How to Bake a Ham

Ham is a delicious meat and it is a great idea to master the art of baking a ham, after you have mastered the art of baking a turkey. There are number of methods which can be implemented to cook a ham, but baking a ham brings out all the flavors in the ham and makes it all the more worth digging into.

Baking Ham in the Crockpot

The popular method implemented for baking ham is in the oven. However, more often than not it tends to dry the meat out. Using a crockpot to bake the ham, will give you a sweet, juicy ham, which will have the family and guests asking for more. When you decide to bake ham in the crockpot, you will have to make sure, that the size of the ham is such, that it will fit into the crockpot easily. It is recommended, to buy ham which comes with seasoning. You can use the seasoning for the ham or make use of it for some other recipe as well.

Ingredients

• Ham with Bone
• Apple Juice 1 cup
• Honey 1 teaspoon
• Honey Dijon Mustard 1 teaspoon

Method

• Place the ham in the crockpot and pour the apple juice on the ham. The apple juice helps to keep the ham moist along with lending great flavor to the ham.
• Mix honey and Dijon mustard in a bowl. Spread the mixture all over the ham.
• Cover the crockpot and let the ham cool on the lowest setting for about 6 to 8 hours. I recommend, you start cooking in the morning, so that the ham is cooked to perfection for dinner.
• If case you are worried about the ham overcooking, turn the settings to keep warm, so that the ham remains warm and does not overcook.

Baking Ham with Pineapple
Baking a ham in the oven is the most common method used to cook ham. Adding pineapple slices and juice to the ham, makes the ham very delicious and succulent. The cooking time, will depend on the size of the ham. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for every pound of ham to be cooked well.

Ingredients

• Ham 1

Glaze Ingredients

• Brown Sugar 1 cup
• Honey ¼ cup
• Dry Mustard 2 teaspoons
• Cloves 10 to 15
• Pineapple Juice 3 tablespoons
• Pineapple slices

Basting Sauce Ingredients

• Brown Sugar 1 cup
• Dry Mustard 1 teaspoon
• Orange Juice 1 cup

Method

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, till then place the ham in the baking pan and place the pan in the oven. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat.
• Bake till the readings on the meat thermometer does not reach 130 degrees.
• Remove the ham from the oven and make cuts on the ham with a sharp knife.
• In the slits, that you have made on the ham, insert one clove each.
• Using toothpicks, place the pineapple slices on the ham.
• Mix all the glaze ingredients together. Apply the glaze all over the ham and return the ham into the oven.
• Now you will have to baste the ham with the basting sauce every 15 minutes, till the ham is well cooked.
• After the ham is cooked, remove the ham from the oven and let the ham stand before you start craving it.

The ingredients that I have mentioned in how to bake a ham, are the ones which are regularly used. You can also use other seasoning ingredients as per your choice. I like to season my ham with oregano, basil, pepper and chili flakes. You will have to accordingly find out, what suits your taste buds better.