Ham is the perfect main dish for a party, full stop. With tender, flavorful meat and a burnished, crackly crust, ham can be a showstopper, and the fact that it fills the house with a heavenly scent doesn’t hurt either. Furthermore, ham requires minimal hands-on work, which enables the hosts to leave the kitchen and join in on the fun.
For these reasons and then some, it’s no wonder that ham is so often the main dish at Easter and Christmas. If you’re intimidated by cooking ham, fear not because we made this guide to answer your most commonly asked questions. From types of ham to how to carve, we will show you how to cook ham at home so you and your loved ones can enjoy it!
Types of Ham
Shopping for the perfect ham to feed your friends and family? There are three main varieties of ham that you can buy: city ham, country ham, and fresh ham.These come in different sizes with or without bones. Here's what you need to know.
Whole vs. Half
Whole hams typically weigh between 10 and 18 pounds, which is great for a party but not for a smaller dinner (unless you want leftovers). If you want to make ham for a smaller group, you can buy a half—either the shank or the butt.
We prefer the shank because it’s easy to slice and has more fat, which translates to more flavor. However, if you’re looking for a leaner cut, go for the sirloin; just know that the sirloin has a tricky bone that you’ll have to carve around. When we explain how to cook the three varieties of ham, we’ll focus on whole hams, not half hams.
You’ll often find hams with a “water added” label. We suggest avoiding hams with excess water because it leads to less flavorful meat with a mushy consistency.
Boneless vs. Bone-In
All three varieties of ham can be found either bone-in or boneless. We recommend buying bone-in ham, which is decidedly more flavorful and supple. In our opinion, it's worth the extra effort to carve. If you’re more concerned with convenience, boneless ham will do the trick, but don’t expect as delicious a result as bone-in.
Keep an eye out for spiral-sliced bone-in ham, which is cut with a special machine to make carving a breeze. All you’ll need to do is make one lateral cut, and you’ll be left with perfect, detached slices without sacrificing the quality.
Allot ½ pound to ¾ pound per person for bone-in ham. For boneless ham, a ½ pound per person should do the trick.
How to Cook City Ham
The most widely available type of ham is city ham, which comes fully cooked and cured in a saltwater brine. When you think of what ham looks and tastes like (pink, tender, savory), you’re likely thinking of city ham. City ham can come smoked or unsmoked and can be sold pre-sliced, as in a spiral-cut ham.
Since city hams are fully cooked when you buy them, you can serve them at any temperature, from frigid to blazing hot. We like to serve city ham somewhere in the middle. Here's the best way we've found to warm it up:
- Wrap the ham in foil.
- Heat it in a low oven (somewhere around 250°F to 325°F) for a couple of hours or until warmed through.
How to Roast Country Ham
Common in Appalachia, country ham is cured with a dry rub, then hung out to dry and sold uncooked. The curing and drying process yields an intensely flavored, salty meat with a drier texture than city ham. Cooked at 325°F, a low and slow country ham takes about 20-25 minutes per pound to cook.
The country ham cooking process should start the day before, with a long soak in cold water to get rid of any excess salt. Change the water every six or so hours, and scrub the surface of the ham if you find that salt chunks remain. The next day, when you’ve removed the country ham from its bath, follow the steps below.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Prepare a roasting pan with a rack by pouring in 2 to 3 cups of water.
- Add the pre-soaked country ham to the pan, and wrap the whole pan tightly with foil so that it will steam in the oven.
- Let the country ham cook for about 3 hours (depending on its size), or until the internal temperature reaches at least 145°F. We like to cook ham until it reaches 160°F.
- Let the ham rest for at least 20 minutes before proceeding. Tent it with foil while resting to preserve moisture.
While these cooking times are a good estimate, take them with a grain of salt because every ham is different, as is every oven! Just give yourself plenty of time, and have a meat thermometer ready so you know when the internal temperature reaches at least 145°F.
How to Roast Fresh Ham
Fresh ham is uncured and uncooked—just the raw meat as it is. Keep in mind that fresh ham is difficult to source, and you’re more likely to find city and country hams at your local grocery store. A fresh ham takes about 15 minutes per pound to cook at 350°F.
You'll be in for a delicious treat if you're able to find a fresh ham. Fresh ham is known for its juicy interior and crispy skin exterior. Follow these steps to roast your fresh ham perfectly.
- Take the ham out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the ham skin-side down in a roasting pan, and, depending on its size, cook for about an hour before turning it skin-side up and roasting for another 2 to 3 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 160°F. Baste the ham periodically with the juices it releases.
- Let the ham rest for at least 20 minutes before proceeding. Tent it with foil while resting to preserve moisture.
If you’re in the mood to jazz up your ham, you can score it, which just means making shallow, decorative incisions with a knife before putting it in the oven. Scoring also helps spices penetrate the meat.
Another way to make it your own is by adding a glaze—like honey-ginger—to the ham when it gets out of the oven or in the last minutes of cooking. While unnecessary, a glaze adds a nice sweetness and glossy finish to the ham.
How to Carve a Ham
The easiest way to learn how to carve a ham is by watching an expert. Or you can follow these steps:
- Trim 1 to 2 slices off the bottom of the ham to create a flat, steady base.
- Place the ham flat-side down on a cutting board.
- Make vertical cuts perpendicular to the bone, starting from the narrow end and working towards the thicker end. Slice only as much ham as you need.
- Then, cut along the bone to release the slices.
- Wrap any leftover ham tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate.
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