Uncooked Ham: How Long Should You Cook It?

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Ham cook time can vary depending on the kind of ham you’re working with and how big it is; this can range from 3 hours for a small whole ham up to 7 hours for bigger, bone-in ham. Cooking raw ham over low heat can result in a wonderful Thanksgiving recipe, but there’s no need to wait for a special occasion! In this article, we answer the question, “How long should you cook an uncooked ham?” while providing you with tips and tricks to help you achieve great success with this cut of meat.

Table of Contents

What are the Different Types of Ham?

There are a wide range of hams available that you can buy from a local grocery store. Here are a few different kinds of ham.

Pre-cooked ham will come completely cooked by smoking, curing, or baking and will simply need to be reheated to serving temperature to ensure the best flavor.
A spiral ham refers to bone-in ham that has been sliced using a spiral-slicing machine that carves it into thin slices while keeping its centerpiece shape for a great presentation.
Country ham is a type of ham that’s cured for dry-brining; this cooking technique can last several months.
City ham goes through a wet brine for a short period of time and is kept fresh by keeping it refrigerated.

How Long to Cook Uncooked Ham?

Uncooked ham should be baked at 325°F and should be cooked until it reaches a safe internal temperature of 145°F. This cooking process should take between 22 to 26 minutes for each pound of an entire bone-in ham while a boneless ham should take around 24 to 28 minutes per pound. However, it’s also important to read labels carefully before cooking ham — many are pre-cooked, so it’s best to heat them over a lower temperature for a shorter period.

Easy Baked Ham Recipe

This baked ham recipe is straightforward and is essentially just purchasing your ham and then making your glaze to coat it in. With the instructions below, you’ll spend very little time and energy to produce great flavors that will impress guests or be served for a lazy Sunday meal.

Equipment

Roasting pan

Ingredients

8 to 10 lbs. Spiral cut ham

Honey Glaze

1 ½ cup honey
½ cup melted butter
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 ½ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground cloves

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 250°F.
Remove your ham from the packaging and place it on a shallow roasting pan or baking sheet, cut side down.
Bake it inside your preheated oven for around 15 minutes per pound, or once it reaches a temperature of 135°F to ensure it’s safe to consume.
While your ham is cooking, combine all of your glaze ingredients in a small bowl and mix it well.
When your ham reaches 135°F, remove it from the oven and brush it with your glaze generously. Heat up your oven to 400°F and bake it for an extra 15 to 20 minutes or until you see the glaze has browned.
Give it time to rest for another 15 minutes before carving it out and serving it to your guests.

Expert Tips to Get the Perfect Baked Ham

When working with uncooked ham, always choose the spiral cut which will ensure that your honey-glazed ham is much easier to serve. Moreover, the cuts in the meat will help the honey glaze penetrate further inside for better flavor.
Always cook low and slow since spiral-cut hams are already cooked; as such, you’ll want to work at a low temperature to stop it from drying out.
Give it time to rest. Once your ham is finished baking along with the glaze, try not to cut it up right away. Letting it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving it will help it stay moist and tender.
If your ham doesn’t already have it, be sure to grab a very sharp knife and score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern. Doing this allows your glaze to seep deeper into the meat and season it evenly. This cooking method exposes a juicy fat layer while increasing the surface area of your ham, which will help everything soak through.

Ham Recipe FAQs

Below are just a few commonly asked questions when cooking ham.

How Much is Ham from the Store?

In many stores, honey-baked ham can cost over $50, but getting a spiral-cut ham from your local butcher and making it yourself will taste great while costing a lot less.

How Do I Cook Honey-Baked Ham?

Honey-baked ham should always be cooked in the oven, and you will only need to use a few minutes to make your glaze while the ham bakes. The oven temperature will start at 250°F and after it cooks for a while, take it out of the oven and glaze it with the recipe above. Next, raise your oven’s temperature to 400°F and bake it for another 15 to 20 minutes to give it a golden brown color. The total cooking time will depend on the size of your ham.

How Do I Make Brown Sugar Ham Glaze?

To make your brown sugar glaze, simply combine some brown sugar, honey, ground cloves, melted butter, Dijon mustard, and garlic powder, for an easy glaze to make your ham irresistible. Alternatively, you can also make a maple spice glaze using maple syrup as the base for yet another quick and easy flavor component.

How Do I Work with Fully-Cooked Ham?

The best way to cook fully cooked ham is to follow the same recipe as above. Start by preheating your oven to 250°F then place your ham cut-side-down inside an aluminum foil and wrap up your ham thoroughly. Bake your ham for 11 to 14 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature of the ham reaches 135°F.

Next, remove it from the oven and glaze it before putting it back inside for 15 minutes at a higher temperature of 400°F. This is sure to give you ham that will get you compliments during an easter dinner or for your next Thanksgiving celebration!

How Long Will It Take to Cook Ham at 350°F?

When baking at 350°F, cooking your ham inside the oven should take around 1 hour and 40 minutes. However, many experts recommend working at 250°F since this is the optimum temperature to keep your meat from drying out. To ensure that your meat has cooked perfectly, be sure to insert your meat thermometer inside the thickest part of the ham.

Do I Need to Cover My Ham Using Foil?

There’s no need to cover your ham with aluminum foil but if you want to, then you can. However, you’ll still need to take the foil off once it’s time to glaze.

Can I Bake My Ham Inside a Glass Dish?

As long as you’re using an oven-safe option, you can bake ham inside a glass baking dish. Simply place ham inside your dish and follow the same instructions above.

How Do I Store Honey-Baked Ham?

If you cooked one too many ham steaks or have some leftover ham, be sure to wrap up your room-temperature ham leftovers inside foil and place it inside the fridge. Inside your fridge, your leftover ham should last a week at most; if you don’t plan on using it by then, it should be moved into your freezer. Doing this can be a gift to yourself in the future, so wrap it well and label it then make sure to eat it within the next 6 weeks.

How Do I Reheat My Baked Ham?

Once you decide to eat your leftovers, allow them to thaw inside the fridge overnight then reheat them inside your oven at 275°F for 10 minutes for each pound of your ham. When you’re finished with reheating your meats, you can use them in a wide range of meals such as soups, omelets, and sandwiches, among other dishes. This is why making a honey-baked ham won’t just serve you during the day it’s baked but also for the days to come!

What Can I Serve with Baked Ham?

There are a wide variety of sides that you can serve with baked ham such as a fresh salad, green beans, scalloped potatoes, sauteed greens, dinner rolls, and even sweet potatoes. You can also take your baking game to another level by adding tender spring asparagus with a creamy Alfredo sauce for the ultimate side to your baked ham.

Conclusion

This homemade recipe uses a few simple steps to ensure that you get a tasty and tender holiday meal that’s sure to impress your guests! Alternatively, you can also use uncured ham or smoked ham to bring a different flavor to the table, but sticking with this recipe is fool-proof and will certainly deliver a wonderful flavor.

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