On 19 Dec 2018, Sqwertz wrote
(in article >):

> On Mon, 17 Dec 2018 11:29:41 -0500, wrote:
>
> > Most hams are cured because fresh ham has a very short shelf life
> > unless frozen and freezing makes ham dry and tough.
> > Also a fresh ham is a large piece of meat that most people simply
> > don't buy because even half a ham is too much or they haven't a clue
> > how to prepare it. I always need to special order fresh ham, it's
> > rare to see it out in the meat case. They come in cryovaced and once
> > prepared for sale they are only good for 3-4 days.
>
> 3-4 days, baloney! They last as long as any other uncured piece of
> pig. A cryovac leg of ham will last at least 14 days. And they're
> not uncommon. Here's a 20-pounder packaged on Dec 6th and Sell By
> Dec 20th.
>
> https://i.postimg.cc/zGrbrCkJ/IMG-20181218-145645.jpg
>
> Maybe I'll even go back Thursday morning and see if they have it
> marked down to $1/lb.
>
> -sw

The problem we have in the UK with those vac packed hams, is that the meat is
impregnated with various chemicals (not just salt) in order for it to soak up
as much water as possible. Therefore its weight will increase and a certain
percentage of what we pay for is simply water.

This puts me off buying anything in those vacuum packs. In fact, I now only
buy meat from an organic farmer who uses overnight delivery. His meats arrive
in butchers paper, but with a couple of dry ice coolpacks and insulated
inside a cardboard box with rough lambswool.