Remove the ham from the refrigerator (still wrapped) a couple of hours before you intend to cook it so that it can get closer to room temperature. This will help it warm more evenly.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the ham, fattier side up, in a foil-lined roasting pan.
Score a diamond pattern in the fat with a sharp knife, about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch deep, and the parallel lines about 1 1/2-inches apart. (You won't need to do this if you're using a spiral cut ham.)
Do not score the meat itself, just the fat and any skin. You can score the fat as deeply as to where the fat meets the meat. If you want, you can first cut off any skin that might still be on the ham, but it isn't necessary.
Using a pastry brush, brush whichever glaze you are using over the ham. Only use about third of it (reserve the rest for later in cooking). Try to work the glaze into the scored lines.
Place ham in oven.
Cook for time will depend on weight - 10 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature of the ham is 110° to 120° with a meat thermometer. (Note that the ham is already cooked when you buy it, all you are trying to do is heat it up for eating.)
Baste the ham with the glaze a couple of times during the cooking. If you check on the ham and think that the glaze is at risk of getting too browned (like on the way to burnt), you can cover with a piece of foil.
When the ham has reached the desired temperature, baste again. (If using a spiral cut ham, open up the foil to expose the ham before basting.)
Regardless of which ham you're using, place it under the broiler for few minutes to get some nice browning on the top. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the ham all over with pan juices. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
When using cloves, you can either put them in before applying the glaze or after. They look better if applied after, but it is easier to see the lines in the ham as a guide for placement if you put them in first.
Place the cloves in the center of the diamonds to form a nice pattern around the top and sides of the ham (or along the edges of some of the precut slices if using spiral cut). Some people put the cloves in the intersection points of the scores. Do as you wish. You just want a nice pattern.
Mix the mustard, honey, and lemon juice with the brown sugar in a small bowl.
Mix thyme in with the hot melted butter and let sit for a few minutes.
In a small saucepan on high heat, let the cider vinegar reduce down from 1/4 cup to 1 tablespoon, and remove from heat.
Whisk in the butter and thyme. Add the honey, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
If using a bone-in ham, save the bone for soup!
If you are working with a partially cooked or uncooked ham, and not a ready-to-eat ham, follow the cooking directions on the package. Most suggest cooking a partially cooked ham to 150°F.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove the ham from the refrigerator (still wrapped) a couple of hours before you intend to cook it so that it can get closer to room temperature. This will help it warm more evenly.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the ham, fattier side up, in a foil-lined roasting pan.
Score a diamond pattern in the fat with a sharp knife, about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch deep, and the parallel lines about 1 1/2-inches apart. (You won't need to do this if you're using a spiral cut ham.)
Do not score the meat itself, just the fat and any skin. You can score the fat as deeply as to where the fat meets the meat. If you want, you can first cut off any skin that might still be on the ham, but it isn't necessary.
Using a pastry brush, brush whichever glaze you are using over the ham. Only use about third of it (reserve the rest for later in cooking). Try to work the glaze into the scored lines.
Place ham in oven.
Cook for time will depend on weight - 10 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature of the ham is 110° to 120° with a meat thermometer. (Note that the ham is already cooked when you buy it, all you are trying to do is heat it up for eating.)
Baste the ham with the glaze a couple of times during the cooking. If you check on the ham and think that the glaze is at risk of getting too browned (like on the way to burnt), you can cover with a piece of foil.
When the ham has reached the desired temperature, baste again. (If using a spiral cut ham, open up the foil to expose the ham before basting.)
Regardless of which ham you're using, place it under the broiler for few minutes to get some nice browning on the top. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the ham all over with pan juices. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
When using cloves, you can either put them in before applying the glaze or after. They look better if applied after, but it is easier to see the lines in the ham as a guide for placement if you put them in first.
Place the cloves in the center of the diamonds to form a nice pattern around the top and sides of the ham (or along the edges of some of the precut slices if using spiral cut). Some people put the cloves in the intersection points of the scores. Do as you wish. You just want a nice pattern.
Mix the mustard, honey, and lemon juice with the brown sugar in a small bowl.
Mix thyme in with the hot melted butter and let sit for a few minutes.
In a small saucepan on high heat, let the cider vinegar reduce down from 1/4 cup to 1 tablespoon, and remove from heat.
Whisk in the butter and thyme. Add the honey, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce.
If using a bone-in ham, save the bone for soup!
If you are working with a partially cooked or uncooked ham, and not a ready-to-eat ham, follow the cooking directions on the package. Most suggest cooking a partially cooked ham to 150°F.