Ham for the holidays. For many of us traditions at Christmas mean we will be feasting on Roast Turkey, but there are many family's that forgo the traditional turkey and have a Roast Prime Rib or Glazed Ham.   

I have already shared how to cook the Perfect Prime Rib here.   And I have cooked many a turkey on here, this Herb Roasted Turkey Breast being my favorite.  

I have never really talked about how to perfectly roast a ham on here however, so I thought that this year I would do just that.  Voila!  Here is my tutorial on how to cook a ham. If you follow my hints and tips, there is no reason why you shouldn't have the most delectable holiday ham ever!   

Ham is a real favorite with many people, from family holiday celebrations to already sliced ham used for simple sandwiches. But just what is a ham? And how do you cook it? 

Ham, also known as fresh ham or gammon, is the hind leg of the hog. It can be roasted, bone in or out, like almost any other cut of meat. Most of what we classify as a ham in North America is pre-cured and smoked.   

Occasionally (very rarely) you will run across a fresh ham (uncured.) A fresh ham can be cooked (usually slow roasted) just like any other cut of meat. The kind of ham I am going to be talking about today is the cured ham, which is the ham most of us will be dealing with this holiday season.  

A cured ham is the ideal piece of meat to serve a crowd and is delicious served both warm and at room temperature, making it perfect for a buffet table!  

WHAT YOU NEED TO ROAST A HAM 

You will need the ham or course, and the size needed will vary according to the number of people you are serving,  but you will also need some equipment.  

A roasting tin - a 9 by 13 is probably ideal for most hams. You want the pan to be large enough to hold the ham with some available space around the ham, and also with a depth of at least 3 to 4 inches, so that there is room to hold any cooking juices without splash over.   

This is not the time to use a baking sheet, although you certainly can if that is all that you have. Just be prepared for a bit of a mess to clean up afterwards.  

You can also use a casserole dish which is large enough around the outside and deep enough to hold the ham comfortably.  

A good meat thermometer - a good ovenproof or instant-read thermometer will help ensure your ham is heated thoroughly.  Most hams do come precooked. You are aiming for an internal temperature of  140*F/63.78*C when reheating precooked ham. Without a meat thermometer it will be hard to tell if your ham has reached that temperature.   

If your ham was not precooked, it’s even more important to have a thermometer, because it will help you determine doneness (145*F/60*C). Since temperature is the most foolproof way to cook meat to perfection, I highly recommend investing in a thermometer.  

You can purchase these in most online and local kitchen shops, as well as  on Amazon.  I have one that you insert right into the meat and it stays there during the whole cooking process. 

HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HAM FOR YOU 

Boneless vs. bone-in - One of the benefits of choosing a boneless ham over a bone-in ham is the ease with which you can carve it.  One of the benefits of choosing a bone-in ham is that you have that lovely bone which with to make a nice soup or stock with afterwards.   

All the hams of my childhood were followed with a nice pot of my mother's homemade pea soup that she used the ham bone to make! 

With a bone-in ham you will need roughly 3/4 pound/340g per person.  With a boneless ham you will need 1/2 pound/225g per person. 

One of the main benefits of having a bone in ham, aside from the stock you can make, is that the meat, generally speaking, has much more flavor and is juicier. 

HOW TO COOK A HAM  

Most hams will come with the rind removed, but a goodly layer of fat around the ham. Some will still have the rind attached. The minutes suggested per weight of meat will vary according to the size, shape, fat covering and initial temperature of your ham.  These timings are meant to be used with a rindless, fat covered ham.  The fat can be removed and scored (see below) when you go to glaze the ham. 

12 to 15 pounds  - 16 to 17 minutes per pound (3 1/2 hours) 

10 to 12 pounds  - 18 minutes per pound (3 1/4 hours)

Under 10 pounds - 20 minutes per pound (3 hours)

Half hams -  22 minutes per pound (2 1/2 hours)

1 pound = 453.6 grams  or 16 ounces 

Place the ham, fat side up on a rack in an open pan in an oven which has been preheated to 325*F/165*C/ gas mark 3.  Keep the oven temperature at this level. Do not add water. Do not cover. Do not baste.   

TO FINISH BAKED HAM 

All you have to do to finish baked ham is about 45 minutes before the bake time is up, remove the ham from the oven. If you have left the rind on, remove it all now, leaving a thin surface of fat over the top. Score the fat with the tip of a sharp knife, cutting it into squares or diamonds. Stud each square with a whole clove.  

To glaze, spread the surface with a paste made from 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar. 1 tsp dry mustard powder and 2 to 3 tsp of vinegar, honey or syrup. Return to the oven and baste occasionally with fruit juice, cider or the juice of pickled peaches. 

