I've made countless bone-in spiral cut hams over the years, especially for Easter and Christmas, and I've perfected the process. From cooking the ham so it stays juicy and full of flavor, to nailing the perfect glaze (I've got 4 great options linked below), this post has everything you need. I am going to share with you how to cook and glaze your Spiral Cut Ham so it comes out perfectly delicious. Plus how to cut the spiral cut ham for serving.
One of our favorite spiral cut hams to purchase is the Kirkland Applewood Smoked Spiral Sliced Ham from Costco. If you have a Costco membership, look for the one that comes wrapped in gold foil and is available at Easter and Christmas… possibly Thanksgiving too. (There is a picture further down)
When you buy a Bone-In Spiral Ham at the grocery store or butcher, it comes smoked which means it is fully cooked, and cut around the bone into serving slices. They are generally 7-10 lbs. and will serve anywhere from 10-20 people.
Spiral Cut Smoked Ham is an economical choice over some other popular holiday entrees like prime rib or beef tenderloin. You will pay around $2-$4 per pound for your ham, where as a prime rib or beef tenderloin will be closer to $15-$30 per pound, or more!
How Long To Cook A Spiral Ham
A spiral sliced ham is generally smoked and therefore comes fully cooked when you buy it at the grocery store or butcher. So when we talk about “cooking a smoked ham”, you are really just reheating it for serving.
The very first thing you want to do is take note of the weight of your ham. This will help you determine exactly how long you are going to cook it for.
You will achieve the best outcome for your ham if you cook it “low and slow”. This means that you will cook at a lower temp, 300°F, for about 12 minutes per pound. The ham pictured was 7.92 lbs. So I just multiplied 7.92 x 12 minutes = 95 minutes.
The 95 minutes does not include the time for caramelizing the glaze. That will take an additional 20 minutes at 400°F… you can find all of those directions in the recipe card below.
Cook Temperature for Spiral Cut Ham
It is NOT necessary to reheat a smoked ham to 140°F, as even described on the USDA web site. It would be safe to serve a spiral ham cold! The longer you cook it the more you risk having a very dry ham. Therefore it is our recommendation that you only cook the ham to 110°F-115°F.
How To Cook A Spiral Ham
This is a quick overview of how to cook your spiral ham, for all the detailed instructions and measurements, pop down to the recipe card.
Step 1
Take note of the weight of your ham so you can calculate the cooking time.
Step 2
Unwrap the ham in a roasting pan that can collect any juices. Make sure to remove the plastic disc that covers the bone on the cut side of the ham.
Step 3
Place it cut side down and glaze it with about ⅓ of the glaze you are using.
Step 4
Cover the whole pan with foil, very tightly. Bake at 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.
Step 5
Then crank up the heat to 400°F, remove the foil from the ham, glaze with about ½ of the remaining glaze. Bake for another 20 minutes.
Step 6
Let the ham cool and then slice and serve!
Glaze Recipes for Spiral Cut Ham
Glazes can be super simple to make. Generally they contain some kind of sugar like brown sugar or agave, a flavor component like fruit, jams, liqueurs, herbs or chutneys, and a savory ingredient like garlic, soy sauce, or Dijon mustard.
Sometimes your ham will also come with a glaze packet that you reconstitute with water or juice. These are definitely okay to use, we just find that they are overly sweet.
Here are a few glaze recipes that would be amazing for your Spiral Cut Ham:
- Classic Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze
- Marmalade Ham Glaze
- Mango Chutney and Garlic Glaze
- Bourbon Maple Ham Glaze
Tips for Cooking a Spiral Ham Perfectly
- Take note of the weight of the ham, this will determine your cook time.
- Retain the ham juices from the packaging and pour into the roasting pan. Helps keep things moist!
- Remove the plastic bone cover from the cut side of the ham before cooking.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil to keep your ham from drying out.
- The ham is already fully cooked. You are just warming it low and slow.
- Totally acceptable to cook the ham to 110°F internal temp.
- Don’t over-cook and dry out the ham, 12 minutes per pound at 300°F.
- Use a homemade glaze to give your spiral cut smoked ham really delicious flavor.
- Plan on ½ pound of bone-in ham per person.
How to Cut and Serve Spiral Cut Ham
The nice thing about a bone-in spiral cut smoked ham is that it is already sliced in serving slices. However they are still attached to the ham as a whole via the bone in the center.
Here is how to cut the ham into serving slices:
- Set the ham on it’s side so that the bone is visible. Two large forks will make easy work of moving or turning your ham.
- Run a long sharp knife around the bone. This will loosen all the slices.
- You can now pull the slices off of the ham, actually they may fall off as you cut.
- The ham slices will have natural seams or fat lines, so don’t be alarmed if the slices fall into 2 or 3 pieces each. That actually makes them a more manageable size for serving. (FYI-the really dark pieces on the bottom are the most tender and juicy)
- You can leave the slices on the cutting board for people to serve themselves, or plate the slices on a serving platter and take to the table.
