Baked Ham – WellPlated.com

This glazed Baked Ham will be the crowning jewel of your holiday dinner table. Sweet and savory, always juicy, and cooked to caramelized perfection, it’s sure to impress your guests—but no one will know how easy it was to make!

Why You’ll Love This Baked Spiral Ham Recipe

• An Easy Holiday Meal. I love a spiral ham. It comes already cooked and already sliced, so your only job is to glaze it and warm it up. This is not a Thanksgiving Turkey that requires you to break out the carving knife! Baked ham is simple.
• Savory, Sweet, and Succulent. Ham is is also one of the most delicious meats—it’s deeply savory, juicy, and smoky, and the traditional glaze (I use this easy Brown Sugar Ham Glaze) caramelizes on the outside to add depth and sweetness. 
• Leftovers for Days. This baked ham recipe makes a lot, which means you’ll probably have leftovers to use up—and unlike some other types of leftovers (looking at you, sad wilted salad!), ham remains delicious even after a day or two in the fridge. Use it to make Ham Casserole, or just add slices to sandwiches.

Spiral-Cut Baked Ham: A Primer

If you’re an old pro when it comes to cooking ham, feel free to skip through this section. New to making baked spiral ham? Read on!

• Supermarket hams usually come fully cooked, although some also come partially cooked. Most are also cured and smoked, hence their salty, smoky flavor.
• Spiral ham goes one step further—it’s also cut. The unique spiral cut means that it still holds its shape for that traditional presentation.
• This is convenient because: you don’t have to carve the ham! Just cut along the bone and the slices will fall off. It’s also great because spiral-cut ham is primed to absorb any glazes or marinades you add to it.

The downside of spiral ham is that because it’s pre-cooked and sliced, it’s prone to over-cooking and drying out. That’s why I don’t recommend it for Crockpot Ham. It’s a double-edged sword, friends. 

How to Make Baked Ham

The Ingredients

• Spiral Cut Ham. You can use a half ham if you’re cooking for a smaller crowd. Have a bone-in ham that’s not spiral cut? You can still cook this recipe, just add to the baking time.
• Dry White Wine. Such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon blanc. This is to marinate the baked ham (my mom’s trick!).
• Glaze. I use my Easy Brown Sugar Ham Glaze, but you can use your glaze of choice. Your spiral ham may also come with a glaze packet; you can use that instead of making your own glaze but don’t use it in addition to homemade glaze. 

The Directions

1. Marinate. Score the ham if desired, then place it in a large bowl or zip-top bag with the wine. Marinate for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.

2. Prepare. Let the ham come to room temperature for an hour, then transfer it to a roasting pan and cover the ham with foil.

3. Cook. Bake ham at 325 degrees F for 12 minutes per pound, minus 20 minutes.

4. Glaze. Twenty minutes before the cooking time is done, glaze the ham and bake at 425 degrees F for 15 to 20 more minutes. 

5. Finish. Transfer the baked ham to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes (you can make Ham Gravy with the juices while you wait), then serve. ENJOY!

What to Serve with Baked Ham

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Tent, Then Un-Tent. By tenting the ham during most of the cooking time, you’re helping keep that moisture from baking off so your baked ham is juicy and tender. But during the last few minutes of cooking time, you want to uncover the ham so the glaze gets sticky and caramelized. If you’d like, you can even broil the ham for the last minute or two of the cooking time to get the top crispy.
• Don’t Skip the Rest. Even though spiral ham is pre-cut, you still need that rest to allow the juices to reincorporate. 
• Use Bone-In Spiral Ham. Bone-in hams are more flavorful than boneless. Plus, you’ll end up with a ham bone to use for making your Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup or Instant Pot Split Pea Soup extra delicious!
• Temperature Is Key. As with Crockpot Turkey Breast and Air Fryer Whole Chicken, the timer will give you an idea of how long it takes to bake ham, but it’s the temperature that will tell you precisely when it’s done. Spiral ham should be cooked to 140 degrees F, but you can remove it from the oven at 135 degrees F because the temperature will continue to rise while it rests.
• Know How Much Ham to Make. Wondering how much ham to make per person? A typical amount for bone-in ham is 1/3 to 1/2 pound of ham per person, although some sources recommend 3/4 pound per person. If you’re serving more adults than kids, you may want to go with the bigger number!