20+ Of The Best Holiday Ham Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How long to cook a 20 lb pre cooked ham? ›

Place the ham, cut-side-down, on heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap the ham thoroughly. Or use an oven roasting bag; follow instructions on the bag for preparation. Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 10-14 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer registers 135F.

Best ham tips:

Naturally smoked hams usually have less water-weight and better flavour, so look for one that has a dark colour on the rind and is naturally smoked. Choose one with a good layer of fat of you are going to glaze, as that's where the flavour melts in.

Most holiday chefs can immediately eliminate fresh ham from the list, narrowing it down to city ham or country ham. City ham has a drier texture and a more intense salty flavor, so it's usually safer to go with a city ham if you're unsure whether everyone would like a country ham and looking for a crowd-pleaser.

Put the gammon into a large saucepan and pour on enough cold water to cover. Add the carrots, leek, onion, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 3 hours, topping up with more boiling water if necessary.

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.

Heat oven to 325ºF. Remove all packaging materials and place ham on its side, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover loosely with aluminum foil. Heat approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound until heated through. Remove ham from oven and let stand, covered, 20 minutes before serving.

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.

But you do need to cook it at a gentle simmer, as if you boil a ham too briskly then it can also become dry. Overcooking the ham can also cause it to become dry. It can help to take the ham out of the fridge an hour before you start to cook it, so that it loses its chill and cooks more evenly.

Bone-in ham

The bone provides the meat with better flavor and texture. As a bonus, the leftover bone is great for making soups and stews, like this Old-Fashioned Split Pea Soup. Bone-in hams are sold as half hams. When you opt for bone-in ham, you'll also need to consider the part of the ham you buy.

The most expensive ham in the world bears the impressive title of “Jamón Ibérico de Bellota 100% Puro”. And no, it's not that hams have noble titles, but with such a name, they might as well have! Produced in the green pastures of Spain, this ham comes from Iberian pigs that lead a life many of us would envy.

What is the tastiest cut of ham? ›

Rump, Butt, Or Sirloin

The rump contains the femur and pelvic bone, which can be challenging to carve around. It is a more tender and flavorful cut of meat and can often be more expensive.

Place ham in an aluminum foil pan or cast-iron pan and wrap with foil. Place on grill grates and cook for 15 to 20 minutes per pound. Remove foil for the last half hour of cooking and baste with a glaze, if using. Cook until the internal temperature of the ham is 140 F.

Depending on how the ham was cured, it will most probably be necessary to soak the ham for 24 hours before baking it. This step isn't necessary when boiling a ham as the boiling process automatically removes any excess salt, but it is a foolish errand to bake a salt cured ham without soaking..

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.

OVEN METHOD FOR HEATING HAM

BAKE AT 325 DEGREES F FOR 16-20 MINUTES PER POUND, UNTIL A MEAT THERMOMETER REGISTERS 135 DEGREES F. UNWRAP THE HAM AND APPLY THE GLAZE; INCREASE THE HEAT TO 400 DEGREES F AND BAKE FOR 15-20 MINUTES LONGER UNTIL THE GLAZE IS BURNISHED.

Cooking Temperature and Time

If the ham is a half ham weighing five to seven pounds, it should heat at 325°F for 22-25 minutes per pound. If it is a whole ham weighing between 10 to 14 pounds, heat the ham at 325°F for 18-20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 140°F.

Though the actual temperature may range, a fresh ham is generally smoked low and slow, generally from 225°F to 325°F, in order to keep that big hunk of meat tender. Its internal temperature needs to reach at least 145°F, and that can take from 5 to 10 hours depending on the size of the ham and the cooking temperature.

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.