How To Warm a Whole Stock Ham
Before beginning, it is important to understand that your ham is brined (therefore fully seasoned) and hot-smoked (therefore fully cooked). No further cooking is needed; all that needs to be done is to warm the ham, should you not be serving cold or room temperature.
Temper the ham by allowing it to sit at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350, and prepare an adequately-sized skillet or sheet pan lined with two pieces of parchment or foil overlapped in a “plus sign” formation.
Remove the ham from its packaging and place it in the middle of the foil. At this point, we recommend inserting an instant-read string-probe thermometer into the very middle of the thickest part of the ham. This way, while the ham is in the oven, you can see the internal temperature by looking at the digital readout that stays OUTSIDE of the oven. Do not ever put plastic inside the oven; follow the directions of your string-probe thermometer. (We love the Thermoworks BlueDot, as it is accurate, affordable, durable, bluetooth compatible, user-friendly, and stays outside the oven while the probe sits inside your protein.)
Bring all edges of foil up to meet at the top of the ham; at this point, add about a quarter cup to half cup of tepid or warm water (or other flavorful liquid) to the foil wrapping envelopment so that it is retained inside the parcel. This will create steam, which will encourage your ham to warm through more efficiently while maintaining a moist environment. Bring the foil edges together and fold tightly so that little to no steam can escape, but you are able to re-fold or crimp if necessary should the ham need more time to warm. Build your foil enclosure cleverly so that no liquid nor steam can escape.
Place the wrapped ham in the skillet or sheet pan and transfer to the middle position of your fully-preheated oven.
Set a timer for thirty minutes. Your ham will likely take longer to warm, but this is a good jumping-off point to check its progress.
The ideal temperature for your ham to be served, depending on your tastes, is about 130 degrees, which should take anywhere from 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the ham and how long it sat at room temperature before going into the oven, as well as other factors such as oven temperature accuracy and temperature of water or flavorful liquid added at the beginning (remember that the ham is already fully cooked, and we’re just warming it). Anywhere from 125-140 degrees internal temperature is acceptable; should that number achieve much above 140 degrees, you risk continuing the cooking process, which could result in overcooked and dry ham.
***If you plan on glazing your ham, it can be removed from its steam-wrap any time around 100 degrees, depending on the density of the glaze and the amount of applied glaze desired. Continue to layer your glaze as you see fit and remove the ham before it exceeds 140 degrees.
Allow the ham to rest, still wrapped in foil, for approximately 10-20 minutes; then CAREFULLY unwrap the foil (steam will want to burst out and could cause a burn to your body) and transfer the ham to a carving board using tongs, spatulas, or other tool.
Carve at the thickness of your desire and serve.
