New Year's Day Fresh Ham Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What temperature is a fresh ham done? ›

Cook all raw fresh ham and ready-to-eat ham to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

The term ham refers to the cured leg of pork. A fresh ham would be an uncured leg of pork. The fresh ham will have the term “fresh” in the title of the product. The term fresh means that the product has not been cured in any process.

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.

Cooking Temperature and Time

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.

Place the ham in a roasting pan and rub it with your choice of seasonings: A mixture of salt, pepper, garlic and herbs always works well. Cover with foil and cook in a 350 F oven for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 F.

Uncured ham, also labeled as "fresh ham" is the same cut as cured ham.

Ham is the cured leg of pork. Fresh ham is an uncured leg of pork. Fresh ham will bear the term "fresh" as part of the product name and is an indication that the product is not cured. Hams are either ready-to-eat or not.

A fresh ham, sometimes called a “green” ham, is pork at its most basic — not cured, not smoked, not cooked. The meat is so sweet and succulent, and the texture is meaty, not compact and slick as a cured ham often is.

Celebration Ham

Raised without antibiotics or added hormones. Naturally hardwood smoked. Fully cooked.

Do you bake a bone-in ham covered or uncovered? ›

Heat oven to 325ºF. Remove all packaging materials and place ham on its side, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover loosely with aluminum foil. Heat approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound until heated through. Remove ham from oven and let stand, covered, 20 minutes before serving.

Pork Cured With Water, Contains 2% Or Less Of Each: Salt, Sodium Phosphate, Brown Sugar, Sodium Erythorbate, Dextrose, Sugar, Sodium Nitrite, Natural Flavorings.

The goal is to reheat the ham without drying it out. The best way to do this is to place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. 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.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the ham on a rack in a large baking pan and add about 1/4- to 1/2 inch of water to the pan. If the ham is labeled "fully cooked" (does not require heating), heat it in the oven for about 10 minutes per pound, or to an internal temperature of 140 F.

Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold, right out of the package. However, if you want to reheat these cooked hams, set the oven no lower than 325 °F and heat to an internal temperature of 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture points out that uncooked hams will need to reach an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees Fahrenheit before they can be safely consumed. However, pre-cooked hams only need to reach 140, and going past this temperature runs the risk of drying out your ham.

Though the actual temperature may range, a fresh ham is generally smoked low and slow, generally from 225°F to 325°F, in order to keep that big hunk of meat tender. Its internal temperature needs to reach at least 145°F, and that can take from 5 to 10 hours depending on the size of the ham and the cooking temperature.

If reheating is desired, hams that were packaged in processing plants under United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) inspection must be heated to 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer (165 °F) for leftover spiral-cut hams or ham that has been repackaged in any other location outside the plant).