Choosing a Ham: Water Content - Always read the label before buying a ham. Many have a large amount of water added which means you are buying a lot of water and less meat. For this reason I often choose the Kirkland spiral cut ham at Costco. It is labeled as a “natural juices” ham which means it has less than 8% additional water from the brining process. It is still tender and juicy after roasting. A Cooks ham can contain 23% added water which means that ¼ of your ham is actually water. Also the more water in the ham, the less like lovely ham flavor you get. Hams come as giant full hams with shank and butt end attached – usually about 15 pounds! Or they come as either shank or butt. The Shank portion has more fat and is easier to carve. Many people prefer the flavor of this because of the additional fat. The butt end is usually leaner but more difficult to carve because of the bone structure. You will have to get in there a bit with your fingers.