- Serve additional glaze on the side.
Cooking Spiral Ham: How Much Do I Need?
When you are planning on serving a crowd it can be hard to estimate how much ham you are going to need. With a bone-in spiral sliced ham, take into account the weight of the bone, it is a good idea to plan on ½ lb. per person.
7-8 lb. should serve around 10-16 people.
8-9 lb. should serve around 16-18 people
9-10 lb. should serve around 18-20 people
What To Serve with Spiral Cut Smoked Ham
If you are making a whole Spiral Country Ham you will want some comfort food side dishes to enjoy! Our very favorite combo are these Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans and Deviled Eggs. Add some really good dinner rolls and butter and you are SET!
If you are planning an Easter Dinner, then we have a GREAT post that shares a complete Easter Dinner Menu for 10 People:
Easter Dinner Menu
A complete menu for Easter, from deviled eggs to ham to carrot cake, everything you need with recipes included.
If you are planning on making ham for Christmas Dinner you will want classic Holiday side dishes like:
- Mashed Potatoes
- Gravy
- Traditional Stuffing or Sausage Stuffing
- Green Bean Casserole Or Corn Casserole
- Cranberries
- Roasted Asparagus
Storing Leftover Ham
Generally when you are serving ham, you will have leftovers. They make great ham sandwiches or we have plenty of leftover ham recipes available on Mom’s Dinner.
Keep leftover ham in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. You can reheat to eat or just snack on the cold ham!
You can also freeze leftover ham. It will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight to use.
Also plan to use the ham bone in recipes. It has a TON of flavor and can be used in things like ham and bean soup or green beans with ham. The ham bone can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Leftover Ham Recipes
Most likely you will have some ham leftover after your feast. If anything, you will definitely have a ham bone leftover (don’t toss it!!!). We have a whole post including 35 recipes to use up your leftover ham. Here are some of our faves:
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Did you make this recipe?
I would love to hear your review, especially if you have tips and tricks to add! Pop down to the comment section and connect with me
How To Cook Spiral Ham
Equipment
- Large Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 7-10 lb Bone-In Spiral Sliced Smoked Ham
- optional favorite glaze recipe - -or included glaze packet
Instructions
Size of your ham
- Take note of the weight of your ham. This will determine the cooking time.
- Plan on about 12 minutes per pound. Example:My ham is 7.92 lbs.7.92 x 12 minutes = 95.04So I will cook this ham for 95 minutes. If using a glaze this does not include the ending time where we will caramelize the glaze.
Prep
- Preheat oven to 300℉
- Remove the ham from any packaging. Retain any juices from the packaging and pour into the roasting pan along with ½ cup of water or juice.
- Remember to remove the plastic cap on the bone, you will find this on the cut side of the ham.
- Place ham cut side down in the roasting pan. If using a glaze, brush approximately ⅓ of the glaze on the ham.
- Pour a ½ cup water or juice in the bottom of the baking pan.
- Cover the ham baking dish very tightly with foil. This will help your ham steam and stay moist.
Baking
- NOTE: the smoked ham is already fully cooked so you are just reheating it. I recommend only cooking the ham to around 110℉ internal temperature, this ensures your ham doesn't dry out!!
- Roast the ham until the internal temperature reaches 100 degrees. This will take about 12 minutes per pound. (see how to calculate cooking time above)
- Remove the ham from the oven. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
- Brush the ham with half of the remaining glaze and return to the oven, uncovered this time, to caramelize or candy the glaze for another 20-25 minutes.
- Remove ham from the oven and loosely cover with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Slicing & Serving
- Set the cooked spiral cut ham on it's side so that the bone is visible.Using two large forks can help you move the ham from the baking pan to a cutting board!
- Run a long, sharp knife around the bone. This will loosen all the slices. You can now pull the slices off of the ham, actually they may fall off as you cut.
- The ham slices will have natural seams or fat lines, so don't be alarmed if the slices fall into 2 or 3 pieces each. That actually makes them a more manageable size for serving. TIP-the really dark pieces on the bottom of the ham are the most tender and juicy.
- You can leave the slices on the cutting board for people to serve themselves, or plate the slices on a serving platter and take to the table.
- Serve additional glaze on the side.
Storing
- Leftover ham will keep in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can reheat to eat, make a recipe with the leftover ham, or just snack on it cold right out of the fridge.
- You can also freeze leftover ham for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight to use.
- Don't throw away the ham bone. It is full of flavor and can be used to make some great recipes. You can also freeze the ham bone for up to 3 months.
Recipe Tips and Notes:
ADDITIONAL HELPFUL RESOURCES & RECIPES: 35+ Leftover Ham Recipes Easter Dinner For 10 Easy Meals for House Guests Sunday Dinner Menu Ideas (by Season)
