I love ham. What else can I say. Guilty pleasure? Slow cooked oven gratification? Taste bud delight? Yes, yes and YES! More than just a quintessential holiday meal, it is an easy throw in the the oven and forget about it kind of food that gives you leftovers for many meals to come.
Savory and tender this fall apart ham is mouth-watering delicious. Cooked to perfection it is soft and succulent with plenty of drippings. Juicy, smokey and drop-off-the-bone good, there is no better ham to be found. And so easy!
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I seriously cannot stop eating this ham, even as I am writing. It is so tender that I can literally pull little bites and bits off the side of this lovely roast. Cooked to excellence this ham practically falls right off the bone.
My Grandmother was the queen of cooking ham and I have been striving for years to master her method of cooking ham as sublimely. Nothing can touch one of Grandma’s home cooked hams but I have to say that my recipe is getting closer and closer every year.
Don’t get me wrong, her recipe was no secret, but there was always just something about the way she cooked it that made it so delicious. It was always so tender, juicy and scrumptious. I think it had something to do with the long cooking time at a low temperature.
Did I mention easy? How could I forget. This recipe is practically effortless. Just set it and forget it. With and easy overnight soak and then drain, just cover and pop in the oven for a long slow roast. It is so simple.
This ham is the perfect recipe for your next holiday, gathering or sit down family meal. It is so delicious it will definitely be the star of the table.
This time, I served it up with mashed potatoes and gravy (yes, the drippings make delicious gravy), salad, steamed broccoli and homemade bread. It was a real feast!
When you’ve scraped off most of the good pickings, make sure to use that bone for some good old fashioned soup. Slow cook the bone with some navy beans and leftover bits of ham for a scrumptious bowl of pure goodness.
Selecting a ham
While the ingredients for this recipe may be simple (ham), selecting one might not be so straightforward. There are so many different types of ham on the market. How do you know which one to choose?
I recommend a bone-in, uncooked ham. Avoid precooked, spiral cut, and boneless hams. They all have their proper place in the world of ham but for a delicious fall off the bone recipe like this I recommend just a basic bone-in uncooked roast.
Bone-in hams usually come in either whole shank (about 10-18 lbs.) or half shank (about 5-9 lbs.) portions. It should come vacuum packed or butcher wrapped from your supermarket. Keep it refrigerated until you are ready to cook it.
Cooking times
At 325° the optimal cooking time for this amazing, mouth watering meal is 25 minutes for every pound. Therefore, my 8 lb. cut needed to cook for 200 minutes or 3 hours and 20 minutes. If your package recommends less cooking time, just ignore. Use the longer cooking time, you won’t regret it.
Just make sure that your ham reaches an internal temperature of 145° before you dig-in. If you have a precooked ham you will still need to cook it throughly, until it reaches an internal temperature of 140°.
Directions
To make this scrumptious fall apart ham simply set your ham in a stainless steel or enameled pot and cover with water.
It’s ok if your water does not cover the entire ham. Just cover as much as possible, an inch or two from the top of the pot is fine. You don’t want to slop water everywhere when you move the pot.
Place tinfoil or lid on top and refrigerate for four hours or overnight. This soaking helps remove some of the salt and helps prepare it for cooking.
When ready to cook preheat oven to 325°, drain and discard the water. Add the 2 cups of cooking water to the pot, you should have about one inch of water in the bottom.
Cover with lid or tinfoil and cook for 25 minutes for each pound of ham.
Remove from your oven and let stand, covered, for about 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Ham bone-in
- 2 C. Water
Instructions
- Set ham in a stainless steel or enameled pot and cover with water.
- It’s ok if your water does not cover the entire ham. Just cover as much as possible, an inch or two from the top of the pot is fine. You don’t want to slop water everywhere when you move the pot.
- Place tinfoil or lid on top and refrigerate for four hours or overnight. This soaking helps remove some of the salt and helps prepare it for cooking.
- When ready to cook preheat oven to 325°, drain and discard the water. Add the 2 cups of cooking water to the pot, you should have about one inch of water in the bottom.
- Cover with lid or tinfoil and cook for 25 minutes for each pound of ham.
- Remove from oven and let stand, covered, for about 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
You also might like my chicken en mole or easy holiday sheet pan meal.
Please make sure to leave your questions, comments and ratings below!
Corinne
This is exactly how my mom used to make it, and I couldn't replicate! My question is: Could I make it a day before? How could I reheat and still keep it moist and tender?
Sam
Hi Corinne,
The best way to reheat ham is to slice and then reheat. The smaller portions will warm up more quickly without drying. Slice your ham and place in a large baking dish or cookie sheet. Add a small amount of water or drippings (¼-½ cup) to the bottom of the pan to help provide moisture as it heats. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 325°until warm and at least 140°.
If you prefer to leave it whole it will take more time to reheat. Place your cooked ham back in your baking pot and add 1 to 2 cups of water. Cover and bake at 325° for 10 minutes for every pound of ham. If you know you will be reheating it whole you could also try reducing the original cooking time down to 20-22 minutes per pound.