How long to cook Pork

How Long Do You Bake a Ham For?

Ham has become a staple dish of holidays such as Easter and Christmas, but it makes for a great meal any other day of the year, too! However, if you've never cooked one before, it can be easy to overthink it by asking yourself, "How long should I bake ham for?" The answer to how long ham should be baked will depend on the size of your ham as well as what type of ham you're cooking.

The Best Baked Ham Recipe

Types of Hams

Before we can dive into the baked ham cooking time and temperatures, we need to first take a quick look at the various types of hams. You might be surprised to learn that there's more than one kind of ham: In fact, there are many, though most of them aren't often seen on a holiday dinner table.

• City Ham: City hams are by far the most common hams found at grocery stores and on American tables at Easter. They're wet-cured and usually fully cooked before being packaged and sold. Honey-baked ham is one popular type of city ham.
• Country Ham: Country hams are dry-cured and usually sold raw. The meat is usually drier and saltier. Country hams are uncommon outside of the Southeast. One of the most well-known varieties of country ham is Smithfield ham.
• Shoulder Ham: Also called a picnic ham, this isn't actually a true ham, but it's still delicious and often costs less. It's most often sold raw.
• Prosciutto: This Italian cousin of country ham is usually sliced very thin and served with cheese, fruit, and/or toasted bread.
• Capocollo: Capocollo is similar to prosciutto but comes from a different cut of the pig. It's frequently used in sandwiches.
• Serrano Ham: This salty Spanish ham is often served in thin slices with melon.

Whenever you bake a ham, how long it needs to cook will depend on a couple of different factors. These include its weight, whether it's precooked (city ham) or raw (country ham), and whether it's bone-in or boneless.

How Long Do You Put the Ham in the Oven for at 325°F?

Precooked, Bone-In Ham

Precooked, Boneless Ham

Raw, Bone-In Ham

Raw Shoulder Ham

How Long Do You Need to Bake Ham per Pound at 325°F?

Precooked, Bone-In Ham

Precooked, Boneless Ham

Raw, Bone-In Ham

Raw Shoulder Ham

How to Tell When Your Ham Is Done

Ultimately, the answer to "how long should you bake ham for?" is "until it's done." To check whether or not your ham is fully cooked and ready to eat, use a meat thermometer to take its internal temperature, being careful not to let the probe touch the bone (if there is one). The right internal temperature will depend on the type of ham you're baking.

• Precooked Ham (Boneless or Bone-In): 140°F
• Raw Ham (Boneless or Bone-In): 145°F
• Raw Shoulder Ham (Boneless Roll or Bone-In): 145°F