No. Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold, right out of the package. However, if you want to reheat these cooked hams, set the oven no lower than 325 °F and heat to an internal temperature of 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

Although not a perfect test, your senses are usually the most reliable instruments to tell if your ham has gone bad. Some common traits of bad ham are a dull, slimy flesh and a sour smell. The pink meat color will begin changing to a grey color when ham has spoiled.

Most hams should be stored so that they are kept out of the temperature zone in which bacteria grows quickly. The danger temperature zone is a range between 40°F and 140°F. Do not leave the ham at room temperature for more than two hours.

A spiral-sliced ham is safe to eat without reheating. If you do want to serve it warm, be careful not to dry it out. Cover it with heavy foil and heat it at 325 degrees for about 10 minutes a pound, until it reaches 140 F.

A pre-cooked ham is just as the name suggests. It has been completely cooked either by baking, curing or smoking and in the hands of the home cook, simply has to be re-heated to an appetizing serving temperature so that its flavor is at its best.

Spiral-cut hams, which are fully cooked, are best served cold because heating sliced hams can dry out the meat and cause the glaze to melt. If reheating is desired, heat to 140 °F (165 °F for leftover spiral-cut hams or ham that has been repackaged in any other location outside the plant).

Cold Food Storage Chart