How to prepare a ham (2025)

FAQs

How do you prep a ham? ›

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.

Points to remember

If necessary, soak the gammon (ham) in cold water to reduce saltiness, according to butcher or packet instructions (most do not need this anymore as curing methods have changed). Weigh to calculate the cooking time. Place in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil.

Whether you are cooking a bone in or boneless ham, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Start by removing the packaging from the ham (and bone guard if you're cooking a bone in ham), and you can rinse the ham before cooking if desired.

The goal is to reheat the ham without drying it out. The best way to do this is to place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Add water to the bottom of the pan and cover the whole thing tightly with foil. Bake at 325F for 16-20 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer registers 135F.

If you don't add any braising liquid you can risk your ham coming out of the oven completely dry. Instead: Cook your ham in chicken broth, orange juice, or cider vinegar to avoid your ham coming out dry. You can also add some herbs such as sage to the liquid to add even more flavor to the ham.

Cook to 163 degrees internal temperature (or about 25 minutes per pound). Add water to keep ham covered.

Begin the Curing Process

Country hams–most popular in the southern U.S.–are heavily salted and dry-cured. Then, there's “wet curing,” known as brining. Here, the ham takes a plunge into a special liquid mixture infused with salt, sugar, and a symphony of spices.

Frequent basting during the cooking time is key to a juicy ham.

Why cook a precooked ham? ›

In fact, most ham that is sold to consumers is already cured, smoked or baked. As a deli meat, it can be eaten right out of the refrigerator, but other hams are typically reheated for improved flavor and texture.

Peach preserves, hot pepper jelly, and maple syrup work as sweet bases for glazes that add sheen as well as distinct flavor. Tasty additions such as aromatics, herbs, and spices switch up a traditional ham and make it truly memorable.

A great way to keep your ham from drying out, is to place the ham face down into a baking dish or roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil. Keeping it covered with aluminum foil (or heavy duty foil) will keep that moisture in!

Bake the ham in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 140°F, basting every 30 minutes with 1/2 cup of the glaze. Be sure to keep an eye on the ham, and cover it loosely with foil if it starts getting too dark.

The glaze should not be applied until the final hour to 30 minutes, in order to avoid burning the sugars. What you're going to do with the glaze ingredients is just combine most of them into a paste, and then apply it to the ham. After that, the heat in your oven will take care of everything.