Instructions: If pork is the other white meat, then what are we to make of ham? The nations pork producers have done a masterful job of promoting pork tenderloins, chops, ribs and roasts as everyday alternatives to chicken, but the publicity blitz somehow left ham behind.

The following recipe and tips should help ham earn more respect at the dinner table. Ham is one of the easiest meats to prepare. There are only two things a home cook needs to do: Buy the right type, and then dont overcook it.

Look for this exact wording on the packaging: ham with natural juices. That is the industrys terminology for hams that retain very little water from the curing process. Sold bone-in or boneless, these hams are attractive and ready to eat. They can be served straight from the package or warmed slowly in a 325-degree oven, with or without a glaze.

Hams labeled water added or ham and water product are much less expensive, but will shrink and weep if exposed to heat. Some owe as much as 35 percent of their weight to water. They are an economical choice for ham sandwiches.

Hams labeled country-style, old-fashioned or Smithfield are dry-cured by rubbing salt and spices into the surface and aging the ham. Popular in the South, they are quite salty and are usually served in small portions, sliced very thin.

The term fresh ham can fool people. Its simply plain, raw, uncured pork.

When cooked, it is grayish white, not pink, and it tastes like a pork loin or chop, not ham.

Hams sold with glazes already applied should be removed from the refrigerator one to two hours before warming. Wrap them in foil, place them on a baking pan, and follow the package directions for heating. A good guideline is 10 minutes per pound at 275 degrees.

Sales of canned ham and ham steaks are on the wane but overall ham sales increased markedly within the last five years because of one product that has revitalized the industry: the ready-to-eat spiral-sliced ham popularized by the Honey Baked Ham Co. and its growing chain of retail stores.

Figure on two to three servings per pound for bone-in ham and four to five per pound for boneless ham. Then allow two servings per person, to account for second helpings and leftovers you may want.

Calculated another way, plan on a half-pound of sliced ham per person

(including leftovers) for a sit-down dinner, or one-third pound per person for a buffet.

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