Mama Mancini's Recipes

The Best Way to Heat Prepared Ham

So I have been doing this for a couple of years, and I am telling you: once you do this, you will never do it any other way! The result is a very moist, not dry ham. This works for any fully cooked, smoked prepared ham. The directions always say ready to eat, and they really are ready to eat; however, it’s always best to serve ham warmed and glazed.

Normally we would put the ham into an oven for 15-20 minutes per pound, and it always ends up dried out. I learned this technique from Cook’s Country, and I modified it a little over the last couple of years. Now remember: the ham is fully cooked, and you could slice it right from the package. I remove my ham from the refrigerator 4 1/2 hours before I am going to serve and then follow these steps:

A sliced glazed ham on a wooden board, the best way to heat prepared ham, garnished with herbs. It's accompanied by a bowl of cranberry sauce and a plate of mashed potatoes in the background, with salt and pepper shakers to the left. _MamaMancinis

Ingredients

My glaze recipe:

All mixed together and melted in a pan on low heat for 2 minutes.

  • 1/2 cup real maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbs Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tbs bourbon

Directions

1

Let the ham sit out at room temperature for one hour.

2

Then I unwrap the ham and place it in an oven turkey bag, squeeze out all the air, and tie the bag tight. I take a huge pot and place the ham in it with the tied end facing out. It’s important to be sure you tie this very tight–I double-knot mine.

3

Then I fill the pot with hot water from the sink, 120 degrees. I let it sit for 15 minutes, then empty and replace the water with super hot water again. I now do this every 30 minutes for 2 hours. Here is what happens: the ham will come to a warm temperature without sitting in a hot oven for hours drying out. At the end of the 2 hours, the ham will be about 90-100 degrees. Now we are in 3 hours.

4

I remove the ham from the bag and place it in a roasting pan, glaze it, and put it into a 400-degree oven for 30-45 min until I am happy with the glaze, spooning the glaze over it a couple of times (see my glaze recipe below).

5

I remove the ham, cover it tightly with foil, and let it rest for 30 minutes (it will continue to heat) before I carve it. I am telling you it comes out so moist and delicious! Hams are very expensive, and nothing is more annoying than starting out with a delicious ham and ending up with a dried-out tasteless ham! Give it a try next time!

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