Friday Food Finds: The Newest Drinks for Summer

You asked and we listened. This week’s Chub Chub Showdown segment on the Taylor Strecker Show was dedicated entirely to beverages, both basic and boozy. We scoured grocery store shelves to find some of the market’s hottest drinks that aim to quench your thirst as you begin to partake in pool parties, picnics, and summer barbecues. While most of these options were hits, you’ll never truly know unless you try them all for yourself. So grab a glass and a (paper) straw and check out our recap below. Happy hydration!

Want to try these drinks for yourself?

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Pura Still Spiked Still Water (Blackberry)

This may be one of the foulest-tasting drinks we’ve had in a while. While the concept is interesting and a departure from spiked seltzers (which are all the rage), there’s something about the “hint of flavor” that hits your gag reflex in the most unpleasant of ways. A hard no from us, I’m afraid.

Michelob Ultra Infusions (Lime and Prickly Pear Cactus)

Watch your back, Corona. Michelob Ultra’s coming after you in a big way. These Lime and Prickly Pear Cactus Infusions are fab, and while I’d prefer a stronger flavor, it’s something that can easily be accomplished with a fresh lime. Who’s ready for the beach? These are.

Snapple Lemonade (Watermelon)

I typically hate watermelon-flavored anything because its artificiality is headache-inducing, but this blew me away. Snapple has managed to preserve the tartness of lemons to counter the sweetness of the added fruit, resulting in a balanced summer drink that would mix entirely too well with vodka. It takes a lot to impress me, especially with mainstream brands, and this stuff is legit. Early Top 10 Friday Food Finds of 2019 contender? We’ll just have to wait and see!

Hemptails Malt Beverage (Original)

These were…interesting. They smell and taste like the stuff that collects at the bottom of a bong. Sure, we were certainly adverse to the taste, but definitely think there is a market for these among weed connoisseurs. Have we gotten your attention yet, college students? Or are you too high to pay attention?

Karbach Brewing Co. Hella Chela Spicy Cerveza

Yikes. This tasted like a loaded taco or crawfish boil in liquid form. It’s certainly not ideal to smell hot sauce and spices as you’re about to chug a beer, so we’re not entirely sure why this was became a thing, conceptually speaking. That being said, it may pair well with the aforementioned foods, so we’ll have to re-try and get back to you.

Canada Dry Diet Gingerale and Lemonade

Heck yes, Canada Dry! Make this a permanent part of the lineup, please. Ginger ale and lemonade go together like Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard: a true match made in heaven. And while we’re not huge fans of sipping Aspartame, this may be the forever exception. Shantay you stay.

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The History of Spiral Ham

Lots of us will have a glazed spiral ham on the table this Easter. And as thin slices of pink meat lift easily off the bone with just a meat fork, lots of us will be wondering about the history of spiral-sliced ham—specifically, how, oh how, did this most magical of holiday meats come to be?

The secret of the spiral-sliced ham’s seductiveness is twofold. First, the ingenious manner in which it’s cut. And second, its glaze, usually sweet and sticky (we’ll get back to that glaze in a second).

Who invented spiral ham?

To start, we give you the spiral-slicing machine, patented in 1952 by Harry J. Hoenselaar. Hoenselaar found a clever way to mechanically navigate the ham bone, the bane of meat carvers through the centuries.

The spiral-slicing machine works by skewering a ham (or any other meat) vertically on spikes at top and bottom. A spring-loaded slicing blade cuts through the meat, stopping when it meets resistance from the bone. As the ham rotates, it gradually lowers on the spikes, creating the spiral. Hard to visualize? Watch this video:

The same Harry J. Hoenselaar who invented the machine, by the way, also founded HoneyBaked Ham in Michigan in 1957, which grew into a national chain over the years. Originally, HoneyBaked stores were the only places where you could get a spiral-sliced ham. In 1981, Hoenselaar’s patent expired, and now you can buy spiral-cut hams in grocery stores everywhere. Considering how expensive the branded HoneyBaked hams are, many will.

HoneyBaked Ham, $59.95 and up at The Honey Baked Ham Co.

The original, and still a classic.

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What are spiral hams? (And how should you cook them?)

Spiral hams are cut from a pig’s leg and are cooked, brined, and sliced as per the above-outlined helix technique before being shipped to stores. You never actually need to cook a spiral ham, just bake them enough to warm them up and get the “natural juices” often touted on the label flowing; too long in the oven and spiral hams will turn dry and chewy, no matter how much water has been added or brine injected.

They’re often high in sodium, thanks to the aforementioned brine, and either hickory smoked or have smoke flavor added—as well as nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates, though you can find all-natural specimens at a higher price point.

Berkshire Pork Bone-In Smoked Ham, $97.74 at D'Artagnan

This nitrate- and nitrite-free ham is made from Kurobuta pork and naturally flavored with sea salt and raw cane sugar—and spiral-sliced for convenience.

