Cooking Ham Instructions

Cooking ham instructions vary depending on what type of ham you are cooking.

Ham is a fabulous entrée that can feed a large number of people. Fresh ham is the hind leg of a pig that is uncured, which means that it has not been smoked or cured in any way.

Dry-cured hams need more attention, but the flavor that develops during the curing process is worth the effort.

If you have a fully cooked ham, all you need to do is heat it to serving temperature. Just pop the fully cooked ham into a preheated 425 degree oven and let cook to an internal temperature of 140 degrees. Then, use your favorite ham glaze recipe to add the final touch to your ham.

Fresh hams can be as small as 10 pounds or as large as 45 pounds, but for the average-sized holiday party, a 15 pound ham will be more than enough to feed everybody with about a pound of ham per person. You probably won’t be serving a full pound of ham to each guest, but the bone, if you have a bone in ham, will be some of the weight and the leftovers can be used in several different recipes including deviled ham. Be sure to save the ham bone for soup.

Although most fresh hams available in the store have cooking ham instructions on the package, these basic instructions are a good place to start.

• 1 10-15 pound fresh ham

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Do not remove any fat or rind that is on the ham.
3. Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan.
4. Bake for 18 minutes per pound.
5. Test the temperature; it should be cooked to 160 degrees.
6. Let cool for 10-15 minutes.
7. Remove the rind and fat. Slice and serve.

Country style hams are hams that have been dry-cured. These are hams need to be soaked before cooking. Ham instructions for these types of hams often require the cook to soak the ham for several hours or even overnight.

You may be thinking that soaking a ham for such a long time is more effort than a dinner is worth, but one you taste your country style ham you will change you mind. This kind of ham may actually become your favorite.

• 1 country ham (about 10 pounds)
• 1 quart of apple cider
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

1. Place the ham in a large pot and cover with cold water.
2. Place the ham in your refrigerator and let soak for 24-36 hours, changing the water occasionally. Two water changes should be enough.
3. Remove the ham from the water and scrub it thoroughly with a stiff brush. A wire brush works well here. Be sure to scrub off any mold that is on the ham. The mold is a natural occurrence and is not a sign that the ham is bad, but the mold is not good to eat.
4. Place the ham in a large pot.
5. Fill the pot with water.
6. Simmer the ham for 20 minutes per pound. For a 10-pound ham, that is about 3 hours.
7. After the ham has simmered for 2 hours and 15 minutes, add the apple cider and ¼ cup of brown sugar to the water.
8. Let the ham simmer for 45 minutes more and remove the ham from the pot.
9. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
10. Remove the skin from the ham.
11. Leave a thin layer of fat on the ham, about ¼ to ½-inch thick.
12. Sprinkle the ham with ¼ cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of ground pepper, and ¼ teaspoon of ground cloves.
13. Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan and bake for 15 minutes or until the glaze is set and the ham has an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

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