Should I Bake Ham Covered or Uncovered? How Partial Covering Prevents Dryness

Learn everything you need to know about how to cook a ham in the oven. This spiral ham recipe that is baked and has a simple glaze is great for family meals and holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.

Since I learned how to bake a ham, it’s our favorite main dish or piece of the dinner table at Christmas and Easter. We like to have ham, whether were having company or not.

If the grocery store prices are low enough, I’ll sometimes bake a whole ham and cut it up for lunch that week. I absolutely love a good ham, almost as much as a good Crock Pot pork roast.

There are many things to keep in mind when baking a ham in the oven, even though it’s pretty simple to do. Things like how to keep it moist, how long do you cook a ham, and so on.

Hopefully, Ill be able to answer all of your burning questions about how to cook a pre-cooked ham. Leave a comment, though, and if you still can’t find the answer to your question, I’ll get back to you (I check them sometimes).

Few things feel more festive than a hearty baked ham on the holiday table. However, nothing can ruin the experience faster than slices of dry, tough ham lacking its signature succulence. Preventing a dried-out ham depends largely on knowing when to cover and uncover it during the baking process.

Most cooks realize the importance of retaining moisture, but many wonder if it’s best to bake a ham completely covered in foil or completely exposed The answer lies somewhere in between Here are some tips on maximizing juiciness using partial covering techniques.

Why You Should Avoid Baking Ham Completely Uncovered

While uncovered cooking allows for glazing and browning, going completely uncovered the entire time leaves the ham vulnerable to moisture loss in several ways

The outer surface will dry out from the direct heat exposure.
Natural fats will render out quicker without the protection of foil or a lid.
Crust formation leads to shrinking which squeezes out meat juices.
Any basting liquids will evaporate rather than getting drawn back into the meat.

Just as you wouldn’t roast an uncovered turkey or beef roast, exposing the entire surface of ham to high oven heat creates a very dry cooking environment For the most tender and juicy results, some covered time is ideal

Why Baking Ham Completely Covered Can Also Cause Problems

On the other hand, baking a ham completely covered in foil start to finish can also backfire. Trapping moisture underneath foil or an enclosed lid can lead to issues like:

Excess rendered fat and juices stewing in the pan rather than evaporating. This causes the ham to steam and boil in its own liquids rather than roast.
A barrier to smoke penetration for smoked hams.
The inability to form a flavorful, candylike crust.
Preventing browning and caramelization of any sweet glaze.

So consistent covered cooking inhibits flavor development and crisping. Optimal results come from uncovered and covered stages.

The Benefits of Partial Covering When Baking Ham

Cooking the ham partially covered, then partially uncovered provides a good balance and the benefits of both methods:

Covered:

Preserves moisture during initial roasting
Allows heat to gently penetrate into the center
Prevents surface from drying before interior is cooked through

Uncovered:

Provides opportunity to baste, glaze, and crisp the exterior
Intensifies flavor through caramelization and browning
Reduces steaming from renderings getting trapped

You get moist, tender meat that’s also browned and flavorful. The key is knowing when to make the transition from covered to uncovered.

When to Cover and Uncover Bone-In Hams

For a traditional bone-in half ham or whole ham, follow this step-by step covering and uncovering process:

Place ham in roasting pan fatty side up, add liquids, cover tightly with foil.
Roast at 300-325°F covered for the first 50-75% of cooking time.
Uncover during the last 25-50% of estimated baking time.
Brush ham with any pan juices, apply glaze, return to oven uncovered.
Bake until the internal temperature reaches 130-140°F.
Let rest 15 minutes before slicing into the ham.

The initial covered phase locks in natural moisture. Transitioning to uncovered lets you caramelize the exterior.

Tips for Keeping Boneless Hams Moist

For boneless hams, an oven bag provides the ideal moisture barrier:

Place boneless ham in an oven cooking bag, squeeze out excess air, seal according to package directions.
Roast at 300-325°F in the sealed bag for the first half of estimated cook time.
Carefully remove ham from bag, brush with juices/glaze, return to oven uncovered.
Finish cooking until 140°F internal temperature.
Rest 15 minutes before slicing.