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Depending on the size of your family/crowd, you can opt for either half hams or whole hams, and select either shank ends, which taper to a skinnier point, or butt ends, which are more uniformly round. The butt is a bit leaner, if that’s what you like. In any case, you can also get spiral hams bone-in, which tends to lead to better flavor, or for the easiest carving ever, grab a boneless spiral-sliced ham.

Some spiral hams come pre-glazed, but many include the glaze in a little bag within the foil or netting around the ham. In the latter case, if you don’t want to use that probably-syrupy-sweet glaze, you can easily whip up your own—with ingredients like honey, maple syrup, or orange marmalade instead of high-fructose corn syrup.

Chowhound

Which spiral hams are best?

Historical opinion on Chowhound has favored the hams from Trader Joe’s and Safeway, though it was mixed on Costco’s Kirkland spiral-cut. Cook’s Illustrated has done tastings of supermarket spiral-sliced hams (link is available to subscribers only); it found that bone-in hams that didn’t add water to the meat were the best, and recommended the Cook’s Spiral Sliced Hickory Smoked Bone-In Honey Ham, which had a “nice balance of smoke and salt” and “genuine ham flavor.” The Carando Honey-Cured Spiral Sliced Ham was called “too wet” (ick), and the Hillshire Farm Bone-In Brown Sugar Cured Ham (Spiral-Sliced Ham) was “spongy and cottony.”

Of course, supermarket hams generally won’t have the amazing, crackly glaze of a real HoneyBaked. But Internet gossip and recipes claim that said HoneyBaked glaze is simply sugar and spices, caramelized into crackle with a blowtorch like the surface of crème brûlée. Anyone tried it?

Check out our guide to types of ham to see how spiral-sliced compares to country ham (and other varieties), and get our ham recipes for ways to glaze it—and use up the leftovers.

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

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How to Choose a Ham

So you’re serving ham for your holiday dinner (whether Easter, Christmas, or otherwise)—but what kind? It can be confusing, considering the number of options, from old-timey, expensive, and artisanal to cheap, slick, and slathered in sweet glaze. Here are five types of ham to consider, with what’s good (and not so good) about each.

Country Ham

Benton’s Country Ham

The original traditional Southern ham, country hams are naturally cured using salt and brown sugar (nitrates are rare, but check with the maker), hung up to age over a process of months, and smoked over hickory, usually. They’re technically raw, but they don’t need to be refrigerated, sort of like prosciutto. They’re typically made by small producers in the Southeastern U.S. who have been curing hams for generations.

Typical specimens: Broadbent’s Grand Champion Country Ham (Kentucky); Smithfield Country Ham (Virginia; not to be confused with hams from Smithfield Foods, see “Spiral” below); Tripp Whole Country Ham (Tennessee); Benton’s Country Ham (also Tennessee).

How it tastes: Intensely salty, “hammy” flavor; great with red-eye gravy; if your cholesterol count is below 240 or you don’t mind a little artery plaque, hunks of deep-fried ham skin make unbelievably delicious chicharrones.

Cons: Unless you simply cut off a hunk and fry it country-style, you’ll have to bake the ham in a roasting pan with plenty of liquid. But first you’ll have to soak it for up to 48 hours with frequent changes of water, scrubbing away surface mold (which can seem weird for first-timers). Also, they’re expensive: A 15-pound ham can run you $100, plus shipping.

Ham-snob score: 10 out of 10.

Olympia Provisions Landrauschinken Swiss Country Ham, $119 on Goldbelly

Try a Swiss take on the tradition, with notes of juniper and rosemary.

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Traditional Smokehouse Ham

Chowhound

Quick-cured in brine that contains nitrates (usually, but exceptions apply), smoked (like most country hams, over hickory, usually), and delivered fully cooked. Available either bone-in (for purists and/or compulsive gnawers) or boneless for easy slicing. Note: Some makers of country hams also offer smokehouse versions.

Typical specimens: Newsom’s Gourmet BBQ “Preacher” Ham; Niman Ranch Bone-In Half Cured Ham.

How it tastes: Milder and less salty than country ham, smoky, and less sticky-sweet than elaborately glazed spiral hams.

Cons: Less au naturel than country ham, and just about as expensive. You can end up paying over $100 (plus shipping) for a 15-pounder; others cost $80 (plus shipping) for 8 pounds.

Ham-snob score: 8 out of 10 for bone-in; 7 out of 10 for boneless.

Berkshire Pork Bone-In Smoked Ham, $84.99 at D'Artagnan

This nitrate- and nitrite-free ham is made from Kurobuta pork and naturally flavored with sea salt and raw cane sugar.

Buy Now

Petite Ham

Chowhound

A tiny (2 pound), boneless, nuggetlike version of the fully cooked smokehouse ham, made from a portion of the leg (either the knuckle—the piece closest to the shank—or a vertical section of the leg). Good for a small group; warms up quickly.

Typical specimens: Edwards Petite Virginia Ham; Fra’ Mani Little Ham.

How it tastes: See “Traditional Smokehouse.”

