Martha Stewart is known for her amazing recipes and cooking expertise When it comes to holiday meals, a beautifully cooked ham is always a crowd-pleaser Martha has shared her techniques for cooking hams in various ways over the years. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how Martha Stewart cooks ham for Easter, Christmas, and any special occasion.
Martha’s Tips for Selecting and Preparing Ham
When choosing a ham, Martha recommends selecting a high-quality smoked bone-in ham. She often opts for an uncured ham ranging from 10 to 15 pounds. For spiral hams, she likes ones around 8 pounds. Martha suggests looking for reputable brands like D’Artagnan when buying ham.
Before cooking Martha removes the ham from any packaging and wraps it tightly in foil lined with parchment paper. This helps seal in moisture as the ham cooks. She places the foiled ham on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan.
Baking Techniques for Bone-In Hams
For bone-in hams Martha employs a combination of oven baking and glazing. She preheats the oven to 325°F and bakes the ham wrapped in foil for about 1 1/2 hours. This initial roasting helps heat the ham through gradually.
After the foil-wrapped stage, Martha removes the foil and scored the fat on the ham in a diamond pattern. She makes the cuts about 3/4 inch apart. The scoring allows the glaze to really penetrate and flavor the meat.
Next, Martha lowers the oven temperature to 300°F. She prepares a glaze using ingredients like brown sugar, cloves, ginger, citrus juices, etc. and brushes it generously over the scored ham. The ham bakes for another hour, getting glazed periodically, until the center registers 140°F.
Martha shared this technique for her popular Baked Easter Ham recipe. She doubled the glaze and used a 12-14 pound ham to feed a crowd!
Glazing and Roasting Boneless Spiral Hams
For spiral hams, Martha uses a simpler glazing technique during the baking process. She still starts by tightly wrapping the raw ham in parchment-lined foil and roasting it for about an hour. This initial step helps render some of the fat.
To make the glaze, she combines honey, citrus zest, spices, and pepper. After the first hour, she unwraps the ham, brushing it with the sticky glaze. Martha bakes the spiral ham uncovered for another 45 minutes to an hour, frequently basting it with more glaze.
The repeated brushing of the sweet glaze gives the ham a glossy lacquered surface and infuses it with flavor. The meat of the spiral ham becomes warmed through and tender.
Martha’s Go-To Ham Glaze Ingredients
Martha’s ham glazes always balance sweetness, acidity, and spice. Here are some of her favorite ingredients to use:
- Honey – adds sticky sweetness
- Brown sugar – deep molasses notes
- Orange or lemon zest – bright citrus
- Fresh ginger – warmth and subtle bite
- Cloves – rich aroma
- Bourbon or Cognac – booze and oak tones
Martha recommends reserving some of the glaze to serve on the side for drizzling over slices. Her glazes thicken as they cool and make a delicious sauce.
Handling Leftover Ham
Leftover ham will keep for 3-5 days refrigerated. Martha removes any bone before storing leftovers. She suggests adding baking juices to leftover ham to keep it moist.
For longer storage, she freezes ham in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Frozen ham holds up well for adding to soups, casseroles, sandwiches, and more!
Martha’s Most Popular Ham Recipes
Over the years, Martha has shared many fantastic ham recipes. Here are three of her most popular:
Baked Easter Ham – This is Martha’s go-to for Easter dinner starring a bone-in smoked ham glazed with brown sugar and Cognac. It feeds a whole crowd!
Apricot-Bourbon Glazed Ham – Boasting a tangy-sweet glaze, this is another of Martha’s favorite bone-in baked hams. It makes holiday meals special.
Honey-Glazed Spiral Ham – For spiral cut ham, Martha uses a simple glaze of honey, citrus, ginger, and cloves. It’s easy to recreate at home.
Useful Tips for Carving Cooked Ham
Carving ham can seem daunting, but Martha has advice to simplify the process:
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For bone-in ham, use a sharp carving knife to cut slices parallel to the bone. Cut close to the bone to release each slice.
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For spiral cut ham, just slice between the pre-cut lines, separating the meat.
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Keep slices thick (at least 1/2 inch) to keep ham juicy.
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Cut the fatty outer portion thinner than the meatier interior sections.
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Slice only as much ham as needed for a serving to avoid dryness. Cover and refrigerate the rest.
Serving Suggestions for Martha’s Hams
A beautifully glazed ham is delicious simply served warm or at room temperature. Here are Martha’s ideas for ham pairings and garnishes:
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Serve with classic sides like scalloped potatoes, roasted vegetables, biscuits, etc.
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Garnish ham with fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or watercress.
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Offer mustard, cranberry sauce, and fig jam as ham condiments.
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For a salad, pair ham with mixed greens, roasted beets, blue cheese, and vinaigrette.
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Use ham in sandwiches, wraps, panini, and more.
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Dice ham for omelets, frittatas, potato hash, and egg bakes.
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Toss ham into pasta salads, risottos, and soups.
Martha Stewart’s Ham Cooking FAQs
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about Martha Stewart’s techniques for cooking ham:
What size ham should I buy? – For bone-in ham, Martha suggests 10-15 pounds for a crowd. Get an 8-pound spiral ham to serve 8-12 people.
Should I bake ham fat-side up or down? – Martha cooks bone-in ham fat-side up to allow glazing and scoring. Spiral hams she bakes fat-side down.
How long does an uncooked ham need to bake? – Plan on roasting a bone-in ham for around 2 1/2 – 3 hours total. Spiral hams take less time, around 1 1/2 hours.
What temperature should ham cook to? – Martha bakes hams until the thickest part of the meat reaches 140°F.
Can I freeze leftover baked ham? – Yes, cooked ham freezes well for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool fully before freezing.
How do I reheat baked ham? – Reheat ham slices wrapped in foil at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. Or glaze and warm a ham half at 300°F for 30 minutes.
Put Martha Stewart’s Ham Cooking Secrets to Use!
Whether you are cooking for Easter, Christmas, or just Sunday dinner, Martha Stewart’s ham recipes and techniques will help you create a mouthwatering centerpiece. With her advice, you can bake, glaze, carve and serve ham like a pro! Impress your family and friends with your newfound ham cooking skills.