The oven bag keeps the boneless cut extra tender and juicy. Uncovering at the halfway mark crisps and caramelizes the outside.

Should You Completely Uncover Towards the End?

There are a few options when it comes to the uncovering stage:

For spiral cut or boneless hams, you can fully uncover for superior browning. These cuts are naturally moist.
For bone-in hams, try tenting foil to leave just the top exposed to focus glazing but retain some protection.
For less tender cuts, use a foil ring to shield the ends from drying but expose the top surface.

In general, less tender roasts benefit from more protected uncovered time versus leaner/tender hams.

Don’t Forget to Let It Rest

The final step after baking your ham is allowing it to rest 15-20 minutes before slicing. This important step allows juices that have been forced out during cooking to reabsorb back into the meat. Skipping this leads to dryness when you cut into the ham.

Proper roasting, combined with strategic covered and uncovered cooking, will keep your ham irresistibly moist and full of flavor. Just remember to steam it covered at first, then finish uncovered with sweet, sticky glaze.

should i bake ham covered or uncovered

Ingredients and Substitutions Notes:

For this oven-baked ham recipe, youll need just 3 ingredients…

A ham that has already been cooked—the ham I used in this recipe is a 10-pound spiral-cut ham Well talk about selecting a ham a little further down.
Glaze packet—This is what usually comes with the ham and can be found in the box.
Water

How to Choose a Ham

Our grocery stores here make it pretty simple when it comes to selecting the right ham. They dont offer a whole lot of choices. However, your store may offer an entire selection.

I’ll keep this pretty simple and just talk about the most common types of ham. That way, you can quickly decide what kind of ham you want to serve.

• Ham with bones: A ham with bones will taste and feel better. It will probably also be sold as a half ham. Of course, it will still be pretty big, but you’ll only get half of the ham. It will require carving.
Ham without bones: This ham has been processed more, so it will taste less good and have a smoother texture. It needs to be cut up, but it won’t take as long as carving around the bone.
Spiral-cut ham—I used a ham that was cut into spirals for this recipe. Spiral-cut hams are bone-in hams, and they may already have a glaze on them. If you want to make your own glaze, that’s something to think about. Instead of the pre-made glaze, look for one that comes with a glaze packet.
Smoked ham: This kind of ham has usually already been smoked by the company that makes it.
Heritage or fresh ham: This kind of ham usually comes from a farmer in the area who raises a heritage breed of pigs. A nearby butcher shop might even have fresh ham.

If you want to read more, Taste of Home has a really great guide on how to choose the best ham for your next feast.

Your ham size will depend on how many people you’re cooking for and whether you want to serve a bone-in or boneless ham. Remember, the bone adds weight, that isnt meat, to the ham.

You’ll need about 3/4 to 1 pound of ham per person if it has bones; about 1/3 to 1/2 pound of ham per person if it doesn’t.

So, if youre like me and cooking a 10-pound bone-in ham, you can probably feed 10-12 people. If its a 10-pound boneless ham, you can probably feed 15-20 people.

should i bake ham covered or uncovered

Should I bake ham covered or uncovered?

FAQ

Should ham be covered when baking?

Bake the ham in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 140°F, basting every 30 minutes with 1/2 cup of the glaze. Be sure to keep an eye on the ham, and cover it loosely with foil if it starts getting too dark.

Do you cook a ham at 325 or 350?

Cooking Temperature and Time If the ham is a half ham weighing five to seven pounds, it should heat at 325°F for 22-25 minutes per pound. If it is a whole ham weighing between 10 to 14 pounds, heat the ham at 325°F for 18-20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 140°F.

Do you cover a precooked ham with foil?

Wrap the ham tightly with the foil and bake at 300 F for about 15 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer registers 140 F when inserted into the thickest part of the meat, not touching bone.

Do you bake a ham face down or on the side?

Place ham, flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake approximately 13 to 18 minutes per pound until heated through. Remove ham from oven. Glaze as directed below or let stand, covered, 10 minutes before serving.