How to Cook a Ham

Hams may be fresh, cured, or cured-and-smoked. The usual color for cured ham is deep rose or pink; fresh ham (which is not cured) has the pale pink or beige color of a fresh pork roast; country hams and prosciutto (which are dry cured) range from pink to mahogany color.

Hams are either ready-to-eat or not. Ready-to-eat hams include prosciutto and fully cooked hams; they can be eaten right out of the package. Fresh hams and hams that are only trichina treated must be cooked by the consumer before eating; these hams will bear the safe handling label.

You can save the drippings from the ham. They will be quite salty and will need to be diluted with water or chicken stock. About halfway through baking the ham, add water to the bottom of the pan so the drippings do not burn. Drippings are useful for making Ham Bone Dumplings, Red Eye Gravy, or Ham Gravy (thickened with flour and maybe some cream added), but you do need to be careful about how much you use as they are salty.

Quantity to Buy:

When buying a ham, estimate the size needed according to the number of servings the type of ham should yield:

1/4 to 1/3 pound per serving of boneless ham
1/3 to 1/2 pound of meat per serving of ham with little bone
3/4 to 1 pound of meat per serving of ham with large bone.

Timetable for Cooking Ham

Set oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Both cook-before-eating cured and fresh hams should be cooked to 160 degrees F. Reheat fully cooked ham to 140 degrees F.

Cut Weight/lbs Minutes/lb SMOKED HAM, cook-before-eating Whole, bone in 10 to 14 18 to 20 Half, bone in 5 to 7 22 to 25 Shank or Butt Portion, bone in 3 to 4 35 to 40 Arm Picnic Shoulder, boneless 5 to 8 30 to 35 Shoulder Roll (Butt), boneless 2 to 4 35 to 40 SMOKED HAM, fully cooked Whole, bone in 10 to 14 15 to 18 Half, bone in 5 to 7 18 to 24 Arm Picnic Shoulder, boneless 5 to 8 25 to 30 Canned ham, boneless 3 to 10 15 to 20 Vacuum packed, boneless 6 to 12 10 to 15 Spiral cut, whole or half 7 to 9 4 to 18 FRESH HAM, uncooked Whole leg, bone in 12 to 16 22 to 26 Whole leg, boneless 10 to 14 24 to 28 Half, bone in 5 to 8 35 to 40 COUNTRY HAM Whole or Half (Soak 4 to 12 hrs in refrigerator; then boil, covered with water. Drain, glaze and brown at 400°F 15 minutes.) 10 to 16, whole; 5 to 8, half 20 to 25

Ham Do's And Don'ts

Do allow the ham to sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before cooking.

Do trim the fat, leaving a 1/4" layer. Score the fat into a diamond pattern by cutting 1/4" to 1/2" deep into 1" to 2" squares. Not only does scoring look nice, but it allows fat to render from the ham and provides greater surface area for the glaze to stick to. You may not be able to score a ham that has been "super trimmed" and has little fat left.

Do use a sharp carving knife with a thin blade to cut the ham, or buy a spiral-sliced ham.

Don't baste the ham with its drippings during cooking, as they tend to be too salty.

Don't coat the ham with sugar, honey or glaze until the last hour of cooking. One application is usually enough.

Don't throw out the ham bone, use it to flavor soups or bean dishes.