I picked up a honey baked ham but wasn’t able to get it refrigerated for about 2 1/2 hours. We are gonna eat it on Christmas eve anyways, but wondering if in doing so we will get Listeria or something 
It was still cold in its foil wrapping
Note: I know this isn’t related to Movies, TV etc, but it is offtopic!
Thanks!
I would eat it.
How cold is cold? According to the USDA, 2+ hours at 40+ degrees Fahrenheit (~4 Celsius) is in the “danger zone.” If you got it frozen, though, it’s probably ok, depending on the weight.
The key temperatures are 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Microbes live in between those temps. So if you have a meat thermometer, check for 140 degrees Fahrenheit when you cook it.
In other words, if the ham is 140 degrees Fahrenheit internally that will kill all germs.
Also the converse is true. If you are eating cold ham pieces out of the refrigerator, and their temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, any germs are killed
BTW, depending on the thickness, most hams or any meat will continue cooking a little even after taking it out of the oven by about +10 degrees Fahrenheit
You can see this using the meat thermometer. It’s really neat
A ham left out for a few hours is probably not spoiled
Freezing food doesn’t kill germs, it just stops them from multiplying. Any germs that were present in the food before it was frozen are still there and can continue to multiply after the food is thawed out. Putting food that’s gone bad in the freezer doesn’t make it safe to eat again.
That said, if the ham was still wrapped up & cold I doubt it would go bad in just a couple hours. I’d still eat it. Especially considering that honey baked hams have already been cooked once, it’s not like it’s raw meat.
Another thing worth noting is that some bacteria produce toxins, so depending on the food in question and how long it’s been out, even cooking it may not make it safe since those toxins aren’t getting removed, even if the bacteria are killed.