How Long to Cook a Spiral Ham?

Step by step

1. Read the label. If it says "fully cooked" or "ready to eat," use the reheat times below. A rare "cook before eating" ham follows the package's higher target temperature instead.
2. Heat the oven to 275–325°F. Lower and slower keeps spiral slices from drying out.
3. Place the ham cut-side down in a roasting pan with a little water or cider in the bottom, and tent tightly with foil so steam stays in.
4. Reheat 10–15 minutes per pound. A 8-pound ham is often about 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours; a 10-pound ham closer to 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes. Start checking early.
5. Glaze in the last 15–20 minutes: uncover, brush on the glaze, and raise the heat a little if you want it sticky rather than steamed.
6. Rest 10–15 minutes before serving so juices settle.

Why spiral hams dry out easily: the slices are already cut, so heat and air reach a lot of surface. Foil + a bit of liquid in the pan is doing most of the work; blasting it at 400°F is what turns the edges into jerky.

Bone-in vs. boneless: times are still per pound to the same internal temperature; bone-in often tastes moister but doesn't change the 140°F reheat target for a fully cooked ham.

Food-safety note: 140°F is the usual reheat target for ham that's already cooked. If the package says the ham is uncooked, follow that label's temperature (often 145°F plus a rest) instead of assuming grocery-spiral defaults.

Two similar answers: How Long to Cook Prime Rib? and How Long to Smoke a Pork Butt?.

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