There is an article here that gives 10 super easy ideas for glazing your ham, other than the one I have shared above. There is everything from a Blueberry Chipotle to a Peach Jalapeno glaze.  

Once you have baked your ham, let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving into slices to serve. 

One thing which really goes well with a Baked Ham at the holidays is Potatoes Dauphinoise. This dish  sounds much fancier and elegant than it is.  Its merely a fancy type of Scalloped Potatoes, but a whole lot easier to put together.

The most labour intensive part of making these is the peeling and cutting of the potatoes.  If you have a mandolin or vegetables slicer this gets a whole lot easier!  

No one wants to have a stressful time in the kitchen when it comes to preparing a Christmas feast.

Yet, things start to get messy the more you try to give a perfect touch to your festive cooking, especially if you’re new to hosting Christmas dinner and lunch at home.

But remember, you’re not the only one standing in the middle of chaos. Plus, there are always pro-like solutions to make your Christmas dinner less stressful and lunch preparation fun.

So, to help you ace Christmas in the kitchen, below are Christmas cooking tips and ideas that you will not regret finding out.

Scroll down more and find ways to keep up your joyful spirits along with cooking Christmas meals.  

1.    Get Yourself Useful Cooking Tools

Your main game of swift cooking and less chaos in the kitchen area depends on the type of cooking gadgets you are using.

So, it would be a wise choice if you get your hands on the collection of the best cooking tools like a 3D rolling pin, star cookie cutter, cut and drain chopping board, etc.

Once you have good quality kitchen utensils like those mentioned above, at your hand’s reach, tasks like cutting food items, blending, grinding, mixing, and measuring becomes automatically effortless. 

 

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2.    Don’t Be Hesitant To Divide The Tasks

There is no denying the fact that cooking food for a long list of guests can be very exhausting.

When you are supposed to take care of baking potatoes, roasting turkey, and cutting vegetables on the board simultaneously, you can feel like going crazy at once.

So, make the right decisions and bring ease to your challenging tasks.

Instead of increasing the hustle for yourself, it is better to ask for help, or other options include cooking in groups.

This will segregate the tasks equally into groups and speed up your aim to ace Christmas in the kitchen.

 

3.    You Don’t Have To Try Every New Recipe

Once you start scrolling through the internet websites or social media cooking accounts, you can’t help yourself but drool over exquisite and mouthwatering delicious dishes.

But in reality, things do not turn out how they might have been looking like.

And by this, it is meant that not every food you try for the first can be as good as your previously tried recipes.

So, it is advised that you stick to your own taste and not copy what others have been creating hype about.

This tip to ace Christmas in the kitchen will not be heavy on your wallet and prevent you from wasting food in order to try something new and unique. 

4.    Prioritize Non-Alcoholic Drinks

As hard as you may find it to accept, but it is always best to avoid pre-festive feast cocktails.

Such drinks are made in a way that not only dampens our appetite but also makes us feel more relaxed and lazy.

This means that these drinks are not only bad for your Christmas dinner fun but also harmful while you are standing in front of the stove.

How? You may ask!

So, the answer is that while you get high on your relaxed nerves, it is possible that you’ll burn that fish frying in the pan or even yourself, eventually.

As a replacement, you can choose other non-alcoholic drinks like raspberry fizz, cranberry limeade, etc.     

 

5.    Get Pre-made Food For Ease

The world of today is not the same as it used to be before.

People have become more concerned about getting their work done speedily instead of through conventional ways.

But how is that connected to ace Christmas in the kitchen?

The answer is, you don’t have to prepare everything from scratch in order to keep up with the old traditions.

Sure wonderful traditions add beauty to our festivities, but you can work through them in new ways too.

So, as a part of Christmas cooking tips and ideas, try opting for ready-made foods or a Christmas snack list that saves your enjoyment time.

6.    Keep Things Less Complicated

Lastly, keep your Christmas menu and other preparations as simple as you can.

This does not mean that you don’t put any effort into doing your best, but don’t go over the board that your festive fun dies down.

It is proven that there are fewer chances of error when you go for simple recipes.

Moreover, when you keep other preparations simple, you’re more focused on naturally enjoying the get-togethers instead of fretting over that you must have missed something.   

Bottom Line:

Holidays and Christmas-related festivities are all about fun, rising tides of laughter, love, warmth, and not just eating and drinking.

So, while you ace Christmas in the kitchen, don’t forget to be present at the moment and be grateful for the goodness you have been surrounded with.

With that being said, hopefully, you will find Christmas cooking tips and ideas useful to make your Christmas dinner less stressful.

If you have got anything to add or suggest, kindly leave them in the comments section below!