How To Cook a Thanksgiving Ham

Cooking a Thanksgiving Ham can be the start of a great holiday meal. This tutorial will shows you an easy, inexpensive method to cook a delicious Holiday Ham.

Most hams are purchased pre cooked in both a brine and then smoked. This means that cooking a ham is one of the safest and easiest ways to cook a Ham for the Holidays.

Cooking a ham only involves reheating and infusing a unique flavor into the ham to make it special. The internal temperature of the Ham should reach 125 degrees F to ensure that the Ham is thoroughly and safely cooked.

There are only two ways to ruin a pre-cooked ham. First, you could allow the temperature of the Ham to exceed 125 degrees. This will overcook the ham and render it dry. The second way that a Thanksgiving Ham can be ruined is by over or incorrectly seasoning it. If you measure your ingredients properly and carefully observe the temperature of the ham as it cooks, you'll be rewarded with a moist, delicious ham the very first time you cook it!

To cook a Thanksgiving Ham, you will need:

1. A small package of Cloves
2. A large roasting pan
3. Aluminum foil

Louis Ortiz on behalf of eHow explains how to cook a Holiday Ham.

1. Place the ham in a large roasting pan with the fat (white colored) side up.
2. Push the cloves into the fat of the ham so that the fat tops of them rest on the outside of the Ham while the pointed end is submerged.
3. Many people arrange the cloves in an attractive pattern. However, as long as they are evenly spread out, the pattern does not matter and will not effect the taste.

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit (230º c).
2. Cover the ham completely with tinfoil. Ensure that the shiny side of the foil is up.
3. Don't wrap the underside of the ham. You will need to occasionally remove the tinfoil as the ham cooks to baste it.
4. Place the ham near the back of the oven. Placing the ham near the back of the oven typically results in a steady, even heat.
5. Quickly withdraw the roasting pan and ham from the oven every 15 to 20 minuets. Remove the tinfoil, check the temperature (125º F is the goal) and baste the ham.

Cheapcooking.com recommends a simple basting sauce that is comprised of:

1. 1 cup brown sugar
2. 1/4 cup maple syrup
3. 2 tsp. dry mustard

Combine each ingredient in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil, turn the heat off and cover.

Remove the ham from the oven every 15 minuets, check the temperature and use a basting brush (or sturdy nylon paint brush) to apply the basting sauce.