How Long To Cook A 12-Pound Ham

Updated on June 29th, 2022

To correctly cook a 12-pound cured ham, roast by using a low temperature for the appropriate period. The amount of time your ham will take before it is cooked depends on if it is bone-in or boneless, as well as whether the ham has been fully cooked already. For food safety, regardless of whether it has bone, uncooked hams must be cooked to 145 degrees F. To ensure food safety, you should heat the already cooked hams to 140°F.

The oven should be preheated to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake your ham uncovered for 30 minutes. Allow 15–18 minutes per pound for a whole ham and 18–24 minutes per pound for a half ham. When the ham reaches 140°F on the inside, it’s done.

City ham, country ham, and fresh ham are the three types of available ham.

1. City hams are brine-injected, smoked, and cooked, the most common variety of ham in supermarkets.
2. Country hams are aged several months to years after being dried (preserved by rubbing them with spices and salt) and occasionally smoked. The curing process preserves them, yet they are still raw. Country hams must be soaked before cooking to rehydrate them and eliminate part of their salt.
3. Fresh ham is raw and uncured. It’s not as common as it once was.

Ham Nutrition Facts

Equipment Needed

1. Meat thermometer
2. Baking pan

How Long To Cook A 12-Pound Ham

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• Author: Bobby

Ingredients

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• 12-pound ham
• Whole cloves
• Unsalted butter
• Orange marmalade
• Grounded coriander
• Chopped fresh thyme
• Grounded cinnamon

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Instructions

How To Make A 12-Pound Cured Ham

1. An hour or two before you want to cook, remove the ham from the refrigerator to bring it to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 325°F and place a rack in the lower part of the oven.
3. Use foil to line a big shallow roasting pan. Use a knife to trim the ham fat and skin and place flat side down in the pan. Use a foil to cover it loosely and bake for about one and half hours.
4. Adding cloves to the scoring gives the ham flavor. Place a full clove into each score intersection. Meanwhile, combine the butter, marmalade, cinnamon, and coriander in a small saucepan over medium heat; keep stirring until the butter and marmalade have melted together, and the mixture has reached a low boil. Half of the butter and marmalade mixture should be set away, while the rest should be left in the saucepan.
5. Arrange the ham on the baking sheet and bake. In a pot, glaze the ham. Continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 130°F, 15 to 18 minutes per pound total cooking time, not covered tightly with foil, and use the saucepan mixture to baste it for each 15 to 20 minutes. Keep it separately for 30 minutes, covered securely with foil.
6. Empty the baking pan of any liquid. Using the cup of glaze you reserved, brush the ham with it. Roast for 5 to 7 minutes or until the glaze has caramelized well.
7. When the internal temperature of the ham reaches 160 degrees F, remove it from the oven.
8. Calculate how long it will take the ham to cook. A 12-pound ham will take up to three or four hours to fully bake, or for each pound, 18 to 20 minutes. Begin checking the interior temperature at the earliest possible moment. The ham will be fully cooked when it is 160°F.
9. Carve the meat and serve it right away.

 

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Other ways to cook a 12-pound ham

Aside from baking, there are other options for cooking a 12-pound ham. Ham can also be grilled and cooked using a slow cooker or Instant Pot, depending on its size.

1. Prepare the grill over low heat for indirect cooking, around 300 degrees Fahrenheit. The ham should be wrapped in aluminum foil. Using grill grates, cook per pound for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the foil when it is almost at the end of cooking, and if you desire, you can use a glaze to baste it. Cook the ham until it reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit on the inside. Before cutting, allow for a 15-minute rest.
2. To use in a slow cooker, season and glaze the ham before putting it in a slow cooker. Cook for 6 hours on low heat, or until the ham reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Warnings and Recommendations 

1. Allow for a 15-minute rest period before carving the cooked ham.
2. If you want to glaze the cake, do so near the end of the baking process. You can try to use a coating of powdered mustard and brown sugar, cherry preserves, or already melted apricots.
3. Remove whole cloves from the ham when carving if whole cloves were used when baking.
4. Make sandwiches or casseroles with the leftover ham, and make a hearty soup with the ham bone and beans.
5. The ham may be unsafe to eat if not cooked to the appropriate temperature. Make sure your ham is thoroughly cooked before serving.
6. Hands must be washed with warm, soapy water after handling raw ham. The knife should not be used again unless it has been thoroughly cleaned.

Cooking Time For 12 Pound Ham 

It’s critical to cook the ham at the right temperature and for the right amount of time. When care is made to follow the suggested criteria for cooking times and temperatures, the best flavor and softness of the ham can be produced consistently. The ham will be cooked to perfection if you follow the prescribed time and temperature parameters. The cooking instructions for 12-pound ham can be seen below.

Check out this video for some more tips on how to cook a 12-pound ham.