Perfect Baked Ham Recipes

PERFECT BAKED HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275°.
• Score the fat on the ham in about 1 inches diamond shapes & place a whole clove in the center of each -- 10-15 whole cloves is plenty.
• Mix the remaining ingredients together & pour into the bottom of a large roaster.
• Place ham in roaster & place in oven.
• Bake 5-6 hours.
• Check every 1½ to 2 hours to be sure there's enough liquid in the bottom of the roaster -- add HOT water as needed.
• NOTE: I don't normally glaze my ham, but if you do, I recommend making a medium-thick paste out of ginger ale & light brown sugar & glaze during the last hour or so.

PERFECT GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Dry a bone-in, fully cooked half ham (do not use a country ham) and bring to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Trim the ham skin, leaving the fat intact. Score the fat in a crosshatch pattern, making the cuts about 3/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart. Put the ham flat-side down on a rack in a roasting pan; add 1 cup water. Bake on the lowest oven rack, 40 minutes, adding more water if the pan gets dry. Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk 1 cup jam or marmalade with 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce. Brush the ham with half of the glaze; cover loosely with foil and bake 45 more minutes. Brush with the remaining glaze and bake, uncovered, until the glaze is browned, 40 to 50 more minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before carving.
• Don't toss your ham bone! Add it to simmering soups, beans or braised greens for extra flavor.
• Give your ham a great crunch: Sprinkle one of the below mixes onto the glaze before the last 40 to 50 minutes of cooking.
• Spring Herb Mix 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), 3 tablespoons each chopped parsley and chives, and the grated zest of 1 lemon.
• Cornmeal-Thyme Crush 1 cup cornbread stuffing mix; toss with 2 tablespoons chopped thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander and 1/2 cup cornmeal.
• Spicy Sourdough Grind 3 cups cubed sourdough bread in a food processor; toss with 1 tablespoon chili powder and 1 bunch chopped scallions.

GLAZED BAKED HAM

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Place ham on rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer in ham so tip is in center of thickest part of meat and does not touch bone or rest ¡n fat. Bake uncovered 1 hour 30 minutes or until thermometer reads at least 140°F.
• Meanwhile, in 1 -quart saucepan, mix brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in pineapple, lemon juice and mustard. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Brush glaze over ham during last 45 minutes of baking.
• Remove ham from oven. Cover loosely with foil; let stand 10 to 15 minutes for easier carving.

DELICIOUS BAKED HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Place ham steaks in a large square or rectangular casserole dish.
• Poke holes in the ham to allow juices to flow through.
• Sprinkle brown sugar on each ham steak and then flip to coat both sides.
• Pour orange juice over ham.
• Top with a pineapple ring.
• Bake for 45 minutes.

BAKED HAM

Steps:

• Ham labeled "Cook Before Eating"
• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. For a whole 10- to 15-pound ham, allow 18 to 20 minutes per pound; for a half--5 to 7 pounds--about 20 minutes per pound; or for a shank or butt portion weighing 3 to 4 pounds, about 35 minutes to the pound. In all cases, cook uncovered until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. For an attractive, quick finish, remove the ham from the oven about 30 minutes before it is done and glaze as directed below.
• II. Ham labeled "Fully Cooked" or "Ready to Eat"
• 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. To glaze the ham, remove it from the oven about 30 minutes before it is done, and increase the oven heat to 425°F. Remove all the rind but a collar around the shank bone. Slash the fat in the top of the ham in a diamond pattern, and cover the surface with brown sugar, dry mustard moistened with cider vinegar, prune juice, wine or ham drippings.
• Stud the fat at the intersections of the diamonds with whole cloves. Or decorate with alternating half pineapple rings studded with cranberries and stars cut from preserved orange peel.
• Return the ham to the oven, reduce the oven heat to 325°F again, and cook about 30 minutes. Place on a platter. Garnish with: Slices of jellied cranberry sauce topped with thin orange or pineapple slices.

ALWAYS JUICY BAKED HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Whisk beer, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard together in a bowl.
• Place ham cut side up in a large roasting pan; pour beer mixture over ham.
• Bake in the preheated oven until ham begins to brown, about 15 minutes, basting 4 to 5 times.
• Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cover roasting pan with lid or aluminum foil.
• Continue to bake until ham is heated through, about 90 minutes more, basting frequently.
• Remove lid and bake until ham is well browned, about 15 minutes more. Allow ham to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving.

BAKED FRESH HAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• It is not essential, but you will ease carving the ham after cooking if you run a knife around the contour of the hip bone on the underside of the ham. Run the knife down deep around the bone, but do not remove the bone now. It will be removed after cooking
• In a mixing bowl, blend the salt, pepper, cumin, garlic, sage and oil.
• Place the ham on a flat surface with the rind side up. With a boning knife, make 1/4-inch-deep gashes from the butt end to the shank and cut through the rind at 1-inch intervals.
• Place the ham in a roasting pan with the skin and fat side up; massage it all over with the spice mixture.
• Place the ham in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes and reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Bake for 45 minutes more, basting occasionally. Add the onion, carrots, celery and bay leaf. Cover with foil and reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 2 hours, basting occasionally. Add the chicken broth and continue cooking for 1 more hour. The internal temperature should be about 165 degrees. Two bones will protrude from the shank (the small end), one large and one small. If the small upper bone can be removed with a slight pull, it is an indication that the ham is cooked.
• Remove the ham from the pan, cover with foil and keep warm. Skim off the fat from the gravy with a large spoon. Strain the gravy with a strainer. Let the ham rest for at least half an hour before carving.
• To carve, run the carving knife under the rind, remove it and cut away excess fat. With the ham fat side up make a perpendicular cut down to the bone about 3 inches from the shank end and carve in thin, long slices on the bias. Serve with hot gravy.