Ham Cooking Times - Cooking Tips

Using the recommended time and temperature guidelines will ensure that the ham is cooked to the minimum safe internal temperature, which is critical in preventing food-borne illness that can be caused by undercooked food. Using an accurate meat thermometer is the best way to ensure the proper doneness when cooking ham.

Whether you are looking for a bone in ham cooking time or a boneless ham cooking time, use the following chart as a guide for baking ham, grilling ham, or cooking a ham that has been inserted into an oven bag prior to baking. See the article, " Ham Doneness" for additional information on determining the proper doneness of ham.

HAM Cooking Times and Temperatures
Oven Baking Ham at 350°F
Type of Ham	Ham Cut			Weight	Meat Thermometer Temperature	Approximate Cooking Time (minutes per pound)
Ham (cured and smoked)	Arm picnic shoulder (bone-in)			5-8 lbs.	170°F	30 minutes
	Shoulder boneless roll			2-3 lbs.	170°F	35-45 minutes
Ham (smoked, cook before eating)	Half ham (bone-in)			5-7 lbs.	160°F	25-30 minutes
	Whole ham			10-14 lbs.	160°F	18-20 minutes
	Whole ham			14-16 lbs.	160°F	15-18 minutes
Ham (smoked, fully cooked, heat at 325°F)	Half ham (bone-in)			5-7 lbs.	140°F	18-20 minutes
	Half ham (boneless)			3-4 lbs.	140°F	25-30 minutes
	Whole ham (bone-in)			12-14 lbs.	140°F	15 minutes
	Whole ham (boneless)			6-8 lbs.	140°F	10-12 minutes
	Whole ham (boneless)			14-16 lbs.	140°F	5-7 minutes
Note: Start with meat at refrigerated temperature. Remove the ham from the oven when it reaches 5° to 10°F below the desired doneness; the temperature will continue to rise as the meat stands.
Grilling Ham
Type of Ham	Ham Cut			Weight	Medium (145°F)	Well Done (160°F)
Ham (fully cooked)					8-10 minutes per pound
Ham (cook before eating)				3-4 lbs.		10-12 minutes per lb.
				5-7 lbs.		12-18 minutes per lb.
				10-14 lbs.		30-35 minutes per lb.
Note: When grilling with Indirect Heat generally the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a high heat. When grilling with Direct Heat the coals (or burners on a gas grill) are heated to a medium heat. Use these heat settings unless you have a recipe that states something different. See how to test the grill temperature.
Baking Ham at 325°F in an Oven Bag
Ham Cut	Total Weight	Approximate Cooking Time (total time)			Add Water to Oven Bag	Meat Thermometer Temperature
		Regular-Size Oven Bag 10"x 16"	Large-Size Oven Bag 14"x 20"	Turkey-Size Oven Bag 19"x 23 1/2"
Smoked picnic	5-8 lbs.		2 1/4 - 3 hrs		1/4 cup	170°F
Whole fully cooked ham (bone-in)	12-16 lbs.			2 1/2-3 1/4 hrs	None	140°F
Fully cooked ham half (bone-in)	6-8 lbs.		1 1/2 - 2 hrs		None	140°F
	8-10 lbs.			2 - 2 1/2 hrs	None	140°F
Fully cooked ham half (boneless)	2-4 lbs.	1 - 1 3/4 hrs			1/2 cup	140°F
	4-6 lbs.		1 1/4-1 3/4 hrs		1/2 cup	140°F
	10-12 lbs.			2 1/4-2 3/4 hrs	1/2 cup	140°F
Smoked shank or rump half ham (spiral sliced, place cut side down)	8-10 lbs.			1 1/2-1 3/4 hrs	None	140°F
Whole country ham (bone-in)	10-14 lbs.			3 1/2-4 1/2 hrs	Soak covered in water 24 hours before cooking; drain. Add 4 cups fresh water to bag to cook.	Fork Tender
Country ham half (bone-in)	5-7 lbs.			2 1/2 - 3 hrs	Soak covered in water 24 hours before cooking; drain. Add 2 cups fresh water to bag to cook.	Fork Tender
Oven Bag Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Add 1 tablespoon flour to the oven bag and distribute evenly on the inside of the bag prior to inserting the ham. Remove the ham from the oven when the meat thermometer reaches the temperature listed or when the meat is fork tender. If using a turkey-size oven bag for a ham smaller than 12 lbs., gather the oven bag loosely around the ham allowing room for heat circulation; then close the bag with a nylon tie, and cut away any excess oven bag.