Before you slice into a HoneyBaked Ham this holiday (because, c'mon, you know you're getting one), study up on the brand's long history.
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1. It all started with a store in Detroit.
Harry J. Hoenselaar opened his first HoneyBaked Ham outpost in 1957, after buying the HoneyBaked Ham Company from his former employer’s widow for $500. Hoenselaar had to remortgage his house to make the payment, but he was able to open the doors of his store just months later.
2. The spiral-slicing machine is patented.
Hoenselaar worked for HoneyBaked Ham before he bought the company, and he was known as the slicing pro. Over the course of eight years, he built a ton of prototypes for hand-operated machines that’d do the job, even debuting one at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. He patented his final product and made it an integral part of the HoneyBaked Ham business.
3. Every ham is hand-selected.
The brand boasts about its unmatched quality, and for good reason: All of the ones that make it to the stores have to pass a 16-point inspection — which only one out of every 10 hams clears.
4. The cooking process is top-secret, but here’s what we do know.
Hams are cooked over a special blend of hardwood chips for an entire day before they’re spiral cut. The glaze comes after the slices are made so it's evenly distributed. And about that glaze: No one knows what, exactly, it is — just what it isn’t. “Cooks have tried basic brown sugar, honey mustard, and honey pineapple ham glazes,” the company’s site reads. “But nothing beats the wonderful sweetness and crunch of the HoneyBaked glaze.”
5. You can order ham four different ways.
There are quarter hams (they serve four to six people), half hams (they come in five sizes — six to ten pounds), whole hams (you could serve a party of 36), and boneless hams (which don’t have that signature, around-the-bone, spiral cut).
6. But there’s so much more than ham.
HoneyBaked Ham makes turkey, beef, and pork, too. Plus, you could cater an entire dinner party with the app and side selections: There’s mac and cheese, spinach artichoke dip, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes, to name a handful.
7. Don’t forget about the desserts.
The company’s pies and cakes are just as beloved as its spiral hams. Chocolate-lovers will freak over the Triple Chocolate Cake (yes, it’s as decadent as you’re imagining), and indecisive eaters can opt for the cheesecake sampler, which comes with four different flavors.
8. Look for this if you want a cheaper cut.
At certain stores, you’ll find “miscuts.” There’s nothing that makes them inedible; the hams were just sliced poorly, so HoneyBaked Ham discounts them. Ask the employees behind the counter if they’ve got any before you shop the full-priced selection.
9. Cats are obsessed with the delivery boxes.
Look at HoneyBaked Ham's Instagram profile for proof. Every dozen or so photos, they feature a feline peeking out of the cardboard. We're willing to bet that if you tagged @honeybaked_ham with a similar image, they'd regram you.
10. There’s a store in almost every state.
Forty-one out of our 50 states are home to at least one HoneyBaked Ham outpost. (Sorry, Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Vermon.) That first Detroit location has closed, but another two dozen have since opened in Michigan.
11. Prepare yourself for a wait.
Some Yelpers report hour-long lines at popular locations. But they all follow up with the same sentiment: It was worth the wait.
12. The stores are totally Easter-ready.
Most of them are open for a full 12 hours a day in the days leading up to the holiday. Check your local outpost for hours.
Deputy Editor
Sarah Weinberg is the deputy editor at Delish and has covered food, travel, home, and lifestyle for a number of publications, including Food Network Magazine and Country Living. She's originally from the Bay Area, has an unhealthy affinity for the Real Housewives of Anywhere, and harbors strong feelings about fruit salad.
