Pork, cured, ham, separable fat, boneless, heated

This is the fat trimmed away from a cooked, cured ham rather than the lean meat itself, the soft white layer that runs along the edge of a ham slice or steak. Many cooks trim it off and render it down in a skillet, using the drippings to fry potatoes, season a pot of greens or beans, or enrich a pan gravy. Some is left on and crisped in the oven alongside the ham for cracklings served at the table, especially around holiday meals when a whole cured ham is the centerpiece. On its own it carries the same salty, cured flavor as the meat, just concentrated into pure fat.

Store the fat the same way as the ham itself, refrigerated and used within a few days, or render it separately and keep the strained fat in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for cooking later. With 507 calories and 51.6 grams of fat per 100 grams, this trim functions as a cooking fat rather than a food to eat in quantity; the 8.77 grams of protein and 18% Daily Value reflect the small amount of meat still attached rather than a meaningful protein source. If the goal is a leaner ham dinner, trimming this fat away before serving cuts a substantial amount of calories while leaving the lean ham meat intact.