Australia’s best Christmas hams revealed

On the hunt for a winning Christmas ham? Well, Australian Pork has done the work for you, revealing Australia’s best supermarket hams for 2020, just in time for the big day.

The country’s major supermarket chains, such as Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA and Costco, were all put to the test, with hams being judged on appearance, texture, aroma and taste.

German retailer Aldi took out the top spot and claimed the title of ‘Overall Favourite’ thanks to its Triple Smoked Ham Half Leg. The $11.99 ham is cured, cooked and triple smoked with natural wood using traditional European methods and was described by the judges as “A good-looking, strong ham, with a uniform colour and a long-lasting smoky taste that isn’t overpowering.”

Meanwhile, Costco’s $7.99 Central Highlands Pork Ham on the Bone took out the ‘Best Overall Value’ award. According to judges, the very tender ham, which is made with 100 per cent Australian outdoor bred pork, won the award thanks to its “well-balanced taste between sweet and smoky” and “would make the perfect baked ham”.

While these two hams took out the top awards across all supermarket chains, Australian Pork also looked at the best hams for each individual retailer.

For Coles, the retailer’s Beechwood Smoked Half Leg Ham ($9) came in at number one, followed by its Triple Smoked Free Range ($14). Meanwhile, the Bertocchi Festival Ham ($10) was awarded third place.

At Woolworths, the Bertocchi Semi Boneless Shoulder Ham ($8) took out the top spot, followed by the D’Orsogna Jarrah Honey Leg Ham ($20) and Woolworths’ Bone-in Half Leg Ham ($9).

Over at Aldi, to no surprise, the Triple Smoked Ham Half Leg ($11.99) came in at number one, followed by Berg Deli Australian Half Leg Ham ($8.99).

Meanwhile, Naturally Smoked Leg Ham ($9) claimed the top spot at IGA, and Central Highlands Pork Ham on the Bone ($7.99) won the top award at Costco.

The results come as a survey by Australian Pork revealed Christmas ham is one of Australia’s favourite festive food items, with 55 per cent of respondents saying they’d pick ham over seafood (35 per cent), pork crackling (31 per cent) and pavlova (28 per cent). The survey also revealed funds are a bit tighter this year, with 37 per cent of people admitting they will try to spend less on food this Christmas than they have in previous years.