17 Best Ham Recipes for a Roasted, Glazed, and Spiral-Sliced Holiday

If you’re looking for the best ham recipes, you’ve come to the right place. There are many reasons to make a baked ham the centerpiece of your holiday table. Although an impressive and beautifully glazed bone-in ham might seem intimidating to prepare, it’s easy to make and often large enough to feed a whole family—not just for your holiday dinner, but for the whole week after too. (Pro tip: Make a majestic ham, then use the leftovers in sandwiches, pasta dinners, or even eggs Benedict for brunch. Check out our gallery of leftover ham recipes for more ideas.)

With just a little prep time, you can turn any ham—boneless or bone-in—into a showstopping meal. A sweet-tangy glaze will help cut through some of the pork’s saltiness. Although pineapple glazes are popular, a honey mustard or brown sugar glaze is delicious too. Below you’ll find Epi’s best ham recipes and our favorite glaze recipes, along with some tips and tricks on buying and baking hams.

With the exception of fresh ham, which is available at butchers, ham is typically cured with a dry rub or a wet brine, which preserves the meat and helps it develop more flavor as it sits. In the United Kingdom, gammon refers to ham that’s been cured like bacon but is uncooked. In the United States, there are city hams and country hams.

City hams are cured with a wet brine, usually smoked, and sold ready to eat. They are typically sold bone-in, although boneless options are available. Country hams are hand-rubbed with salt and hung to dry, and, like gammon, sold raw.

Whole hams—the entire hind leg of a pig—are available for purchase; however, a half-ham can easily feed up to 14 people. To help you determine what size ham to cook, consider these basic guidelines: For bone-in hams, count on serving two to three people per pound; for boneless, four to five people per pound.

Preparing ham is an easy and straightforward process, and you probably have everything you need to make a holiday ham. We recommend using a heavy-duty roasting pan, preferably one with sturdy handles for safe maneuvering in and out of the oven. You’ll also need a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the ham and a brush to apply the glaze. Last but not least, a sharp knife and cutting board are essential for carving a baked ham.

According to Pamela Johnson, director of consumer communications for the National Pork Board, most hams are “fairly well trimmed,” so it’s unlikely you’ll need to do any serious butchering. You want a ⅛- to ¼-inch-thick layer of fat, but if your ham has excess fat and a tough rind, you should use a sharp knife to remove it.

For the most flavorful ham, score the fat in a diamond pattern, which allows glaze and seasonings to better penetrate the ham. To keep your ham from drying out, cook it with the cut side down in the roasting pan. Most recipes also call for adding at least a small amount of water to the bottom of the pan to prevent the juices or any glaze from burning when it hits the hot pan. 

If you’ve purchased a fully cooked ham that’s ready to eat, you could serve it cold. But glazing and warming it will greatly improve the flavor. A fully cooked ham should have an internal temperature of 140ºF when reheated. If you’re using fresh ham and looking for a medium-rare interior, you’ll want a temperature of 145ºF. If you’d like it to be more medium, allow the interior to reach a temperature of 160ºF.

As with all large cuts, it’s important to give the meat a brief rest so that the juices can redistribute. The National Pork Board advises a minimum three-minute rest before carving and recommends slicing as you need it so the meat doesn’t dry out.

Ham is great for feeding the whole family the week after the holidays. Turn your leftover ham into a breakfast casserole the next day or an easy weeknight dinner like ham salad, cheesy ham toast, or pasta. If you still have ham after that, you can always freeze the pork and turn it into comforting ham soup or chowder.