How to Cook a Ham for Christmas

Ham

Almost everyone can remember how delicious Grandma’s cooking was at Christmas, especially the honey-glazed ham, mashed potatoes, green beans with slivered almonds, and for dessert, apple pie à la mode.

While you may not be able to outdo Grandma, you can certainly make an excellent ham with these helpful tips on how to shop, select, and prepare it. The result will be a ham that tastes far better than deli ham—one that reflects your personal touch.

  1. Shopping. For the best prices, check newspaper ads. Many grocery stores use certain items as “loss leaders” to draw in customers. They know that once you’re in the store, you’ll likely buy other items, making up for the profits they lost on the ham. A common example of a loss leader is Thanksgiving Day turkeys for 28 cents a pound.
  2. Selection. Your choices include boneless ham, bone-in ham, or even a spiral-cut ham. It’s important to test the ham for firmness. Press hard on several areas of the ham; soft spots indicate excess fat. You may not want a whole ham, so consider cuts with bone-in options, such as the shank or butt portions. The butt portion yields more of the center-cut slices, while the shank cut is great if you plan to use a flavorful hambone in a later dish. Both cuts will taste similar.
  3. Cooking. Once the ham is selected, decide how to season it and what you’ll cook it in. For flavor, traditional options like maple, orange, or honey make excellent glazes.

Cook Your Ham in a Cooking Bag

You can cook a ham in any roasting pan that is at least 2 to 2-1/2 inches deep. If your pan doesn’t have a cover, aluminum foil can be used to tent the ham and keep its juices inside. Many people opt for cooking ham in a Reynolds cooking bag because it’s mess-free and requires little prep once the ham is in the oven. The only real work is setting the timer and checking the ham when the timer goes off. To cook with a bag, you’ll need to know the weight of the ham.
If using the cook-in-bag method, you’ll find a leaflet of instructions with a timetable for cooking per pound of meat. Be sure to select the correct bag size for the ham. Place three to four tablespoons of flour in the bottom of the bag, then place the ham inside and brush on your chosen glaze. Seal the bag and cut three slits at the top to prevent the bag from bursting as it expands in the oven.

Make sure the oven rack is low enough so the bag doesn’t touch the top or sides of the oven, as this could cause the bag to melt or stick.

Baked Ham: Traditional Cooking Method

If you prefer not to use the bag method, you can follow the traditional baking method instead.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the ham in a deep enough baking dish or roasting pan to avoid overflowing juices during cooking. Brush the ham with your glaze, reserving some for basting every 30 minutes until the ham is done. After baking, remove the pan and let the ham cool at room temperature, making it easier to slice. Once cooled, transfer the ham to a serving platter and garnish with a few sprigs of parsley. Enjoy!

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