How To Cook A Spiral Ham Recipe

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Macheesmo Updated Dec 6, 2019

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For many, the big holiday feast wouldn’t be complete without a glossy, baked spiral ham sitting in the middle of the dining table. There’s no reason to be nervous about making this holiday staple either, because it’s actually pretty easy to learn how to cook spiral ham, because technically they come pre-cooked. Spiral ham tastes best warm and fresh out of the oven, but it tastes even better when it's covered in a rich, sweet glaze. Whether you have a holiday gathering or a special occasion coming up, learn to master this tradition of cooking a delicious spiral ham in the oven so you can share the delicious custom with your friends and family.

More About This Recipe

• Spiral hams are the tricksters of the holiday meal. They look intimidating because they can weigh 7 pounds and be bulky. But they’re deceptively easy to prepare. The trick is to take the doctor’s approach. First rule of spiral hams: Do no harm. What you might not know about spiral ham is that you actually don’t need to cook them at all. They're completely ready to eat right out of the packaging, so you could literally just open the ham and serve it without touching it. But that’s not very fun, right? Also, cold ham is good in sandwiches but definitely not for your holiday guests. We can do better than cold by thoroughly warming the ham and coating it in a glossy, moist and flavorful glaze.

How to Cook a Spiral Ham

• Prep Time 10 min
• Total 1 hr 30 min
• Servings 8
• Ingredients 7

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Ingredients

• 1 (5-7 pound) spiral-cut ham
• 1 lemon, sliced thin
• 1 cup water

Glaze

• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Instructions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 325°F. In a roasting pan, place sliced lemons and pour water in the bottom of the pan. Place spiral ham cut-side down on the lemons and cover loosely with foil.
• Step 2 Bake the ham for about 10 minutes per pound until it is just warmed through. Spiral ham is completely cooked already (so you can even serve it cold if you want).
• Step 3 Meanwhile, combine glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until ingredients are mixed. Let the glaze bubble and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the glaze starts to thicken. Then let it cool.
• Step 4 When ham is done, uncover it and drizzle glaze over the top.
• Step 5 Serve ham slices warm.

Nutrition

Less Nutrition More Nutrition 629.6 Calories 29.3g Total Fat 56.6g Protein 33.4g Total Carbohydrate 19.8g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving

Calories 629.6 Total Fat 29.3g 45% Saturated Fat 10.0g 50% Cholesterol 193.9mg 65% Sodium 3891.4mg 162% Potassium 1000.4mg 29% Total Carbohydrate 33.4g 11% Dietary Fiber 4.7g 19% Sugars 19.8g Protein 56.6g

% Daily Value*:

Vitamin C 29.30% 29% Calcium 8.80% 9% Iron 20.10% 20%

Exchanges:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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