How long will my ham last?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

I bought a cured bone-in ham today, butt portion if that matters. 12 pounds. I warmed it up in the oven earlier today, made potatoes and corn as side dishes. It was excellent. I even shared a bit with my cat.

So here's my question: there was a slip on the outside that said this needed to be eaten or frozen by December 31st. Does that date still apply now that it's outside the original plastic wrapping? Can I safely keep it in the refrigerator for the next few weeks, fixing various meals (especially scalloped ham and potatoes, an absolute favorite!) or do I need to freeze the leftover portions much sooner?

Because I live alone, have a small appetite, if I could actually use all the ham it would make me a minimum of 20 meals. Probably more. I hate to waste food, in no small part because when growing up, and at several other times in my life, I was relatively poor and didn't always get quite enough to eat. Getting a free meal was huge. Even though I'm now rich, compared to those days (although not rich compared to how we think of rich in this country these days) I still hate wasting food. I love being able to make various meals, especially soups, and freeze individual portions. Honestly, I can easily reduce my per-meal cost to $2.00 or less.

Anyway, again, I want help in knowing just how quickly I need to freeze portions of that ham.

Thank you. I love this forum. I learn a lot here.

[Aussie105]

1. It will last a long time.

Chill it, slice it, wrap in meal size portions.
Wrap tightly in your favourite clingwrap, then freeze.
Keep a week's worth unfrozen.

Good to infinity and beyond - well, at least well past Xmas anyway. If it lasts that long and you don't overdose on it.

The curing process preserves it.

Go easy on feeding it to pets, salt and all that.

[Irish_Dem]

2. I would divide into smaller portions and freeze within the next week.

I have a sensitive tummy and I am not going to eat any meat left in the refrigerator unfrozen
for over a month!

Don't forget to make a delicious ham and bean soup.
You can look up a recipe, you use the ham bone and some of the ham.
In the grocery store you might find the beans and the flavoring all packed in one box.

[yellowdogintexas]

4. Ham freezes very well. Like other posters said, portion it out

you can even do the prep for a particular dish before you freeze, such as your ham/scalloped potatoes.
Cube or chop the ham as you would for the dish then freeze it. It will be ready to go when you make the recipe.
SLice some for sandwiches. Bag up some for red beans and rice (A good ham bone makes the ultimate red beans and rice. )

[Aussie105]

3. Google and Bing AI provides lots of relevant answers.

Enjoy your ham!

I haven't had any for years, wifey is a militant vegan and doesn't eat anything that had a face before it died.
She has eyes like an eagle, and I'm being watched. Makes me an involuntary vegan. *Sad Face emoji*

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

6. Oh, dear.

Involuntary vegan? I would not be remotely good with that. While I want to respect individual choices, shouldn't you be making your own choices? Why should she be dictating you?

Keep in mind that humans evolved as omnivores. Also cooking food was hugely important. We are not evolved to eat only uncooked food. So anyone who tries to claim we shouldn't eat cooked food, or we should not eat meat hasn't a clue about human evolution. Personal choices are one thing. Dictating to others, not so much.

So eat what works for you, including meat. She can do what she wants, that's fine. But you should also do what you want, and she should NOT be dictating your behavior or food choices.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Answers have been helpful.

I already know ham freezes well, but what I'm trying to figure out is how long I have before I absolutely must freeze the ham. Do I actually have well into December? Trust me, I wouldn't wait until the last minute, which might be December 31, as that's the date given on the ham as the eat or freeze by date. but am I okay into the beginning of December? Or should I apportion it and freeze earlier than then?

[Cairycat]

7. Now that you have opened and cooked some

it doesn't matter what the label says - that applies to unopened food. It is now leftover and you should freeze what you don't use in the next couple days. As this points out, pathogens that can cause food poisoning can grow at refrigerator temperatures.

https://ask.usda.gov/s/article/How-long-can-you-keep-cooked-pork

[Retrograde]

8. Twelve pounds of ham for one person!?

That's a lot of ham! I try to buy the smallest I can find with a bone (because it goes great in bean dishes), and use it up within a few weeks.

Hams were designed to be kept for a long time, at least traditional brined or smoked ones were. (when I once visited my rural in-laws I got to meet this year's pig, eating watermelon rinds in its pen, and last year's pig, hanging in the smokehouse). I'd keep it in the fridge - but not wrapped in plastic: I've accumulated a lot of reusable take-out containers during lockdown, and I find those are better for storing food. 4-6 weeks seems reasonable to me if you keep it covered and refrigerated. I've never frozen the meat - although I have ham rinds and bones in the freezer.