I can't see any reason having the butcher cut it wouldn't work if you are covering it so it doesn't get dry at the cut surface while cooking. DH was given a ham over the holidays that was more than 20#'s (not even room in the refrigerator for it that week)...we took it out to his brother farm, they cut it into three with the meat saw there. Then I wrapped and froze, just like I did with the similar sized ham the year before. One of those chunks I even slowly warmed over indirect heat on the gas grill last summer - it was good.

By uncooked ham do you mean a fresh ham, which looks like a roast of pork? Fresh meat rather than smoked or cured? I love a fresh ham roast , especially the cracklins. This is a tried and true recipe. One I have been making for almost 20 years. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Pork - Fresh Ham With Cracklings And Pan Gravy ============================================== Adapted from a Gourmet Recipe 1 fresh ham (shank end leg of pork) olive for rubbing the ham 1 tablespoon coarse salt 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled 1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard 12 ounces beer (not dark) For the gravy 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 cups chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon crumbled dried sage 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled salt and pepper to taste . With a small sharp knife prick the ham skin all over, make 4 parallel 1/2-inch-deep incisions through the skin the entire length of the ham, and rub the ham lightly with the oil. In a small bowl rub together the coarse salt, the thyme, the sage, the pepper, and the mustard and rub the mixture over the entire surface of the ham. Put the ham on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and put the pan in a preheated 500F. oven. Reduce the temperature immediately to 375 °F and roast the ham for 1 hour. Pour half the beer over the ham, roast the ham for 30 minutes more, and pour the remaining beer over the ham. Roast the ham until a meat thermometer registers 170°F.,(the amount of time will depend on the size of the roast) and let it cool on the rack in the pan for 15 minutes. Pull off the brown crisp skin, leaving the layer of fat on the ham, with scissors cut the skin into small pieces, and arrange the cracklings in one layer in a baking pan. Sprinkle the cracklings with salt and bake them in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until they are crisp and browned. Transfer the cracklings to paper towels and let them drain. Cut the remaining fat from the ham, slice the meat thinly across the grain, and arrange it on a platter. Keep the ham warm, covered. Skim off the fat from the juices in the roasting pan, add 1 cup broth and deglaze the pan over moderate heat, scraping up the brown bits. Transfer the liquid to a saucepan. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and 1/4 cup of the broth until the flour is dissolved and whisk the mixture into the deglazing liquid with the remaining 3/4 cup broth, the mustard, the sage, the thyme, and pepper to taste, and simmer the gravy, whisking, for 5 minutes. Garnish the ham with the cracklings and the watercress sprigs and serve it with the gravy. Serves 8 with leftovers. Gourmet March 1990

Snyder, so sorry that your ham didn't turn out! Ham hash is great, and cutting the ham in such small cubes would render it's tenderness (or lack thereof) moot. Deviled ham makes great sandwiches, and freezes pretty well. Do you like Split Pea soup? When I make a ham I often freeze small portions in zip lock bags with all the air pushed out to have on hand for Split Pea or other soups or to add to Mac and Cheese or Omelets. I'm not crazy about Cook's hams, but I've never had one be that tough. I don't think it was the cooking time, because if you cooked a ham long enough to dry it out and toughen it like that, the burning smell would likely notify you! Occasionally, in my restaurant days, we would get a Prime Rib that was just like chewing on rubber, and we bought a good quality! A meat rep told me once that it had something to do with the animal having a physical trauma before slaughter, but who knows if that is the truth or if he was just blathering.

I usually bring roasts, steaks, turkey to about room temp before cooking. Never thought about ham though. Just popped that 10 lb baby in the oven at 275. Dinner will be about 4 PST. Serving with hubby's favorite - fresh green beans and baby red taters, cooked in bacon fat, garlic and onions and some vegetable stock. I had a dream about this ham last night. Woke up and could have sworn I smelled it cooking. I must be looking forward to this meal! LOL