For years, I’ve made my glazed ham the day before and then just warmed it up the day of. It comes out 100% perfectly. The glaze is just as good as freshly made and the ham flesh doesn’t dry out at all. Get ready ahead of time with this easy way to glaze a ham. You can make my favorite Maple Glazed Ham or the classic Brown Sugar Glazed Ham.
I secretly love the challenge of making menus that are both fancy and easy to prepare ahead of time, so I don’t have to do as much on the day of the event. Nobody wants to be stuck in the kitchen when they have friends and family over.
But also because I secretly want to be a poised cooking goddess like Nigella Lawson, who can swan gracefully out of the kitchen with plate after plate of food without breaking a sweat.
As for the not being stuck in the kitchen part? I’m getting pretty good at that.
One of the best things I do to prepare for Christmas dinner is make glazed ham the day before.
Cooking a flavorful ham takes time to allow the juices and flavors to fully develop. Many recipes call for baking a ham low and slow overnight. But is it safe to leave a ham in the oven all night unattended?
The short answer is yes, you can absolutely leave a fully cooked ham in the oven overnight at low temperatures. Following proper food safety guidelines ensures your holiday ham turns out moist and delicious after its overnight oven stay.
In this article, I’ll explain how to safely bake your ham overnight and share overnight ham cooking tips for perfect, foolproof results.
Why Cook a Ham Overnight?
There are several advantages to slow overnight ham cooking
- Uses low, even heat to retain moisture
- Saves oven space during busy holiday meal times
- Infuses ham with more complex, developed flavors
- Convenient set-it-and-forget-it method
- Means ham is ready first thing in the morning
The key is keeping the oven temperature low, normally 200-250°F. This slow roasting prevents drying out while still cooking the ham through.
Is It Safe to Leave a Ham in the Oven Overnight?
Yes leaving a fully cooked ham in the oven overnight is completely safe when proper food safety steps are followed
- Cook at 200-250°F to prevent bacterial growth.
- Use a food thermometer to confirm safe internal temp.
- Leftovers should be refrigerated within 2 hours.
Hams labeled “fully cooked” have already been cured and smoked to safe temperatures. Low overnight cooking simply reheats the ham while enhancing taste.
Interior food must reach 140°F to prevent bacteria. Check ham internal temp with a food thermometer before eating.
As long as you monitor temperature and refrigerate promptly, overnight oven baking poses no safety issues.
How to Cook a Ham Overnight: Step-by-Step
Follow these simple steps for hands-off overnight ham cooking
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Prep the ham: Remove packaging and excess fat. Score the top in a diamond pattern. Glaze if desired.
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Place in roasting pan: Put ham directly in pan or on a roasting rack. Add 1⁄2 inch water to pan bottom.
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Insert thermometer: Place probe in thickest section without hitting bone.
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Cook overnight at 200-250°F: Time varies based on size, about 10 minutes per pound.
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Check temperature: Ham should reach 140°F. If not done, cook longer.
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Let rest 10-15 minutes before slicing for best moisture retention.
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Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours. Store 3-5 days.
Always use a food thermometer for the most reliable doneness indicator. Checking temperature prevents over or undercooking.
Helpful Overnight Roasting Tips
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Cook bone-in hams for best moisture retention during extended oven time.
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Add liquids like juice or stock to pan to prevent drying out. Baste ham occasionally.
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Loosely cover ham with foil to seal in heat and moisture.
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Place oven rack in lower position for most even heat distribution.
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Allow oven to fully preheat before placing ham inside.
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Use thermometer alarm to wake you when ham reaches target temp.
Overnight Ham Recipe
This overnight brown sugar glazed ham recipe results in a juicy, caramelized holiday centerpiece:
Overnight Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 hours
Total Time: 8-10 hours, 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 5-8 lb bone-in cooked ham
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1⁄2 cup honey
- 1⁄4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions:
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Prep and place ham in roasting pan with 1⁄2 inch water.
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Mix glaze ingredients and coat ham.
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Cook at 225°F approximately 10 minutes per pound until 140°F internal temperature.
