New Year's Day Fresh Ham Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How long should I cook a ham for? ›

Ham is traditionally baked in the oven. Cook for approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound at 300 F. No matter the size of the ham and the temperature of the oven, it should be cooked until the internal temperature reaches 140 F. Covering with foil throughout the cooking process keeps it moist.

MUST get rind on – you need to get the ham with the skin on (called the rind) in order to make glazed ham. The rind is that orange rubbery skin on top of the fat in the photos above and below. You need rind because the fat under the skin is what becomes sticky and golden once basted with ham glaze.

If the ham has a rind (skin), you can cook it or remove the rind before cooking. Using a sharp knife and leaving a thin layer of fat, trim rind and any excess fat from ham. Score rind or fat in a criss-cross pattern to make diamonds.

Not Covering Your Ham

If you don't cover your ham while cooking it will quickly dry out. Instead: Put some aluminum foil over your ham while it's cooking. It is recommended that the ham is covered for at least half of the cooking process and only removed during the last half when you glaze it.

Why slow cook ham? Slow cooker ham is infinitely more tender for a fall-off the bone texture. A low, consistent heat over hours breaks down the collagen and connective tissues, which tenderises the meat.

Cook all raw fresh ham and ready-to-eat ham to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

After soaking, wash ham thoroughly in warm water. Use a stiff brush to scrub ham thoroughly and remove all pepper and surface mold, if present. Mold is very common on these uncooked hams and is no way injurious (like aged cheeses mold in the aging process).

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the ham on a rack in a large baking pan and add about 1/4- to 1/2 inch of water to the pan. If the ham is labeled "fully cooked" (does not require heating), heat it in the oven for about 10 minutes per pound, or to an internal temperature of 140 F.

While baking a show-stopping ham is simple and easy, be sure to leave yourself plenty of time to bring the ham to room temperature for an hour (for even heat distribution) as well as up to 2 1/2 hours to bake it long, low and slow, depending on your ham's size.

Do you cook a ham face down or on its side? ›

Place ham, flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 13 to 18 minutes per pound until heated through. Remove ham from oven. Glaze as directed below or let stand, covered, 10 minutes before serving.

Baked Ham Best Practices

Cook fat-side up in a roasting pan filled with about 1/2 inch of water covered tightly in foil for the bulk of the time. During the last 30 minutes, remove the foil, crank the heat up to 425ºF, brush with a simple glaze at least twice. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Smoked Ham, Uncooked

If you're cooking a smoked ham that has not been pre-cooked (oftentimes labeled as "cook before eating"), you'll need to cook it at 325 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.

Any meat that is roasted in the oven needs moisture so it won't burn at the bottom of the pan or dry out. The trick is to make sure you add some kind of liquid to your pan. So here's the hack: Add half a cup of wine or stock to the bottom of your pan before popping that ham in the oven.

Put the ham, flat-side down, on a rack in a roasting pan. Add a cup of water to the bottom of the roasting pan, which will steam as the ham cooks, keeping it moist. Cover the pan with foil.

Heat oven to 350°F. Place ham, flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 13 to 18 minutes per pound until heated through. Remove ham from oven.

Place the ham in a shallow roasting pan, cut side down. Cover with foil*. Bake the covered ham for 12-15 minutes per pound or until the ham reaches 140°F*. If adding ham glaze, add it during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold, right out of the package. However, if you want to reheat these cooked hams, set the oven no lower than 325 °F and heat to an internal temperature of 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

The bake time for a ham at 250 degrees will vary depending on the size of your ham, but you should plan on around two hours. The general rule of thumb is to bake ham at 250 degrees for 15 minutes per pound.