I live in, not my disposition. On another unrelated post, it started out, "I hate perky" and my heart sunk. Turned out he/she was talking about Rachael Ray.

I use dry mustard, too. Forgot to add that, but I like yours better Jerz, so I am going to try it, minus the actual cans. Let's see, I now have vodka in my freezer and I have to buy bourbon. My kids are going to think I've taken to the drink! ;-D

My dad used to glaze the ham with a reduced mixture of maple syrup glaze, bourbon, and chopped pecans. It was gooooood. I don't think I've ever cooked a ham -- just eat it for Easter, New Years, etc....I think they buy the ham now from Sam's Club. Way cheaper than Honey Baked and acutally it tastes much better too.

This year though, I'm ditching the ham and going for lamb!

@Perky its 3 am and I just burst out laughing like a damn fool.
Bless you! That ham is sooo good when you make it you will have to keep making it. We just went to Wegman's tonight to get the ham.
I am a really picky picky person so do not let me talk you out of the Cook's. I just find it salty. I grew up in Dietz and Watson land south jersey. They make a low salt ham that is very good too. That you might be able to get too. If I did not get the Wegman's brand I would get the Dietz and Watson.