PREVRA Ham Cooking Temperature Chart: Safe Core Temperatures for Every Type of Ham
A clear reference chart showing safe cooking and reheating temperatures for fresh gammon, cured ham joints, and pre-cooked ham. Includes holding times and EHO expectations for verification.
Why ham is more complicated than most chefs realise
Ham is not one product — it is a category. Fresh gammon must reach 75°C core temperature for at least 30 seconds, the same as any raw pork product. But pre-cooked, cured ham only needs reheating to 75°C if you are serving it hot to vulnerable groups. Cold-served cured ham that has been properly manufactured is ready to eat, provided your storage and slicing hygiene are sound.
The counter-intuitive fact: gammon and ham are the same cut of pork. The difference is processing. Gammon is raw and must be cooked. Ham has been cured (and usually cooked) and is ready to eat. Confusing the two is a common cause of undercooked pork in UK kitchens — and a guaranteed EHO enforcement action.
Using this chart in your daily kitchen prep
Display this chart near your cooking stations and probe thermometer storage. Check the core temperature of every ham joint at the thickest point using a calibrated probe — avoid touching bone, which gives a false high reading. Record the temperature before the product leaves the cooking area.
If you are cooking multiple joints simultaneously, probe the smallest one — it reaches temperature first, and if it is safe, the larger ones still cooking will be too. Digital SFBB lets your team log temperatures instantly from any device, flags readings outside safe range, and builds a complete cooking record your EHO can review at a glance.
Prevra · Early access
Prevra is building a digital SFBB app.
The app is not ready yet. See the planned features and contact us about early access.
See planned features