Cooking ham is not easy because respecting the right time and temperature is a must for achieving the optimum tenderness and flavor. These factors depend on the amount of the ham and the way it will be cooked. Ham can be purchased in two forms: city ham (you can find it in any grocery store and it comes pre-cooked) and country ham, which is sold uncooked, in most of the cases. Each of these two types of ham can be bone-in or boneless.
All these variations, as well as the weight of the ham have an impact on the way the ham will be cooked, so you should search for proper guidelines about cooking temperature and time, otherwise you risk undercooking it and develop a food-borne illness.
Besides these guidelines, you should also consider using a meat thermometer.
The steps of cooking a ham in the oven
• Step 1: Preheat your oven and do the initial preparations: wash the ham, make diagonal cuts in order to enable glaze penetration and place the ham in a roasting pan.
• Step 2: Place the roasted pan in the oven, but not before inserting the thermometer in the center of the ham (if you have a bone-in ham, the thermometer must not touch the bone). Leave the ham uncovered and bake it until it reaches 140°F .
• Step 3: Add the glaze during the last 30 minutes of baking time.
Remember – You can avoid all the cooking and make your life easier by ordering a prime spiral cut ham from the Hickory Baked Ham Company.
