How Long to Bake a Ham per Pound (With 2 Recipes Included)

How long to bake a ham will depend on factors such as the cut and weight of the meat.

Hams come in so many different varieties, which means there’s not one standard cooking time. You can buy bone-in or boneless ham, cooked or uncooked, and frozen or thawed. There are also different cuts, such as ham shank, butt end, and center slice.

In general, an uncooked ham without bone can take anywhere between 20-40 minutes per pound to cook. The following cooking time chart will help you find out the exact baking time you need. We’ve also included some recipes to help you with the cooking process.

How Long To Bake Ham per Pound Time Charts

How Long to Bake Smoked Ham (cook before eating) per Pound

Smoked ham at the grocery store will generally come either ready-to-eat or cook before eating. They will also usually be available either frozen or thawed. This chart shows the different cook times per pound based on cooking in a preheated oven at 325°F.

How Long to Bake Smoked Ham (cooked) per Pound

Cooked smoked hams require less time in the oven since you are just heating it. Follow this cooking chart based on the weight of your cut of ham. Ensure that all smoked ham reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

How Long to Bake Country Ham per Pound

Country ham is a bone-in variety that is already cured with salt. It must be boiled before it is baked to remove the salt. The following cooking times are based on a whole or half cut of country ham, baked at 325°F.

How Long to Bake Fresh Ham (uncooked) per Pound

Fresh ham is uncooked and needs to be baked until it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145°F. Both bone-in and boneless are popular options, but bone-in will require less time to cook. This chart breaks down the cooking times for a whole or half ham leg.

Important Notes

With any food you cook, it’s important to ensure the cooking time is long and hot enough to kill bacteria. If food is undercooked, bacteria can survive and cause food-borne illnesses.

The minimum internal temperature is the best way to measure if food has gotten hot enough to kill bacteria. You can check this temperature by using a food thermometer which you insert directly into the ham.

For ham, the safe minimum internal temperatures are as follows:

• Cooked hams (to reheat, USDA-inspected ham): 140°F


• Uncooked and cook before eating ham: 145°F


• All others: 165°F

Factors That Impact Ham Cooking Time

Type of Ham

Hams can come cooked or uncooked. Smoked ham often comes already pre-cooked, and just needs to be reheated. Fully cooked ham requires the least amount of baking time.

Uncooked hams include fresh ham and country ham which is cured with salt but not yet heated. Since these hams have not been baked before, they will require the most time to cook.

Boneless or Bone-in

Some cuts of ham leave the bone in, as it helps give the ham more flavor and moisture. Bone or no bone generally only makes a few minutes per pound difference in cooking time. But in general, bone-in hams tend to cook faster.

If you look at the chart for fresh thawed ham, a boneless whole leg takes 24-28 minutes per pound to cook. Meanwhile, the bone-in whole leg takes only 22-26 minutes.

This difference in cook time is because the bone conducts heat more quickly than the meat.

The Cut and Weight

Ham can refer to any portion of the rear leg of a pig. You can have whole hams which are the entire leg and weigh around 16lbs. You can also buy half hams which are significantly smaller and weigh 5-8 pounds.

This weight is a huge factor in determining cooking time. Bigger cuts will require more cooking time than smaller cuts. Always check the packaging of your ham to determine the weight and make sure you have the correct cooking time.

Temperature

Hams come either frozen or thawed, and this will also impact your cooking time. It’s best if you can thaw the ham before you cook it. This way the ham doesn’t have to be in the oven for as long.

If this isn’t possible, you can cook ham from frozen. Just be aware that the cooking time will be about 50% longer.

For example, a frozen boneless whole leg takes about 36-42 min/lb to cook. Meanwhile, a thawed boneless whole leg takes about 24 to 28 min/lb.

Others

Everyone’s oven is slightly different, and this will also affect the cooking time. If you know your oven takes longer to cook a ham, factor that into the total time.

The type of dish you use will also make a difference. Oven-safe glass pans take longer to heat up than metal pans. If you’re cooking with glass, your ham may need longer in the oven.

You should use the cooking chart as a guide, and adjust as required.

Ham Recipes at 325 Degrees

Pre-Cooked Ham

Total Time: 1 h 20 min

Preparation: 10 min

Cooking: 1 h 10 min

Level: Easy

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients

Materials

Directions

1. Preheat the Oven
   

   Heat the oven to 325°F.



2. Adjust Oven Rack
   

   Move your oven rack to the lowest possible level. You want the center of the ham to be level with the center of your oven. This allows for a nice even bake.



3. Place Ham in Roasting Pan
   

   If your ham came in packaging, remove this before baking.

   Place whole ham in a large roasting pan with the cut-side down. Cover with aluminum foil.



4. Heat the Ham
   

   If thawed, bake the ham for 10-18 minutes per pound. If frozen, heat for 15-27 minutes per pound.

   Since the ham is already cooked, it just needs to be heated enough to reach a safe internal temperature. Overcooking will cause the ham to dry out.



5. Glaze the Ham
   

   When the ham is almost ready, use a basting brush to apply the ham glaze. If you’re using a brown sugar glaze, apply it in the last hour of cooking so it doesn’t burn.



6. Check Internal Temperature
   

   Before you remove the ham from the oven, check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer. Remove when the temperature reads 165°F.



7. Allow Ham to Rest
   

   Let the ham rest for up to 30 minutes. This lets the juices settle so the ham is nice and moist. If cooked well, the spiral sliced ham should be easy to cut too.

Fresh Ham

Total Time: 3 h 50 min

Preparation: 10 min

Cooking: 3 h 40 min

Level: Easy

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients

Materials

Directions

1. Preheat the Oven
   

   Heat oven to 325°F.



2. Rinse Ham
   

   Unwrap the ham from its packaging and rinse it under cold water.



3. Wrap Ham in Foil
   

   Wrap foil tightly around the ham. Place the ham into the roasting pan and the oven.



4. Bake
   

   Bake for 22-60 min/lb. Adjust cooking time depending on whether the ham is bone-in or boneless. Baking ham from frozen will require more cooking time, so refer to the cooking chart.

   During the last hour of the baking process, you can glaze ham if desired.



5. Remove from Oven and Rest
   

   The ham will still be cooking once it comes out of the oven. Let it rest for a minimum of 3 minutes.