# Do they still make 5-pound canned ham? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 4, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570 "2026-10-04T03:14:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/1 "2026-10-04T03:14:04Z")
Growing up, a ham dinner was made with a five-pound canned ham. (Dad would score the top, put a whole clove in each intersection, and then cover it with orange marmalade.) Do they make five-pound canned hams anymore? Just looking on Amazon, I only see one-pound ones. [Full disclosure: I make spiral-cut, bone-in hams. Just wondering about the canned hams for nostalgia’s sake.] ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/2 "2026-10-04T05:17:42Z")
Right-clicking your question “Do they make five-pound canned hams anymore?” and choosing “web search”, I get > [@](#): > > Yes, five-pound canned hams are still made and sold by major brands > > . [[1](https://www.kroger.com/p/hormel-black-label-canned-ham-limit-2-at-sale-price/0003760030996), [2](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:1448157283801634385,catalogid:2271344152910031374,gpcid:9271646971167533630,mid:576462885782024685&ibp=oshop), [3](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:5029523719670539365,catalogid:16809972964074224012,gpcid:2314582873418436628,mid:576462666233121721&ibp=oshop)] > > - **[Hormel Black Label / Water Added Canned Ham](https://www.google.com/search?ibp=oshop&prds=pvt:hg,pvo:48,mid:576462666233121721,imageDocid:9338157312086805500,gpcid:2314582873418436628,headlineOfferDocid:2604000138382005203,catalogid:16809972964074224012,productDocid:5029523719670539365&q=product&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2hbKmzZ-XAxWKEzQIHeAsJGoQxa4PegoIAggACAAIGxAE):** Hormel continues to produce 5-pound fully cooked canned hams. > - **[Dubuque Royal Buffet Canned Ham](https://www.google.com/search?ibp=oshop&prds=pvt:hg,pvo:48,mid:576462885782024685,imageDocid:5889421719977426829,gpcid:9271646971167533630,headlineOfferDocid:5271313333819416997,catalogid:2271344152910031374,productDocid:1448157283801634385,rds:PC_9271646971167533630%7CPROD_PC_9271646971167533630&q=product&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2hbKmzZ-XAxWKEzQIHeAsJGoQxa4PegoIAggACAAIGxAI&biw=360&bih=649&dpr=3):** This brand (owned by Hormel Foods) offers a 5-pound (80-oz) shelf-stable canned ham. > - **Availability:** You can find them at select grocery stores and regional chains such as Kroger, [Hy-Vee](https://www.hy-vee.com/aisles-online/p/49199?srsltid=AU7gw4XiXl8Yy_mvaEfrn1nwI9rvzFz-ptas5mt75_D5F6kDZeH4fxAXSPQ), [ShopRite](https://www.shoprite.com/sm/pickup/rsid/815/product/hormel-water-added-ham-5-lbs-id-00037600309967?srsltid=AU7gw4WzExbYAHn9SnrKWGZG1xKF6L1H8RMcPmYM06mWzhTfVa57jXXpfNw), and various regional markets, typically priced between $18.99 and $24.59. [[1](https://shop.savemart.com/store/savemart/products/42888-dubuque-royal-buffet-ham-5-lb), [2](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:5029523719670539365,catalogid:16809972964074224012,gpcid:2314582873418436628,mid:576462666233121721&ibp=oshop), [3](https://www.kroger.com/p/hormel-black-label-canned-ham-limit-2-at-sale-price/0003760030996), [4](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:1448157283801634385,catalogid:2271344152910031374,gpcid:9271646971167533630,mid:576462885782024685&ibp=oshop)] > > If you are looking to buy one locally, tell me your **ZIP code or city** so I can check which nearby grocery stores currently stock 5-pound canned hams. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/3 "2026-10-04T05:54:46Z")
I bought a couple of one pound canned hams a while back and it was a barely solid glob of watery ham paste. Sub-Spam/Treet quality, repulsive texture, made only marginally edible by cooking until firm-ish. I’m not sure if you would be able to find a good, 30-year-ago quality canned ham. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/4 "2026-10-04T07:10:48Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’m not sure if you would be able to find a good, 30-year-ago quality canned ham. Were they better or did we just have worse palates? I’ve turned into a horrendous ham snob in my middle age and overpay for the good (or at least better) stuff. But before I was quite so bad, remembering the old canned hams of my youth I tried one maybe a decade or so ago and had about the same experience as you. Which made me wonder if they had always sucked and I just couldn’t tell the difference when I was sixteen or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/5 "2026-10-04T13:49:28Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > If you are looking to buy one locally, tell me your **ZIP code or city** so I can check which nearby grocery stores currently stock 5-pound canned hams. I did what you did, and entered my ZIP code. Not available here. I asked if Kroger-owned Fred Meyer sells them, and they don’t. I asked ‘can i order 5-pounds hormel black label ham?’ Yes! I clicked the link to Kroger that was provided. It came up with a page, but it’s unavailable. > [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I’m not sure if you would be able to find a good, 30-year-ago quality canned ham. > [@Tamerlane](#): > > Were they better or did we just have worse palates? When I was a kid, ham came in cans. That’s all there was, and it was good. But as I said, I buy spiral-cut, real ham on the bone; not because the 5-pound canned hams are unavailable (here, apparently), but because I prefer natural meat to chopped-and-formed loafs made from bits. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/6 "2026-10-05T02:26:02Z")
