Need to know how to cook a spiral ham for the upcoming holiday? It's an extremely simply process and I'm here to guide you! And actually, spiral cut ham comes fully cooked, we just need to warm it up and add delicious glaze.
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Spiral ham is often the center of a gorgeous Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter dinner spread along with sides like scalloped sweet potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, creamy corn casserole and cranberry sauce.
Move over turkey! Because ham is truly the easiest main course. It's juicy, flavorful and beginner friendly. Not super experienced in the kitchen? This is a great option when hosting a holiday meal.
Plus, ham comes pre-cooked and pre-sliced so you don't have to worry about cutting or carving it.
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Do I Need A Special Roasting Pan?
You can totally get by with a regular 9x13 inch baking dish. I like using my roasting pan with rack because it decreases bake time. It's also really big which makes the process easier in general.
How Long To Bake Spiral Ham
Cook time depends largely on 3 factors: Ham size and shape, oven temp and type of roasting pan.
Size & shape: A stout, round ham will take longer to bake. A slim, tall ham with more bone protruding from the top will cook faster. And of course, a bigger ham will need more time.
Roasting pan: A roasting pan with a rack will decrease bake time by keeping the ham elevated and creating better heat circulation. A regular baking dish works fine, but it will take longer. You can also use a large, disposable aluminum roaster pan from the grocery store!
Oven temp: You'll find instructions for baking ham right on the packaging. Often, an oven temperature of 275°F is suggested, but I heat my oven 325°F to speed things up a little.
All factors considered, you'll need to plan on cook time of 10-20 minutes per pound. Of course, it's better to be conservative when planning. I like to start at 10 minutes per pound and increase as needed.
Ingredients
- Spiral bone-in ham: Ham shows up in most grocery stores about a month before the holiday. You can buy them well in advance as they typically last 1-2 months in the fridge. You'll find a variety of sizes between 8 and 12 pounds.
- Brown sugar: Dark or light.
- Honey dijon: Or regular dijon mustard mixed with a drizzle of honey.
- Orange juice: Fresh or bottled. I've tried both and fresh didn't make a huge difference in flavor. You can also use another fruit juice. Pineapple is a popular variation.
- Optional cornstarch: If you want to use pan drippings to make ham gravy, be sure you've got some cornstarch on hand.
- Note: Spiral-cut ham does come with a glaze packet, but I much prefer a simple homemade option.
Instructions
Scroll to the bottom for full recipe card and measurements. We’ll start here with an overview and step-by-step photos!
Make ham glaze:
- First, preheat your oven to 325°F.
- Whisk brown sugar, honey dijon mustard and orange juice together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Apply half of glaze:
- Remove packaging from ham and double check the flat side for a bone protector (hock lock). This is a small plastic disc that prevents the bone from piercing packaging. If present, remove and discard.
- Place ham in a big roasting pan atop rack. You can use a regular 9x13 inch baking dish and no rack but bake time will increase (see recipe card notes).
- Brush half of your homemade brown sugar glaze onto the ham. I temporarily lay my ham on it's side to work glaze between slices.
Cover and bake:
- Arrange ham flat side down and cover tightly with aluminum foil. I always end up using two large sheets to cover the pan completely. A foil covering will keep your ham from drying out!
- Bake 10-20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature registers 130°F.
Finish glazing:
- Remove ham from the oven and brush with remaining glaze.
- Increase oven temp to 400°F and bake ham, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes until glaze becomes sticky and caramelized. Watch closely to avoid burning.
Serve and enjoy:
- Remove glazed ham from the oven once it reaches 140°F. Let it rest 15-20 minutes. This allows juices to re-distribute throughout the meat so try and avoid diving in too fast.
- For special occasions, plate ham and garnish with fresh herbs and orange slices.
Stacey's Top Tips
- Oven temp: Ham packaging often suggests baking at 275°F, but a hotter oven will speed things along. I preheat mine to 325°F.
- Baking dish: A roasting pan and rack is my preferred method for cooking ham but a baking dish works fine, it will just take longer!
- Glazing ham: I apply half of my glaze before baking and brush the rest on towards the end. Some ham recipes suggest waiting towards the end of bake time to glaze at all to prevent burning sugar. I've not had this issue at an oven temp of 325°F when covering ham with foil.
- Avoid dry ham: Use a foil covering and make sure not to overcook. A meat thermometer will allow you to know exactly when the ham is done.
- Basting: You do not need to baste continually throughout baking. This spiral ham recipe is pretty hands-off.
- Gravy: To make a simple gravy, pour pan drippings into a small saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat. Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch together with ¼ cup cold water. Stir into drippings and simmer until thickened!
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How To Cook A Spiral Ham
Equipment
- Roasting pan with rack *or baking dish *see note below
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1 8-12 pound spiral-sliced ham *See note below
Glaze Ingredients
- ⅔ cup brown sugar *dark or light
- ⅓ cup honey dijon mustard *or regular dijon mixed with honey
- ¼ cup orange juice *or pineapple juice
Optional spices:
- Add a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon or ground cloves to your glaze if desired!
Slurry ingredients (for optional gravy):
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
Recipe notes:
Roasting pan vs. baking dish: A roasting pan with rack will decrease bake time by keeping ham elevated and creating better heat circulation. A regular baking dish takes longer but works fine. Ham per person? I recommend ¾ pound per person when buying a bone-in ham. 12 people x ¾ pound = 9lb bone-in ham. Ham: Ham will show up in stores about a month before the holiday. Purchase a bone-in, spiral sliced, fully cooked ham. Packaging will generally specify pre-cooked, but you can ask at the meat counter if unsure! Oven temp & cook time: Ham packaging will often suggest a temp of 275℉ but I like my oven hotter because the ham cooks faster. Also note: a round shaped ham will take longer than a taller, slim ham.Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325℉. (Some ham packaging materials will suggests an oven temp of 275℉, but I've found that 325℉ works better).
- Remove packaging from ham and double check the flat side for a bone protector (small plastic disc). If present, remove and discard.1 8-12 pound spiral-sliced ham
- Whisk glaze ingredients together in a small mixing bowl.⅔ cup brown sugar, ⅓ cup honey dijon mustard, ¼ cup orange juice
- Place ham in your roasting pan or baking dish. Brush with half of the brown sugar glaze. I like to temporarily lay ham on its side to work glaze between slices!
- Arrange ham flat side down, cover tightly with foil and bake 10-20 minutes per pound. I start at 10 minutes per pound, then add more time as needed. Bake time varies greatly depending on ham size and shape (also a roasting pan will cook ham faster than a regular baking dish)!
- When a meat thermometer registers an internal temperature of 130℉, remove from the oven and brush ham with remaining glaze.
- Increase oven temp to 400℉. Bake ham an additional 10-15 minutes until it reaches an internal temp of 140℉ and glaze is sticky and caramelized. Watch closing to avoid burning.
- Let your ham rest 15-20 minutes then serve! Thankfully a spiral ham is pre-sliced so you don't have to worry about carving or cutting it. Just tear slices away from the bone and enjoy.
Optional Gravy:
- If you want to make a simple gravy, pour pan drippings into a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk corn starch and cold water together and stir cold mixture into the hot drippings. Simmer until thickened!1 tablespoon cornstarch, 3 tablespoons cold water
Storing leftovers:
- Place leftovers in an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Refrigerate 3-5 days or freeze 1-2 months. Reheat in the microwave.I like using my leftovers for ham and bean soup, ham and cheese egg bites or ham fried rice! I also wrap my ham bone in plastic wrap and freeze it for split pea soup.
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