Cooking for a Crowd - Ham Sandwiches/Meat Entree

I find that ham is usually a good value and is very easy to work with when cooking for a crowd. I go to our local wholesale meat store and get nice hams for around $1.69 a pound. (Watch for it to go on sale at your local store and freeze until your event.) Sometimes bone-in hams can be found on sale for .99 per pound. While this is cheaper per pouns, I prefer the boneless because you don't have the bone weight waste with it and the boneless slices stay nice in the roaster over the period of time for an event.

For the wedding reception with 225-250 guests I used 8 whole, boneless, fully cooked, sliced hams. I usually use 6 hams for our Customer Appreciation Day (for 150-175).

My Easy Ham Recipe for a Crowd:
Remove wrapping from hams. Place hams in 18 qt. roaster, remove any ties, and slightly separate slices. Fit in as many hams as you can. Use another roaster if necessary. Per roaster: add 3 cans of no-sugar added sliced or chunk pineapple over ham slices. Sprinkle 1 cup of brown sugar over the pineapple/ham. Pour 2 cups 7-Up, Sprite or other lemon-lime soda over all. When you buy fully cooked hams, you just need to warm the ham though. Watch closely and adjust temperature up to heat it through more quickly & turn it down once heated through to maintain serving temperature.

The great thing about ham is you could serve it as sandwiches on buns or serve it the entree meat.