How Many Pounds of Ham to Feed 8 People

Quick Answer

Well, if you are just making ham for one person, you'll need around three-quarters of a pound of ham.

If you extrapolate this out, you'll need around 8 pounds of ham to feed about 10 people.

So you're up to your arms in gravy, potatoes and ham preparing for your Easter dinner, and you're scratching your head wondering how much ham will go around for 8 people.

How much boneless ham can you prepare for 10 people? But that's not all you'll want to know, is it?

In this article, we'll cover boneless ham, how to cook the ham before preparing and what kind of appetizers you can serve with your ham.

So what are you waiting for? Let's tuck in!

So, How Many Pounds Of Ham Do You Need For Your Party?

You'll need around three-quarters of a pound of ham to feed just one person.

So all you need to do is work out how many people you'll be having and adjust accordingly.

Because this is not a whole number, you'll always have that little bit of ham leftover, as you'll want to buy more than you actually need.

There are plenty of things you can do with this leftover ham.

You can make cold cuts for sandwiches or even save some for your dinner at the end of the day.

We'll give you some tips on how to store your leftover ham later in the article.

So if you are making ham for a party of 8 people, then you'll need around 6 pounds of ham exactly.

One of the perks of this is the fact that you'll need exactly 6 pounds of ham, which means that there will be nothing left uneaten.

But what about different types of ham, such as boneless and bone-in spiral ham?

Will they need to prepare in a different method to the regular type of ham? Well, keep reading to find out!

Cooking Boneless Ham

What is boneless ham? Well, the name of it should give you a clue.

Boneless ham is where all the bones are removed before the ham is sold. This is usually done by the butcher.

There is plenty of added salt and water that will keep this ham together. It is then wrapped tightly to preserve all of the goodness.

This also makes it easy to store and much easier to avoid waste.

If you are using boneless ham, then you can guarantee there will not be a lot of waste after you have used it.

This is because there is zero fat and bones in boneless ham. If you are looking to be economical with your dinner party.

It will really help when you are preparing this meal, as you can eat all of it, and you won't be throwing any of it in the bin afterward.

This will change the equation slightly and exactly how much ham you'll need per person when you are cooking.

If you are working with boneless ham, then you'll need a lot less in terms of weight.

We would recommend that you only have around one-third or one-half of a pound of boneless ham per person.

So if you are holding a dinner party for around 8 people, then you'll need to pick up only 4 pounds of boneless ham.

If you are going to be buying meat for larger groups of people, then you'll more than likely be looking at around 10 pounds of ham.

One of the great things about this is that you will need far less ham than the people consuming it.

Cooking Bone-In Spiral Ham

This type of ham has another clue in the title. Bone-In spiral ham comes with a large bone running through the center.

This will obviously affect the weight and how much you'll need for serving your guests.

Therefore you'll be expecting to have a larger weight of ham per person. This is what we've based our initial calculation on.

If you are working with bone-in spiral ham, then you'll need around three-quarters of a pound of ham per person.

However, if you are going with bone-in ham, then we can understand why you might not want any left over.

This is why we would suggest that you round it up and get one full pound of ham per person.

Working out the amount of ham that you'll need beforehand will be the ideal way of minimizing waste.

You could buy less ham and actually reduce the serving weight that people will get.

Now that we've covered the two main types of ham, we'll be having a look at country ham and how much you'll need to serve one or a party of people.

Cooking Country Ham

So, if you are going to be serving country ham, then you'll only need around half a pound of it per person.

You might even decide to go with a little less, serving only around a quarter of a pound of country ham per person.

But what is country ham? Well, this type of ham is usually heavily salted in order that it can be preserved.

This type of ham is usually a lot heavier than boneless and bone-in spiral ham, so you'll actually need a lot less of it.

There are plenty of reasons why you should go with country ham, one of the main ones being that you can actually serve it as pretty delicious buffet meat.

By serving it up as buffet meat, you'll also be able to lower the number of servings.

This is because people will usually take less than they would normally eat if it was served up to them on a plate.

However, you'll always want to be safer than sorry, so we would recommend that you stick to the three-quarter rule for country ham, just to make sure that everyone gets their recommended portion size.

So now that we've given you the lowdown on how best to dice up your ham, what appetizers and serving suggestions are there for this meat?

What Appetizers Go With Ham?

One of the great things about ham is that it is incredibly versatile. So when it comes to ham appetizers, there are plenty to choose from.

Here are some handy ham appetizer recipes that we've found that should get your guests' mouths watering:

Ham And Pineapple With BBQ Sauce Glaze

As we all know from pizza, ham goes great with pineapple.

This is why these ham and pineapple skewers really work, providing each other with very complimentary flavors.

However, this does not contain any bread or other ingredients that might bloat your guests before the main meal.

With these skewers, you can be sure that your guests will have something to warm up their stomachs without leaving them too full.

Add to that the BBQ glaze, and you really have something that will give you a kick to the teeth when you eat it.

Ham And Cream Cheese Roll-Ups

Next up, we have some ham and cream cheese roll-ups that not only taste delicious, but they look fantastic on the plate.

The cream cheese acts as a paste that will hold the ham together in tight rolls.

This comes with a pickle in the middle that will give this soft and melty food that much-needed crunch.

Another great thing about ham and cream cheese roll-ups is that they only take around 10 minutes to make!

This is ideal if you are in a hurry.

Ham And Cheese Sandwich

Now we're sticking with the ham and cheese theme, with some ham and cheese sliders that will be great for both adults and children.

You can heat these up before serving so that the cheese is partially melted over the ham. We all know how tasty hot ham is too!

We would recommend that you use Swiss cheese and apply plenty of butter for that creamy aftertaste.

We can't think of anything better to start your meal with.

Pear Proscuitto

Now we're moving on to something a little bit more adventurous, with some pear prosciuttos that contain pear, honey, basil, fresh tomatoes, blue cheese and, of course, ham.

The sweetness of the pear really contsarats icely with the smoky meat flavor of the ham.

Add to that combination other fresh vegetables and seasoning and you have something that will confuse but inevitably delight the taste buds.

How You Can Buy The Right Ham For You?

Buying the right type of ham will all depned on how many people you are inviting to your party or gathering.

If it is a low-key affair, then you might not want to spend a lot of money on larger hams, as you might experience a lot of leftover meat once you are clearing away the plates.

However, if you are serving 20 or more people, then buying a larger ham might be more cost-effective.

However, when you are doing this, you'll also need to think about how you are going to store it in case you do have some leftovers.

How To Cook Your Ham Properly?

Now, there are some hams that will not need to be cooked at all. Cured ham, for instance, is best served as it comes, cold from the wrapping.

However, if you are going to be serving cured ham, then you won't be losing any poundage in the meat-cooking process.

How To Preserve Your Leftover Ham?

Once you have cooked your ham, you'll need to make sure that it has settled to room temperature before you put it in the fridge.

This will reduce the chances of bacteria forming. Once you have done this, then wrap the ham loosely, so there is enough space for air to circulate.

Then you should place the leftover ham in the fridge. Make sure that the fridge is cool.

Cooked ham will last around 3 months in the fridge before it starts to go off.

Conclusion

We hope that this article has helped you answer the question of how many pounds of ham you should serve per person.

Remember that one person will on average consume three-quarters of a pound of meat, so take that into consideration when buying it.

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Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!

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