Hardwood Smoked Hams

140 °F

The USDA recommendations state, “Set oven temperature to 325°F. Cook all raw fresh ham and ready-to-eat ham to a minimum internal temperature of 145°F as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source.

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Heat approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound until heated through.
3. Remove ham from oven and let stand, covered, 20 minutes before serving for whole hams, or 10-15 minutes before serving for half hams.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. To heat the ham, place it on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, and bake uncovered. For a whole ham, allow 15 to 18 minutes to the pound; for a half, 18 to 24 minutes per pound. The ham will be ready when the internal temperature reaches 140°F.

Baking a ham is easier than you may think. Make sure it is covered well so the ham doesn’t dry out. Set the oven to 350 degrees and bake the ham, basting every 15-20 minutes. Uncover the ham when you baste it, but then cover it back up when you put it back in the oven.

Do not overcook the ham! — it will make the ham tough and dry. Many people who say they don’t like fried country ham have simply been the victim of an overzealous cook: brown the meat, don’t turn it to shoe leather. If the ham is too salty for your taste, soak the slices in milk or water for 30 minutes before cooking.

Gently cook the ham with at least 1/2 cup of water, wine, or stock in the pan and cover it with foil to make sure the ham won’t dry out (until you’ve applied the glaze—then, the foil comes off).

For example, it takes between 35 and 40 minutes to cook a pound of boneless shoulder roll of a cook-before-eating smoked ham. This means it takes an average of (35 + 40) / 2 = 37.5 minutes to cook a pound of this particular cut. Let’s say we want to cook a pound and a half. We will need 1.5 * 37.5 = 56.25 minutes.

For this recipe a bone-in fully cooked ham cooks for about 12-14 minutes per pound (a 9lb ham will take about 2 1/4 hours).

Reheat in a 325-degree oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 to 140 degrees. You can also place the ham in an oven bag. Figure no more than 10 minutes per pound for reheating.

Bake at 275°F for approximately 15 – 18 minutes per pound until heated through. DO NOT OVERHEAT! – Optimum ham temperature should be 135 to 145°F internal temperature after re-heating. Remove ham from oven; let stand, covered, for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Heating Ham Preheat oven to 275°F. Remove all packaging materials and place ham face down directly into baking dish or roasting pan. (Place whole ham on its side.) Cover tightly with lid, foil or place in cooking bag and heat at 275°F for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound.

Cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 275˚F for approximately 15 minutes per pound, until heated through (see chart). Do not overcook! Remove ham from oven and let stand 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

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.

Baking your ham is the hands-down best way to prepare it. Wrap your ham in aluminum foil, and place it in an oven bag cut side down inside a roasting pan. This method helps prevent you from inadvertently drying out your ham and is worth the effort.

Our winner: HoneyBaked, which was flavorful and consistently moist and tender. The Ratings give details from taste tests in which our experts sampled three hams per brand.