Spiral sliced hams are popular for holiday meals and family dinners. They are precooked and only need warming to serving temperature. The most common mistake with spiral sliced ham is overcooking. Follow the directions on the label along with these tips for a moist and tasty ham.
Oven Baking
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the spiral cut ham in a pan with a half cup of water. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes per pound or until the ham is heated throughout. Glaze the ham as instructed below at the end of cooking, if desired.
Since the ham is pre-cooked, it is done when it is heated through. The inside slices should be warm and the ham should be moist. Over cooking will dry the ham out.
Microwave Cooking
To heat the ham in the microwave oven, place it on a microwave safe dish. Heat on medium setting for 8 to10 minutes per pound or until it is warmed through to an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. If your microwave does not rotate, turn the ham a quarter turn every 15 minutes.
Glazing
Glazing your spiral cut ham is optional. Many people enjoy the flavor of a sweet glaze brushed onto the ham during the last few minutes of cooking. Your spiral cut ham probably came with a packet of glaze mix. Mix this glaze according to the package direction, or substitute orange juice or cola for the water in the recipe. You can also use your favorite glaze recipe.
When the ham is heated through, turn up the oven temperature to 425 F and brush the glaze over the ham. Return the ham to the oven without the aluminum foil covering for an additional 10 minutes to caramelize the glaze.
Tags: aluminum foil, heated through, minutes pound, minutes pound until, pound until
