There are many reasons beyond taste to choose ham for Easter and all year long, according to Snyder. Ham comes from one of the leanest fresh pork cuts, the leg. Many hams today are as much as 57 percent leaner than those of 20 years ago. In fact, an average 3-ounce serving of ham has only 140 calories, 6.5 grams of fat and 48 milligrams of cholesterol. And some ham is even leaner.
Purists prefer bone-in hams, as the bone adds flavor and is useful later for stock.
But the hams available today are virtually foolproof to fix.