Baked Country Ham Recipe (American Southern roasted ham) (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to cook a country ham in the oven? ›

Cook approximately 20 minutes per pound of ham. The ham will be done when it reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Remove skin and allow to cool in liquid in which it was cooked.

Put ham in large roaster fat side up and again cover completely with water. place in oven on lowest shelf and bake for 2 hours. Turn ham to other side and cook another 2 hours. It takes 4 to 41/2 hours in all or 15 to 18 minutes per pound for a good tender ham.

Water Cooking (Preferred):

After you have prepared your country ham, place it skin-side down in vessel and cover with cool water. Bring water to 190°F (simmering, not boiling). Cook about 25 minutes per lb. or until 163°F internal temperature. Add water as needed to keep ham covered.

Preparing a Country Ham

To remove the salt, you need to soak the ham. Consider this a reverse brining. By soaking the salted ham in water, the salt is drawn from the meat while adding moisture. Some say it's necessary to soak a country ham for about 6 to 12 hours.

Because of evaporation during the dry curing process, country hams are saltier and funkier, while city hams are milder and more moist. Country ham is best served sliced thin, like prosciutto or other salty, dry-cured meats, while city ham can be enjoyed in thicker cuts.

Cooking time will vary depending on the character and age of the ham, but it's done when a thermometer registers the internal temperature at 160 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, you can tell it's done when the aitch bone comes loose. Don't overcook it.

First, before placing the ham in the oven, wrap the top of the pan with aluminum foil. This helps to retain the moisture that you added as well because the juices won't escape while baking, keeping the area where your ham is cooking moist.

If you have salty ham, you should soak in clean cold water for about half an hour, changing the water three times. Drain and pat dry. This will eliminate much of the salt. Then cool it in your favorite recipe and it should turn out.

It is the salt, of course, that allows the ham to age for months without refrigeration. This is typical of all country hams. It is possible you might have to acquire a taste for country ham, but once you do you will always prefer it. Mold in no way affects the quality of the meat but rather indicates proper aging.

Whether you are cooking a bone in or boneless ham, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Start by removing the packaging from the ham (and bone guard if you're cooking a bone in ham), and you can rinse the ham before cooking if desired.

Why do people boil ham before baking? ›

Depending on how the ham was cured, it will most probably be necessary to soak the ham for 24 hours before baking it. This step isn't necessary when boiling a ham as the boiling process automatically removes any excess salt, but it is a foolish errand to bake a salt cured ham without soaking..

Place ham in an aluminum foil pan or cast-iron pan and wrap with foil. Place on grill grates and cook for 15 to 20 minutes per pound. Remove foil for the last half hour of cooking and baste with a glaze, if using. Cook until the internal temperature of the ham is 140 F.

Your ham is fully cooked. Just slice and serve. Country Hams are best served at room temperature. Or if you prefer, reheat in aluminum foil on low heat (275°F) until slightly warm.

Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 10-14 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer registers 135F. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes before serving. If the ham came with extra glaze, follow the package directions for adding it and cooking the glaze.

Bake an uncooked ham at an oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit, covered, until it reaches a safe internal temperature of 145 degrees. An uncooked 10-pound ham, bone-in will need about 3 hours.

Oven-Cooking

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Once oven temperature reaches 300 degrees, bake approximately 3 hours or 20 minutes per pound. Using a meat thermometer, check for a 163 degree internal temperature in the thickest part of the ham.