How to Cook A Ham

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Ham is the centerpiece for many holiday gatherings from Easter to Christmas. But cooking your first ham can seem like a daunting task.

There are a number of choices available when selecting a ham. For this article, we will deal with a ham that has been previously cooked. A fully cooked or smoked ham can be purchased frozen or refrigerated, so you'll need only to bake it long enough to reheat. *Refrigerated ham needs to be used within 3-5 days of purchase.

Here's some basic instructions for baking a perfect ham:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

fully cooked or smoked ham (14-16 lbs)
meat thermometer
roasting pan
aluminum foil OPTIONAL ORANGE GLAZE
1/2 cup Dijon or country style mustard
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 orange, zested
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 cup orange marmalade

Step 1

Orange Glazed Ham

If you've purchased a frozen ham, you will need to defrost it first. DO NOT LEAVE OUT ON A COUNTER. The best way to thaw a ham is in the refrigerator. You'll need approx. 4-6 hours of thawing time per pound, so a large family size ham will need to be defrosted the day before you cook.

You can also use the cold water method.
Step 2

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put your ham in a foil lined roasting pan, place a meat thermometer in the ham and bake for 1-1.5 hours. Your ham is done when the internal temperature reaches 130-140°F however, take your ham out when it is within 125-130°. The ham will continue to cook once you've removed it, for another 10-15 minutes, reaching the desired temperature. After the 10-15 resting period, you can transfer your ham to a serving platter, slice and serve.
Step 3

GLAZING OPTION:
I prefer to bake a ham with an orange glaze. To do this also, combine mustard, brown sugar, orange zest, juice and marmalade. Using 3/4 of the mixture, glaze the ham prior to baking. Add the remaining glaze to the top of the ham for the last 15 minutes of cooking time.