How To Cook The Perfect Ham For Your Easter Dinner

Don't risk having a boring, predictable ham at your Easter celebration.

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Updated on March 17, 2024

Most of our big holiday meals revolve around a centerpiece main dish. There is the Thanksgiving Turkey, the Christmas Roast, and the Easter Ham. Along with a mouthwatering dessert, guests will usually remember (and talk about) the main dish: Whether it was dry and tasteless or moist and flavorful really matters. Ham, which comes from the leg of the hog, is a simple piece of meat to prepare, but if you aren't sure how to prepare your holiday main, we're here to help. Follow this handy guide to find the right type of ham, tweak your technique, and achieve the perfect result.

Honey-Port Ham with Whipped Dijon Cream — HECTOR MANUEL SANCHEZ; PROP STYLING: CAROLINE M. CUNNINGHAM

Types of Ham

First, choose what type of ham you want to serve at your holiday meal. You can buy hams prepared in the following different ways.

Cooked Ham

Pre-cooked ham can be served directly from the refrigerator. If you'd like to serve it hot, heat in a 350° oven to an internal temperature of 140°. At 140°, the ham will be thoroughly warmed and moist.

Uncooked Ham

If your ham is uncooked, it should be heated to an internal temperature of 145° in a 350° oven. Depending on the size, plan to cook it 18 to 25 minutes per pound.

Dry-Cured Ham

These types of hams are rubbed with salt, sugar, and other seasonings, and then stored until the salt penetrates the meat. They are not usually spiral-sliced; this prevents the pieces from drying out too quickly.

Wet-Cured Ham

Liquid is used to wet-cure hams. They are seasoned with a brine solution, which keeps the meat moist and produces a more tender texture.

Spiral-Sliced Ham

This ham is precooked and conveniently pre-sliced into pieces that are all the same thickness. You should use or freeze these hams four to five days after you buy them.

Country Ham

A country ham is dry cured by rubbing the meat with curing ingredients that include salt and sugar. The hams are smoked and then aged 6 to 12 months or longer to develop a more intense flavor. They may have a coarser texture than wet-cured hams. These hams can be eaten raw but are usually soaked in water to reduce saltiness, and then baked or boiled.

Picnic Ham

Picnic ham is not considered a true ham because it is from the shoulder of the pig. It may be fresh or smoked. Generally, the picnic cut is not as lean or as tender as ham, but it is less expensive.

Cuts of Ham

Whole Ham

Whole hams include both the butt ham and shank ham from the leg. These larger cuts weigh anywhere from 10 lb. to more than 20 lb. and are available bone-in and boneless. If you're a beginner, try one of the smaller choices, but go for the bone. It can make all the difference when flavoring a pot of soup or beans.

Butt Ham

A butt ham is taken from the top half of the pork leg. It can be fattier than the bottom half, yet it contains more meat and is easy to carve around the bone.

Shank Ham

Shank ham is taken from the bottom half of the leg. It contains less fat but is not as meaty as the butt. It can be a little more difficult to carve.

Tips for Cooking the Perfect Easter Ham

In addition to choosing the right cut and type of ham, follow these tips to cook an unforgettable Easter ham.

Moisture Is Key

Follow your recipe instructions but, generally, you want to gently cook ham with at least ½ cup of liquid in the pan. Cover it with foil to prevent the ham from drying out. Remove the foil once you have applied the glaze.

Score the Ham

Score the surface of your ham with shallow diamond-shaped cuts. It adds a decorative edge and also ensures the outer coating of fat crisps to a rich golden brown when baked.

Stud the Ham

Stud the ham with festive rows of aromatic cloves. Piercing a small hole first with the sharp point of a wooden skewer makes it easy to insert the cloves.

Make Your Own Glaze

Sometimes the glaze packets that come with store-bought cooked hams contain a lot of sugar, sodium, and hard-to-pronounce ingredients. Give your Easter centerpiece an added personal touch and make your own glaze.

Don't Glaze Too Early

Don't make the mistake and apply glaze right when you begin baking the ham. It will burn. Again, follow your recipe instructions, but, if you are just winging it, spoon or brush on the glaze 15-30 minutes before taking the ham out of the oven. Keep an eye on it to make sure the sugars in the glaze aren't burning.

Cook It Low and Slow

Ham is a big, thick piece of meat. For it to heat and cook thoroughly, you need to do it at a low oven temperature. However, you want your glaze (and oftentimes some of the outside fat) to be caramelized and crispy, so you might need to crank the oven up higher after you have applied the glaze.

Let It Rest

Just like roasts and turkeys, once you pull the ham out of the oven it needs to sit a few minutes in order for it to be juicy. Follow recipe suggestions, or wait before slicing.

How to Cook a Ham

Our preferred method for cooking ham is roasting a pre-cooked ham in the oven. Add the glaze at the end of cooking time so it doesn’t burn.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Trim any excess fat from the ham. Score the fat in a diamond pattern.
Place the ham on a wire rack in a roasting pan filled with an inch of water.
Cover the ham and rack with aluminum foil to keep in moisture.
Cooking times will vary based on the size of the ham. Bake the ham for 15-24 minutes for every pound.
When the ham reaches an internal temperature of 135°F, remove the foil and increase the temperature to 415°F.
Cook for 1 hour, glazing the ham every 15 minutes.
Let rest for 30 minutes.

Recipes for Ham

You want your holiday main to stand out, so ditch the glaze packet that comes with many packaged hams, and make a recipe your family will rave about.

Ways to Use Leftovers

Leftover ham freezes well, so think of future meals when purchasing a ham. Go ahead and buy more than you need and eat the leftovers. Slice and dice portions to freeze in freezer-safe bags, then toss into soups and pasta dishes. Plan to buy at least 1 pound of ham per person so you will have plenty of leftovers.