Bone-in or boneless? Ham tastes equally delicious with or without the bone, so answering this question is a matter of appearance versus convenience. Bone-in ham is considered classier and preferred by purists, but boneless ham is easier to serve. One way to get the best of both is to ask your butcher to spiral slice your bone-in ham.

Dry-cured or wet-cured? Dry-curing entails rubbing a mix of salt and spices into the ham’s surface, while wet-curing involves a brine solution. The dry method is used for country hams, which are more expensive and harder to prepare, so most families enjoy wet-cured ham.

Precooked or uncooked? In the majority of circumstances, we recommend you go with precooked ham. Precooked ham takes much less time to warm up, or it can even be served at room temperature.