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The edge of three pieces of ham on a gray plate with a napkin and the handle of a fork
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5 from 60 votes

How to Cook a Spiral Sliced Ham without Drying It Out

Learning to cook a Spiral Sliced Ham seems like a daunting task, but trust me it is EASY!  You just need to know all the secrets!  The most important thing is to keep it Juicy!  I'll show you how to make your spiral sliced ham without drying it out!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 20 minutes
Course: main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: how to cook a spiral sliced ham without drying it out, how to cook a ham.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 200kcal
Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

  • 1 Spiral Sliced PreCooked Ham
  • 1/2 cup Chicken Stock
  • 1 Glaze Packet

Instructions

  • Remove your ham from the packaging being careful to reserve the juices that will be inside the shrink wrapped covering over the ham.
  • Also be sure to save the label (with instructions for the ham), the glaze packet and the tag showing the weight of your ham.  Keep handy where you can use them frequently if needed.
  • Refer to the chart on this post for the length of time you will need to bake your ham based on the weight.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 and move the oven rack so that you can position the ham in the center of the oven.
  • Place the ham in your baking dish.  Place fat side up for the most flavor.
  • Pour the retained juices from the ham into the bottom of the baking dish and add ½ cup of chicken stock if there is not at least ½ cup of juices.
  • Cover the ham TIGHTLY with heavy duty aluminum foil.  If you can’t cover with a single piece of aluminum foil then use several. Put the aluminum foil over the top of the ham and secure it to the top edges of your roasting pan. Make it tight so that there are no leaks.
  • Read the instructions for your included glaze packet so that you understand when and how to place the glaze.
  • Bake for the time stated in the chart above OR if your ham comes with different time/temp instructions, follow that.
  • Apply your glaze according to the glaze instructions (you will need to apply the glaze to the sliced side of your ham.  If that side is down in the pan, flip the ham over). If you are using my glaze recipe included in the post, apply it 10 minutes before the ham is done after flipping the ham over so that the sliced part is up, recover with foil and place back in the oven to finish baking.
  • When the appropriate time has elapsed, remove the ham from the oven, leave the foil on until it has cooled enough to handle.
  • When cool enough to handle, make sure the sliced side is up.  Use a basting bulb OR a ladle and spoon the pan drippings over the ham.  Make sure that some of the juices get down into the slices.
  • Just before serving, baste again. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

Use the weight chart located in the post for this recipe to find the right time for cooking your ham. 
Don't want to use the enclosed glaze packet?  That's ok, use my recipe:
  • 1 Cup pineapple juice
  • 1 Cup brown sugar
  • ⅔ Cup maple syrup.
  1. 30 minutes before the ham is done, pour this mixture over the ham (separate the slices slightly and make sure the mix goes down between slices).  
  2. Place the aluminum foil back on the ham tightly and put back in the oven to finish cooking.
  3. Forewarning (this mix is very sticky!).
The main idea is that you don't want to overcook the ham.  Keep it tightly covered, baste it well after it comes out of the oven and again before serving. 

Nutrition

Calories: 200kcal