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Rest 10 minutes before slicing.
The extended oven time allows the sweet glaze to fully caramelize for an incredible flavor.
FAQs About Overnight Ham Cooking
Got questions about leaving your holiday ham in the oven overnight? Here are some common queries answered:
What oven temperature should I use?
200-250°F is ideal for overnight roasting. This low, steady heat tenderizes while preventing drying.
Should I cover the ham with foil overnight?
Lightly tenting ham with foil helps retain moisture. But remove foil toward the end for browning.
Can I put the glaze on at night or should I wait until morning?
Applying any sugar-based glaze at the start can potentially burn. Wait to glaze until the last 1-2 hours.
Is it better to cook a ham on a rack or directly in pan?
A rack promotes air circulation for even cooking but pan juice caught by the pan provides basting liquid. Either works fine.
Can I let the cooked ham cool overnight in the oven after it reaches 140°F?
No, always refrigerate cooked ham within 2 hours. Leaving overnight in oven could potentially reintroduce bacteria.
Should I cook an uncooked fresh ham overnight or fully cooked ham?
Only reheating fully cooked hams overnight is recommended. Uncooked fresh hams require close monitoring for food safety.
The Takeaway
Thanks to their cured, smoked and fully cooked preparation, holiday hams can be safely left in a low oven overnight with no worries. The hands-off overnight method delivers a tender, juicy ham flavored by long, slow roasting.
Just be sure to follow proper food safety practices like using a food thermometer and promptly refrigerating leftovers.
With these simple tips, your overnight baked ham will come out deliciously moist and packed with nuanced flavors your guests will love this holiday season.
How to make glazed ham the day before
The thing with glazed ham is that it doesn’t actually need to be cooked because it’s already cooked. It’s just about getting that glaze just right!.
- Bake the day before—If you want the perfect golden glaze, make your glazed ham the day before so you have time to watch it in the oven and baste and brush it as needed. The only ham glazes I use are: i) Maple Glazed Ham, which is my favorite because it tastes like woody maple; ii) Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham, which is my go-to.
- Let it sit on the counter for two to three hours until you can barely feel the heat when you run your hand over the surface. The inside will still be warm, though, because this is a big piece of meat! For food safety reasons, don’t leave a hot ham out for much longer than this.
- Place the ham in the fridge uncovered for three to six hours, making sure it stays in the pan with all the juices. This will let the inside of the ham cool down quickly. If the ham is still a little warm on the inside, you don’t want to cover it. Doing so will make it sweat, which changes the glaze. .
- Cover and put in the fridge overnight. Place a piece of baking or parchment paper over the ham so that the glaze doesn’t stick, then cover it loosely with foil or cling wrap.
- Leave the ham out in the fridge overnight—If I’m short on time and the ham hasn’t fully cooled before bed, I sometimes just leave it out in the fridge overnight. Because there is so much fat on the ham’s surface, it doesn’t dry out. The cut face is also so caramelized that it doesn’t dry out either. You should cover the ham, though, if you have time to let it cool all the way down. As a safety measure and to keep smells from getting into food, Nobody wants ham flavour infused in their mini cheesecakes!.
- To reheat, take the ham out of the fridge two hours ahead of time. Cover loosely with baking/parchment paper then loosely with foil. Put the ham back in the oven at 130°C for two hours, or until the center registers 60°C/140°F (or a skewer inserted into the middle comes out hot). If the pan juices start to dry out, add water. We want a syrupy sauce at the end to serve with the ham! You shouldn’t need to leave the foil off for extra time in the oven to caramelize the glaze again, but you can if you need to.
- If you want a beautiful shiny, sticky finish, baste it over and over again.
- If the pan juices are too watery because you added too much water when reheating, you can either put the pan back in the oven without the ham to reduce the sauce until it is syrupy or remove the ham. You can also put it in a saucepan and cook it slowly on the stove.
- Serve the ham the way you normally would. These days, I like to put it on a wooden board on a bed of green fluff age (kale, watercress, or endive are my go-tos). Wrap the handle in paper, tie it with a ribbon, and put a rosemary sprig inside!