Given that you're going to be out of town for the next few days and probably have quite a lot to keep you busy, I'd go with freezing. Freezing ham works quite well for the short-term. In other words, it's not a meat that keeps as well frozen as other meats. However, it'll be fine for a month or two and give you time to use it up. The bone will freeze just as well as any of the rest of the ham. Carol

Here's your recipe from the Ball Blue (Yellow) Book 2 cups dried navy beans (about 1 pound) 1 ham hock or 1/4 lb. salt pork 1/2 cup onion 1/2 hot red pepper, finely chopped salt to taste Put beans in a large saucepot; add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring beans to a boil, boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let beans soak 1 hour. Drain. Cover beans with water by 2 inches. Add meat, onion and pepper; bring to a boil in large stock pot. Cover and simmer 2 hours or until beans are tender. Remove ham hock. Cut meat from bone then dice into small pieces. Press remaining ingredients through a seive or food mill. Return meat to soup. Ladle hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Adjust two-piece caps. Process pints 1 hour and 15 minutes, quarts 1 hour, 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a steam pressure canner. Makes 5 pints or 2 quarts I usually double or triple this recipe. I skip the food mill step and add equal parts onion and carrots but don't exceed the total amount. So if I double the recipe I add 1/2 cup onion and 1/2 cup diced carrots. Another way is to just add the carrots/celery when you open the jar. That's one way to "extend" a quart jar.

Annie said it well. Most any store-bought ham has water added anyway so there's lots of liquid in there. Even those marked "natural juices" are still water-injected. Beer is another good liquid for braising if you so choose to add, but if you're heating a ham rather than roasting it, you shouldn't have any problem. If it seems to be losing all the liquid in there, add a little moisture to steam and seal it up better.

Most supermarkets have spiral cut ready to eat hams this time of the year....I happen to like Smithfield but there are others. Then put that ham, shank down cut side up ( I am trusting you won't be buying a whole ham) into a dish with sides and pour honey over it and onto the cut side.....even open up the spirals where it's cut and put some in there. Teh ham will absorb the honey....and repeat.....and perhaps a third time. Then place that ham in a roasting pan, cut side down! and heat at 325, covered or wrapped in floi until it's just heated through...for maybe a 6 pound ham that would be about an hour. Don't over bake or all the honey will leak out. Enjoy! Linda c