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.