Ree's Dr Pepper-Glazed Ham Is the Only Recipe You'll Need This Easter (2024)

FAQs

Do you cook the ham before you glaze it? ›

The idea is to wait until the ham is almost fully heated, then add the glaze as one of the last steps. You don't want to add it too early or the sugars in the glaze could cause it to burn, and you don't want to add it too late or you won't get that caramelized coating.

Place the ham in a large dish and pour glaze over the top to coat all over. Allow to stand in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Every 40 minutes, spoon the glaze that has pooled at the bottom of the dish over the ham.

Add water to the bottom of the pan and cover the whole thing tightly with foil. Bake at 325F for 16-20 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer registers 135F. Unwrap the ham and apply the glaze; increase the heat to 400F and bake for 15-20 minutes longer until the glaze is burnished.

If you don't cover your ham while cooking it will quickly dry out. Instead: Put some aluminum foil over your ham while it's cooking. It is recommended that the ham is covered for at least half of the cooking process and only removed during the last half when you glaze it.

Brush ham all over with ⅓ Glaze (Glaze will have thickened so return to heat to loosen, about 30 seconds). Leave ham uncovered to caramelize surface and bake until the ham reaches an internal temperature of around 140 degrees F, approximately 20-30 minutes, spooning juices over ham every 10 minutes.

Bake The Ham

Move the oven rack to the lowest position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the ham in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 140°F, basting every 30 minutes with 1/2 cup of the glaze.

For a precooked ham, reheat for about 18 minutes per pound to hit 140°F. In general, we prefer bone-in ham, which is more flavorful and less expensive per pound than boneless ham. Plus, you can freeze the ham bone to make stock or toss it into a pot of beans or braised greens.

Pre-Cooked and Bone-In Ham

If the ham is a half ham weighing five to seven pounds, it should heat at 325°F for 22-25 minutes per pound. If it is a whole ham weighing between 10 to 14 pounds, heat the ham at 325°F for 18-20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 140°F.

The glaze should not be applied until the final hour to 30 minutes, in order to avoid burning the sugars. What you're going to do with the glaze ingredients is just combine most of them into a paste, and then apply it to the ham. After that, the heat in your oven will take care of everything.

WARMING HAM

Heat oven to 350°F. Place ham, flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 13 to 18 minutes per pound until heated through. Remove ham from oven.

How long to cook a 3 lb fully cooked ham? ›

Allow 20 minutes per pound when calculating how long to bake a fully cooked ham. For example, if the ham weighs 8 pounds, the cooking time would be 2 hour and 40 minutes. A fully cooked half ham will weigh approximately 3 to 4 pounds. Cooking time for a 3 pound ham would be 1 hour.

If you're cooking a smoked ham that has not been pre-cooked (oftentimes labeled as "cook before eating"), you'll need to cook it at 325 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F. 10 to 14 lbs. 18 to 20 min/lb. 5 to 7 lbs.

Reheating ham via skillet is an easy way to get a few slices nice and hot in a flash. To reheat ham slices on the stove, add a few slices at a time to a skillet over medium-high heat. Add up to ½ cup of chicken broth to keep the meat moist or opt for a couple of tablespoons of butter or oil to give the ham a nice sear.

Cover with foil. Bake 2 to 2½ hours or until browned and heated through (140°F). For the last 45 minutes of cooking, uncover and spoon glaze over ham (if you're using a glaze).

Most hams are already smoked or baked, are "ready-to-eat" and labeled that way and don't necessarily need to be cooked, at least not for food safety reasons. I buy Kentucky Legend ham, glaze it and bake it, but I'll buy the same exact ham and have them slice it for lunch meat and it doesn't get cooked again that way.

If glazing a pre-cooked ham it will need to be served cold, but still makes a great ham for carving. Using a small knife, remove the skin from the ham, leaving about 1cm of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and it's ready to glaze.

Prep The Ham

Let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Brush 1/2 cup of the glaze over the ham with a heatproof spatula or pastry brush.

Glazing: Empty contents of the glaze packet into a small saucepan. Add 22 mL (1 1/2 tbsp) warm water. Heat glaze mixture on high, stirring constantly, until glaze begins to boil. Remove immediately from heat.