How Long to Cook a Ham (2024)

FAQs

How long do you cook a fully 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.

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.

Whole, bone-in

10 to 14 lbs. 18 to 20 min/lb. Half, bone-in 5 to 7 lbs. 22 to 25 min/lb.

Once oven temperature reaches 300 degrees, bake approximately 3 hours or 20 minutes per pound. Using a meat thermometer, check for a 163 degree internal temperature in the thickest part of the ham. Remove ham from oven when correct internal temperature is reached and let cool to room temperature for one hour.

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.

For cooked hams that have been repackaged in any other location outside the plant or for leftover cooked ham, heat to 165 °F (73.9 °C). 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.

To reheat a spiral-sliced ham in a conventional oven, cover the entire ham or portion with heavy aluminum foil and heat at 325 °F for about 10 minutes per pound.

Oven-Baked Spiral Ham

Since the ham is already cooked, your goal is to thoroughly heat it without drying it out. That means you'll want to opt for low and slow cooking rather than high and fast heat. That said, there isn't one perfect temperature to set your oven at – anywhere in the range of 250ºF to 350ºF will work.

Uncooked and Bone-In Ham

A half ham weighing between five and eight pounds requires 35 to 40 minutes of roasting at 325°F per pound. For whole bone-in hams weighing 12 and 16 pounds, cook the ham at 325°F for 22 to 26 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 145°F.

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.

Do you cover a ham when baking? ›

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.

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.

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.

If you're starting with a pre-cooked ham, you'll only need to cook your ham long enough to heat it all the way through. Total cook time will depend on the size of the ham, your cooking method, and the cooking temperature. In general, you'll want to plan for 10-16 minutes per pound.

If you are baking a precooked, bone-in spiral cut ham, the great news is it's already cooked and you're just basically reheating. The bad news is if you over bake it, you can dry it out easily. Since it's already sliced, it really doesn't take much to dry it out.