Find the cooking times and temperatures you need for your holiday ham.
Published on June 21, 2021
Photo: Andy Lyons/Meredith
Cooking a holiday ham is a time-consuming endeavor. Make sure you know exactly how long you'll need to cook your ham before you get started — a whole, bone-in ham (not pre-cooked) can take upwards of upwards of four hours to cook, depending on how much it weighs.
Here you'll find exact cooking times and temperatures for cooking a ham in the oven, according to FoodSafety.gov. But first, check the label on your ham to determine a few things: Check to see if it's bone-in or boneless, pre-cooked or uncooked, and how much it weighs. If you have a country ham or a fresh ham, you'll find the cooking times for those below as well.
It's easy to overcook ham out of fear that it's underdone. That's why we recommend using an instant-read thermometer to know exactly when your ham has come to a safe internal temperature.
Smoked Ham, Pre-Cooked
You'll find most hams available at the grocery store to be smoked and fully cooked, simply requiring you to heat them up. Reheat cooked ham in an oven set to 325 degrees F until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F.
| Type | Weight | Cook Time |
| Whole, bone in | 10 to 14 lbs. | 15 to 18 min/lb. |
| Half, bone in | 5 to 7 lbs. | 18 to 24 min/lb. |
| Arm picnic shoulder, boneless | 5 to 8 lbs. | 25 to 30 min/lb. |
| Vacuum packed, boneless | 6 to 12 lbs. | 10 to 15 min/lb. |
| Spiral cut, whole or half | 7 to 9 lbs. | 10 to 18 min/lb. |
Smoked Ham, Uncooked
If you're cooking a smoked ham that has not been pre-cooked (oftentimes labeled as "cook before eating"), you'll need to cook it at 325 degrees F until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
| Type | Weight | Cook Time |
| Whole, bone-in | 10 to 14 lbs. | 18 to 20 min/lb. |
| Half, bone-in | 5 to 7 lbs. | 22 to 25 min/lb. |
| Arm picnic shoulder, boneless | 5 to 8 lbs. | 30 to 35 min/lb. |
| Shoulder roll (butt), boneless | 2 to 4 lbs. | 35 to 40 min/lb. |
Country Ham
Most hams you purchase at the store are going to be city hams (wet-cured), as opposed to country hams, which are dry-cured and are usually sold uncooked. Because they are intensely salty, whole or half country hams need to be soaked. The longer you soak, the less salty your ham will be. After soaking and boiling, cook your ham at 400 degrees F to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
| Type | Cook Time |
| Whole or half | 1. Soak for 4 to 12 hours in the refrigerator. 2. Cover with water, then boil 20 to 25 minutes per pound. 3. Drain the ham and cook at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes to brown. |
Fresh Ham, Uncooked
Fresh hams are relatively uncommon, but refers to the uncured rear legs of a pig. They are always sold uncooked. Cook at 325 degrees F to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
| Type | Weight | Cook Time |
| Whole leg, bone in | 12 to 16 lbs. | 22 to 26 min/lb. |
| Whole leg, boneless | 10 to 14 lbs. | 24 to 28 min/lb. |
| Half, bone in | 5 to 8 lbs. | 35 to 40 min/lb. |
Related:
- 18 Tasty Recipes for Using Up Leftover Ham
- 19 Best Side Dishes to Serve With Ham All Year Long
- Browse our entire collection of Ham Recipes.
The proper ham cooking time and temperature are extremely important. The optimum flavor and tenderness of the ham can be consistently achieved when care is taken to follow the recommended guidelines for ham cooking times and temperatures.
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
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| 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
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| 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
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| 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. |