One of my favorite things to buy at Costco is the Kirkland Master Carve Ham. These fully cooked half hams are a delicious lean protein that make for easy meals. Not only are these apple wood smoked boneless hams tasty, but they are also extremely budget friendly.
Why the Ham is Great
I love the Master Carve Half Ham for a number of reasons including:
- Easy Serving
- Great Value
- Perfect Size
By the way, everything below applies equally as well to Costco’s Oven Browned Turkey Breast so you might want to check that out as well.
Easy to Slice and Serve
This is a boneless half ham which means that it is easy to slice and carve. You can make the slices as thick or thin as you want and you don’t have to work around a huge ham bone. This is a stark contrast to those spiral sliced whole hams you see around the holidays.
Great Value
Since there is no bone there is also no waste with this ham.
A subtle but important detail about the Master Carve ham is that it comes package with “natural juices”. What this really means is that the ham is not pumped with the water or pork broth that is added to many commercial hams to artificially increase the weight of the product.
So, between the absence of a bone and the lack of added water you are actually getting what you paid for and not wasting any money.
Perfect Size
The half ham typically weighs about four pounds which makes it the perfect size for multiple scenarios. You can use the ham for:
- A dinner for four people
- An easy “add on” for a holiday feast
- Something to keep in the refrigerator for easy sandwiches
The size is so much more convenient than those big spiral sliced bone in hams.
Heating Instructions
These hams are fully cooked and ready to eat so no heating is required.
If you would rather eat the ham warm instead of cold then Costco provides the following heating instructions.
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Remove the ham from the plastic packaging.
- Wrap the ham tightly in aluminum foil.
- Place the foil wrapped ham on a baking sheet.
- Bake the ham for 12-15 minutes per pound until an internal temperature of 130F is reached.
- Remove the ham from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove the ham from the foil, slice and serve.
These hams typically weigh between 4-5 pounds so plan heating one up to take about an hour.
Nutritional Information
The hams have the following nutritional information based upon a three ounce serving.
- Calories: 140
- Fat: 8g (10% DV)
- Cholesterol: 50mg (17% DV)
- Sodium: 860mg (37% DV)
- Carbs: 3g (1% DV)
- Protein: 14g
The hams are low in calories and fat while being high in protein. The only real negative about the hams is the elevated salt content which results from the curing process used to turn the pork into ham.
Recipe Ideas
This ham can be used a hundred different ways.
The official Costco Facebook Page has a wonderful video showing two suggestions for using the ham. The first recipe is using a package of King’s Hawaiian rolls and other ingredients to make baked ham sliders. The second recipe uses Kirkland Five Cheese Tortellini and peas to make a delicious pasta dish.
I have been known to cut off slices and eat them straight out of hand for a quick snack.
I am also more than happy to throw some slices on a couple pieces of white bread with mayonnaise and mustard for an easy sandwich. If you wanted to kick it up a bit you could add a fried egg.
You can dice the ham and add it to some Kirkland egg whites for a high protein, low fat omelet.
If you want to have a hearty family meal then serve the ham with Reser’s scalloped potatoes and a Caesar salad.
I have been trying to watch my calories recently so I am eating this ham with a LOT of veggies. My favorite dish so far is the cube the ham and cook it with Tattooed Chef’s Riced Cauliflower Stir Fry and a big shot of Trader Joe’s Green Dragon Hot Sauce.
Filling, flavorful, spicy and low calorie. That ticks all of the boxes for me!
Kirkland Master Carve Ham Veggie Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 12 ounce Veggie Cauliflower Rice Mix Tattooed Chef Brand
- 1 cup Kirkland Master Carve Ham Diced
- 1 tbsp Hot Sauce of Choice Trader Joe's Green Dragon
Instructions
- Add 2 tsp of canola oil to a wok and heat over high heat.
- Add the frozen cauliflower rice and toss every minute.
- After five minutes add the diced ham and hot sauce.
- Heat through for three more minutes and serve.
Price
The Master Carve Ham is Item Number 46655 and is found in the refrigerated shelves near the deli counter.
The ham costs $3.39 per pound with an average weight of four pounds so expect to pay about $14.
What portion of the hog does the master carve half ham come from
Back leg
I had heating issues with this ham. It was just under 4 lbs, wrapped in foil, pre heated oven, wasn’t even close to being warm/hot after an hour. Put back in for another 1/2 hour. Still not even close to 130, took it out anyway, since the potatoes and rolls were ready 1/2 an hour earlier
I think you may have a problem with your oven. May I suggest you check your range with a manual temp gauge? The second suggestion is to use a toaster oven if you have one; I find this a great way to prepare these hams. I also set my range and or toaster oven to 325 degrees when heating these hams. Another thought are you using an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature of the ham?
How long can an unopened Master Carve Half Ham Boneless be frozen.
The exact same problem happened to me that Kathy Crawford reported. I also had a cold ham following the instructions! Thankfully I used a thermometer to check it and didn’t just pull it out and serve it! It was still ice cold in the middle! I use my oven often….it doe’s not have temp issues.
Can a glaze be used on these hams — or is it already favored enough with the smoked applewood? Had thought about trying the Boar’s Head Brown Sugar Spice ham glaze, but that might be too much! Appreciate any feedback!
You could glaze the ham but I don’t think it is needed.