How To Cook A Christmas Ham 2016: Easy 5-Step Recipe To Make The Perfect Holiday Dinner

If you’re in charge of cooking the main dish this holiday, chances are you’re planning to make ham. But how do you make sure your holiday meal is perfect? Simple! Just follow this easy 5-step recipe. We’ll tell you what ingredients you’ll need, how to cook the ham appropriately and more tips for every step of the way!

The following is the recipe for an oven-baked, honey-glazed ham. The instructions are courtesy of our own recipe collection and Food Network’s Trisha Yearwood and Paula Deen’s guides.

Ingredients

You will need:

• 1 10-pound bone-in ham (Results in up to 10 servings)
• 1.5 cups of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey

Optional ingredients include:

• A dozen or so cloves
• Maraschino cherries
• 1 20-ounce can of pineapple slices

Tools you will need:

• 1 large roasting pan
• 1 saucepan
• Tin foil
• A baster
• Meat thermometer

Steps

You’ll be happy to know cooking a holiday ham is much easier (in our humble opinion) than cooking up a Thanksgiving turkey, but it still requires multiple steps and just under three hours of your time (depending on the poundage of the ham).

1. Start by pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. While the oven is heating up, remove any packaging from the ham rinse it off with cold water. Then, place the ham in the pan and cover it loosely with tin foil. Once complete, you can place it in the oven to cook for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

2. If you want your ham is include other holiday traditions such as cloves, pineapples and Maraschino cherries, now is the time to add them! Secure the pineapple slices onto the ham using the cloves. If you want to include cherries, use the cloves or a toothpick to secure the cherries in the middle of the pineapple slices.

3. While the ham is cooking, now is the time to prep your sauce. Over a medium heat, combine the honey and brown sugar. Whisk the ingredients until smooth.

4. After the 1 hour and 40 minutes is up, remove the ham from the oven and cover it with the sauce. Put the ham back into the oven (without the tin foil this time) for another hour and 40 minutes or until the ham reaches the eternal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit for fresh uncooked ham and 140-165 degrees Fahrenheit for reheated ham, as suggested by the USDA.

Tip: To make your ham extra flavorful, baste its with the sauce a few times during the second part of the cooking process. You can also baste a little pineapple juice onto your ham to add another depth of flavor.

5. Let the ham sit outside the oven for several minutes before carving — This allows the ham to retain its juices — and then, enjoy! Happy Holidays!