Cured BBQ Smoked Ham Recipe | Kingsford® (2024)

FAQs

Is smoked cured ham already cooked? ›

In terms of cooking, the common understanding is that most hams sold to consumers are already cured, smoked, or baked, making them technically "pre-cooked". However, uncured ham may still require cooking, depending on its specific preparation and processing methods.

If you're using your oven, place the ham on a roasting rack—cut side down—set inside a pan. Add 1/2-3/4 of a cup of wine or stock to the pan (you don't want the ham swimming in liquid) and throw some aromatics in there—a few whole cloves, some star anise, and cinnamon sticks are all good options.

Cooking Temperature and Time

A half ham weighing between five and eight pounds requires 35 to 40 minutes of roasting at 325°F per pound. For whole bone-in hams weighing 12 and 16 pounds, cook the ham at 325°F for 22 to 26 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 145°F.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the ham on a rack in a large baking pan and add about 1/4- to 1/2 inch of water to the pan. If the ham is labeled "fully cooked" (does not require heating), heat it in the oven for about 10 minutes per pound, or to an internal temperature of 140 F.

Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove all packaging materials and place ham on its side, fat side up, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover loosely with aluminum foil. 2. Heat approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound until heated through.

Place ham in a large cooking vessel, skin side down. Cover ham with water. Bring water temperature to 180 – 185 degrees F. Cook at this temperature for 20 – 25 minutes per pound until temperature at center of largest muscle is 150 – 155 degrees F.

Whether the meat is smoked or cooked, the brine and the high cooking temperatures work together to kill bacteria and create a ham that is cooked and safe to eat. In short, if you purchase a ham that is labeled as cured, smoked, or baked this, it is likely "pre-cooked" and safe to eat.

Each region has its own traditional methods and specific varieties of ham, contributing to the distinct characteristics of the final product. Dry-cured ham is often enjoyed sliced thinly and is a popular ingredient in various culinary dishes, from sandwiches to salads and charcuterie boards.

Cured: Pork leg that is wet-cured or dry-cured. Wet cured ham is soaked in a brine. Dry-cured is ham that is coated in salt and stored for a period of time until it is preserved. Cured-and-smoked: Pork leg that is wet-cured or dry-cured before it is smoked for hours, days, or weeks.

Ham is essentially a leg of pork, and the distinction between cured and uncured ham lies in the preservation process. Cured ham is processed and preserved through wet or dry curing, which may include smoking and adding a combination of sugar, salt, and other flavors.

Why is cured ham so expensive? ›

Irene: The Iberian pig feeding takes 18 months until it is slaughtered. After that, the time of its curing or drying varies depending on factors such as the weight of the pig and the climate (which needs to be dry and cold. To get a leg of Iberian ham would take no less than 20 months up to 40 months or even more.

In a 325-degree oven, a 12-16 pound bone-in ham needs 22-26 minutes per pound. A 10-14 pound boneless ham needs 24-28 minutes per pound. And a 5-8 pound bone-in ham needs 35-40 minutes. For cooking times of all these hams, we turn to the USDA for the safest advice.

Bake uncovered until the internal temperature reaches 160° (18–20 minutes per pound for a 10–15-lb. ham; 20 minutes per pound for a 5–7-lb. ham; or 35 minutes per pound for a 3–4-lb. shank or butt portion).

Whether the meat is smoked or cooked, the brine and the high cooking temperatures work together to kill bacteria and create a ham that is cooked and safe to eat. In short, if you purchase a ham that is labeled as cured, smoked, or baked this, it is likely "pre-cooked" and safe to eat.

Meat products that are cured are frequently, but not always, smoked. Although these cured products are often called smoked meats, more correctly, products in this class should be called cured and/or smoked meats, since all of them are cured while only some of them are smoked and/or cooked.

Cook all raw fresh ham and ready-to-eat ham to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °F (62.8 °C) as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. For safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

After curing, some hams are smoked. Smoking is a process by which ham is hung in a smokehouse and allowed to absorb smoke from smoldering fires, which gives added flavor and color to meat and slows the development of rancidity. Not all smoked meat is smoked from smoldering fires.