The Right Way to Heat a Pre-Cooked Ham

A fully cooked, ready-to-eat ham (also referred to as a “city ham”) can be sliced and served cold or at room temperature—there’s no need to reheat it. A spiral-cut ham is delicious this way, whether eaten by the slice, tucked into biscuits or in a grilled cheese sandwich. Some brands, including Honey Baked Ham, are even meant to be served this way.

But if you want to add a flavorful homemade glaze (skip those sauce packets that come with the ham—we have lots of options), or prefer your meat hot, you can also heat a pre-cooked ham up in the oven. Just make sure that you have a meat thermometer handy, because you don’t want it to overcook and dry out.

A ham is a big cut of meat, and when you want to glaze it, it will require several hours in a low temperature oven—even though it’s fully cooked—to get that wonderfully sticky, caramelized exterior. Once you’ve chosen your glaze, place the ham, cut-side-down, in a heavy-duty aluminum foil-lined jelly-roll pan. Let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Brush 1/2 cup of the glaze over the ham with a heatproof spatula (like this one) or pastry brush. 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°, basting every 30 minutes with 1/2 cup of the glaze. Remove the ham from the oven and spoon the pan drippings over it. Let the glazed ham stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.