This oven-baked ham recipe is so simple, with no scoring and no studding with cloves. This recipe uses a moist heat cooking method for the first half, and the ham is finished with a blast of high heat to caramelize the surface. The result yields meat that is juicy, tender, and full of flavor. This baked ham recipe is perfect for entertaining!
Last Christmas, I bought a half, bone-in ham from Dakin Farm. I scored it, studded it with cloves, and baked it as directed for 10 minutes a pound at 325ºF. During the last 15 minutes, I cranked up the heat and brushed it with a simple glaze, a mix of brown sugar, maple syrup, and freshly squeezed orange juice.
In my post Christmas after-action report, I wrote: “The ham was spectacular; the mustard sauce outrageously delicious.”
But I had questions still: Was scoring necessary? Were cloves necessary? Was a glaze even necessary?
And so I emailed Dakin Farm: To Score or Not? A man named Eric wrote me back and said, “My advice to everyone is to add a little water to the pan and cover with foil. This really helps in preventing the ham from being dry.”
He also noted that studding with cloves is not necessary, but it won’t dry the ham out either. And added that glazing is nice for visual purposes.
This all made sense to me, and the next time around, I followed his advice. I roasted my unscored, un-cloved whole ham (a 13-pounder) for an hour and 45 minutes at 325ºF in a pan with a little bit of water covered in foil. For the last 30 minutes, I removed the foil, cranked up the heat to 425ºF, and generously glazed the ham twice at 15 minute intervals.
The result? A beautifully burnished, glazed ham with super moist, tender meat. And no thanks to anything I did: the meat was super flavorful.
The Secret to Baking A Good Ham?
… lies in the ham. If you buy a good one, you’ll bake a good one. If you buy a bad one, you won’t. No glaze or scoring or cooking technique will save a bad ham. You’re not marinating or brining a ham (and how nice!) — you’re simply heating it through. And the glaze, while delicious, doesn’t penetrate beyond the outer layer.
As you can gather, I am a huge fan of Dakin Farm (no affiliation here! just a fan!) For as long as I can remember, my Vermont aunt and uncle always have had some sort of Dakin Farm ham product on hand when we visit, and it is always fabulous. I’ve purchased both their whole and half hams, and they never disappoint. A half ham will feed at least 12 people, making the cost per serving about $4.66.
My mother’s advice regarding ham is to never buy a spiral or frozen ham. One year, I bought just that: a frozen, spiral ham (from a highly regarded source). It looked beautiful emerging from the oven — and I thought: just this once, I’ll show her! — but in the end, it was dry and flavorless. Should have known.
Friends: If you have any ham-baking tips or sources for favorite hams, please share in the comments.
Brown Sugar Ham Glaze Recipe
A ham glaze recipe should include something sweet — brown sugar, sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc. — which will promote good caramelization in the oven. There is no need to glaze the ham throughout the entire cooking process — during the last 30 minutes (with the oven cranked up to 425ºF) will suffice and will leave the ham beautifully burnished.
To make this glaze, stir together:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Halve the recipe if you are making a half ham.
Easy Ham Recipe – How to Bake a Ham
FAQ
How long does it take to roast a ham at 350?
What temperature do you cook a ham roast?
Is a ham roast fully cooked?
How long to cook a 10 lb fully cooked ham at 325?
How long do you cook a ham roast in the oven?
Mix maple syrup and balsamic vinegar and bast roast with that. Place ham roast in the oven, and set the timer for 10-15 minutes of cook time. Baste roast every 5 minutes or as often as you like at this stage of cooking! After 10-15 minutes, turn the ham roast over and baste the other side, roast for another 10-15 minutes to brown both sides.
Is honey baked ham as good as regular ham?
The addition of honey will affect the calorie content of the food. One tablespoon of honey contributes to approximately 64 calories. In addition, the use of heat when making baked ham will reduce the quality of the honey.
How long does a ham take to cook?
Take note of the ham’s weight, type, and cut. Calculate the cooking time by multiplying the weight with the recommended minutes per pound or kilogram of cooking time. For example, a 2lb (0.9 kg) ham that’s smoked, cooked, and spiral-cut requires 10–18 minutes per pound to cook, which means it will take approximately 62 minutes to cook.
Is a ham roast pre cooked?
A ham roast is not pre-cooked like a typical precooked ham variety, spiral-cut ham, ham steaks, country ham, city ham, or cured ham. A fresh ham roast is raw ham called “fresh” since it is uncured, uncooked, and unsmoked. Fresh ham is not processed in any way.