Set your oven to 275°F. Yes, it’s low. Yes, it takes patience. But high heat is the enemy of tender ham—it dries out faster than your phone battery at 8%. Place the ham cut-side down in a baking dish. Add about a half cup of water to the pan. This keeps the air moist, so your ham stays juicy and doesn’t turn into pork jerky.
Cover it tightly with foil. I mean tight. Like you’re wrapping a secret. This traps steam and makes the ham happy.
How Long Do We Wait?
About 10 minutes per pound. So if you’ve got a 10-pound ham, that’s 1 hour and 40 minutes. Mark your calendar, set a timer, or—be honest—just scroll on your phone until the buzzer goes off. You can peek after an hour, but don’t be a heat-leaker. Every time you open the oven, the ham sighs and loses warmth.