Cons: Expensive—a three-pound ham can cost $40 before shipping. Tragic lack of post-Christmas ham sandwiches.

Ham-snob score: 6 out of 10.

Applewood Smoked Petite Boneless Ham, $44.99 at Neuske's

Three to four pounds of delicious ham with a pure honey glaze.

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Spiral Sliced Ham

Shutterstock

The most common ham in America, widely available at grocery and big-box stores. It’s injected with brine to speed up curing, contains nitrates, and comes already cooked (and often with a HFCS-viscous topping provided, though if the glaze is bagged on the side, you can always swap it out for something homemade like our honey-mustard glaze); sometimes sold frozen. A spiral-sliced ham‘s continuous helix cut makes it the easiest ham to serve, no knives necessary—potentially important for family get-togethers.

Typical specimens: HoneyBaked Whole Ham; Smithfield Foods Spiral Sliced Ham (not to be confused with Smithfield Country Ham, see above); Kirkland Signature Spiral Sliced Ham.

How it tastes: Salty and very sweet (thanks to the glaze), with a noticeably processed texture.

Cons: Questionable celebrity tie-ins (O.J. Simpson was an investor in HoneyBaked; Paula Deen endorsed Smithfield and their Crunchy Glaze was at one time branded as a Paula Deen product); Smithfield has been sued for animal cruelty; spiral hams are highly dangerous when frozen (see: Paula Deen, again, when she was hit in the face with a ham). Not as cheap as you’d think: A 14-pound HoneyBaked costs just almost $115 when you factor in shipping, as much as a Traditional Smokehouse ham.

Ham-snob score: 3 out of 10.

HoneyBaked Ham, $59.95 and up at The Honey Baked Ham Co.

The OG spiral-sliced option, these have been landing on holiday tables for over 50 years.

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Canned Ham

DAK/Amazon

Like Spam only larger, and available at Walmart and sketchy corner liquor stores (and online, of course). This is the go-to meat of survivalists, and the sucking sound when it leaves the can is unforgettable.

Typical specimen: Dubuque Royal Buffet Lean Ham; Celebrity Ham Cooked Canned Boneless Ham (a product of Denmark).

How it tastes: Superprocessed flavor beneath its salty, aspiclike jelly.

Cons: Starchy binders to make it cohere; overall kind of cat-food-y, only saltier.

Ham-snob score: Seriously?

Related Video: How to Make White Bean and Ham Soup

This story was originally published in December 2011. It has been updated with new images, links, and text.

All featured products are curated independently by our editors. When you buy something through our retail links, we may receive a commission. For more great hand-picked products, check out the Chowhound Shop.

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Simple Soft Sugar Cookies

Simple Soft Sugar Cookies! Soft and chewy, just like when we were kids. Serve them plain, with frosting, or sprinkled with colored sugars. They're ready for a birthday party, potluck, or bake sale!

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Carrot Cake

This Carrot Cake with pineapple and coconut is a family favorite, made every year for all sorts of celebrations from birthdays to Easter! Originally from the Silver Palate cookbook, we've made several changes to make it easier and tastier.

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Shake Shack Unleashes Game of Thrones ‘Dragonglass Shake’ and Dracarys Burger’

Looking for a cool way to ramp up for Sunday’s premiere of the year? That’s right, we’re talking Game of Thrones season eight, and Shake Shack has it all in spades.

You may have heard whispers about the secret GoT menu going down on the hush at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Square Park, but starting tomorrow—Friday, April 12—the Game of Thrones limited release menu will be unleashed at locations nationwide!

GoT menu items include a fearsome Dragonglass Shake of minted white chocolate custard, made with “packed snow harvested beyond the Wall and hand-churned by members of the Night’s Watch,” topped with “shards of Dragonglass” (a.k.a. black toffee) imported from the caves of Dragonstone, and served in a keepsake GoT mug (starting at $6.49).

The Dracarys Burger ($10.99) has all the meat you’d expect from Game of Thrones, featuring a double Monterey Jack Cheeseburger “sourced from the finest head of cattle The Seven Kingdoms has to offer” and slabs of bacon “imported from Essos,” all topped with a fiery sauce that Shake Shack warns “may be too hot for non-Targaryens.” #Shade.

Shake Shack

What’s the catch? You have to order in Valyrian. Try and order in boring old English and they’ll bust out the shame nun faster than you can say “Red Wedding.” But worry not, they’ve produced a helpful Valyrian pronunciation guide (below). And also, they’re probably not serious.

Shake Shack

If this all wasn’t exciting enough, Shake Shack has literally captured the throne—well, at least for a day. The iconic Dragonstone Throne will be stationed down at the West (eros) Village Shake Shack (225 Varick St) on Friday, April 12 from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Guests are free to assume the massive Insta-worthy throne and take pictures slurping their icy Dragonshakes. (RSVP is required but does not guarantee entry).

We’ll be there. Will you?

And no matter where you live you can get in on the GoT season eight premier fun with these wines Cersei Lannister would totally crush, or snag a few of these badass goblets for toasting the final season!

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