Just FYI, the trick to making a grocery store ham (not canned) even better is to smoke it again. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/7 "2026-10-05T02:52:35Z")
I have no idea why this thread interested me so much. I spent 30 minutes trying to make it work, and getting a LOT of (wrong) answers from various AI search engines. IE it lied to me about five times and when I exhausted all the options, I asked “why?”. The final answer per the free, browser based Gemini: > Large 5 lb. pear-shaped canned hams (including [Hormel](https://www.hormel.com/product/canned-ham/) and **Dubuque** ) are now strictly managed by regional brick-and-mortar grocery chains. Because they require temperature-stable handling and are incredibly heavy for standard mail, stores like Sam’s Club, Walmart, and regional chains have completely restricted them to local pickup or localized delivery vans. They will not put them in a FedEx, UPS, or USPS box. [[1](https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/hormel-canned-ham), [2](https://www.hormel.com/product/canned-ham/), [3](https://www.google.com/search?q=product&prds=pvt:hg,productid:1448157283801634385,catalogid:2271344152910031374,gpcid:9271646971167533630,mid:576462885782024685&ibp=oshop), [4](https://www.samsclub.com/ip/CANNED-HAM-5-LB/15292474917)] And even then, I think it’s wrong. While a 48oz Hormel offering comes up on Walmart, if you try to order, it says “We Couldn’t Find this Page” and offers zero “similar” suggestions! A longshot seems to be Tony’s Fresh Market, a smaller Illinois chain: > **[Home - Tonys Fresh Market](https://www.tonysfreshmarket.com/)** That swears they have the[Dubuque 5lb can](https://shop.tonysfreshmarket.com/store/tonys-fresh-market/products/42888-dubuque-royal-buffet-ham-5-lb) in stock (physical locations) and available for local delivery. You could check with a local SDMB member, and ask them to confirm if it exists. At which point, I suspect you’d be in for a road trip, or pay said board member to pack it _carefully_ and ship it to you at probably usurious rates, given what I paid to mail my Dad a care package of home baked cookies last year (over $50 USD for under 2lbs with 2 day shipping that took 4!)… But given all the difficulties, triple down on asking a local 'doper about said claims, because I no longer believe. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/8 "2026-10-05T03:39:47Z")
[![](https://i.ibb.co/fVMChWj2/Gemini-Generated-Image-h48t0hh48t0hh48t.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/fVMChWj2/Gemini-Generated-Image-h48t0hh48t0hh48t.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/9 "2026-10-05T14:11:18Z")
Big, five lb canned hams are widely available at regional+ sized grocers. They last forever and are mostly bought seasonal so might be hard to find inside the store, tucked back in under the pie crusts or ground beef chubs. They might be closer to the deli or take&bake pizza display than the butcher. Edit: When I get in the mood, the canned ONE pound hams are almost perfect, no week of salty regret. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/10 "2026-10-05T15:04:05Z")
This is just my opinion, but I feel like they’ve been replaced by those packaged boneless, spiral cut, pre glazed hams you can buy now. At walmart they have either a gold or purple packaging and are sold in the meat department. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/11 "2026-10-05T15:37:52Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > They last forever and are mostly bought seasonal so might be hard to find inside the store, tucked back in under the pie crusts or ground beef chubs. Hehe, their ability to last is amazing. Back when I worked at Kroger in the 80s the first product I saw that had its label bleached out by the lights to where it no longer had any red in it was a canned ham in the refrigerated section. It was still within its expiration date, but the can looked ancient. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2026, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-still-make-5-pound-canned-ham/1033570/12 "2026-10-05T16:05:08Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > still within its expiration date I’ve noticed that the canned foods with the longest Use-By lives seem to be substantially meat in content. These canned hams, imported South American beef, Vienna sausages, kippered herring, hash might be good for 5 years but green beans for two. I can picture those off season hams, dented, faded, fuzzy with contact-acquired price labels, dairy leaks, onion skins & reefer dust bunnies. I think they might be behind the buckets of hog livers or over by the cheesecakes.