Ham Cooking Time Table
| Type | Cut and weight | Min/lb |
|---|---|---|
| Smoked, cook before eating | whole, bone-in, 10–14 lb | 18–20 |
| Smoked, cook before eating | half, bone-in, 5–7 lb | 22–25 |
| Smoked, cook before eating | shank or butt portion, 3–4 lb | 35–40 |
| Smoked, fully cooked | whole, bone-in, 10–14 lb | 15–18 |
| Smoked, fully cooked | half, bone-in, 5–7 lb | 18–24 |
| Smoked, fully cooked | arm picnic shoulder, 5–8 lb | 25–30 |
| Spiral-sliced, fully cooked | whole or half, 7–9 lb | 10–18 |
| Fresh, uncooked | whole leg, bone-in, 12–16 lb | 22–26 |
| Fresh, uncooked | half leg, bone-in, 5–8 lb | 35–40 |
Timetable: USDA FSIS, Hams and Food Safety (updated 2024). Country ham path: soak 4–12 hours, simmer 20–25 min/lb, then 15 min under a 400°F broiler to glaze. Servings: a third to a half pound bone-in per person, a quarter to a third pound boneless. Related: ham dinner calculator, turkey thaw calculator, food storage times table, leftover storage calculator.
Every December the same math ruins the same dinner: the package says fully cooked, an old recipe says 18 minutes a pound, and your 12-pound ham sits somewhere between those answers. This table is USDA's complete ham timetable — nine cut-and-cure combinations from fresh leg to spiral-sliced — turned into a calculator that converts your actual weight into total oven hours and a ready-by clock for planning the rest of the meal.
The hidden variable is the cure, not the clock. A cook-before-eating ham and a fully cooked ham of the same weight differ by up to 25 minutes per pound, and pulling at the right internal temperature matters more than any minute estimate: 145 degrees with a 3-minute rest for fresh and cook-before-eating hams, a gentle 140 degrees for reheating plant-cooked ones.
How to use
- Pick the cut and cure from the dropdown — check your label first: cook-before-eating and fully cooked are different rows with different clocks.
- Enter the weight and read total oven time at 325 degrees, plus the ready-by time counted from right now.
- Pull the ham at the internal temperature shown in the stat line and let it rest 3 minutes before carving.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you cook a ham per pound?
Between 10 and 40 minutes per pound at 325 degrees, depending entirely on the cut and cure: a fully cooked whole bone-in ham needs 15 to 18, a cook-before-eating whole 18 to 20, a fresh half leg 35 to 40. Same oven, same temperature — the cure is what moves the clock.
What internal temperature should ham be cooked to?
145 degrees with a 3-minute rest for fresh and cook-before-eating hams — USDA's current timetable standard. Hams packaged in plants as fully cooked only need reheating to 140 degrees, and spiral-sliced ones are best warmed covered in foil at about 10 minutes a pound.
Do you need to soak a country ham before cooking it?
Yes, and it is the longest step in the whole process: a whole country ham soaks 4 to 12 hours in cold water (change the water once), then simmers 20 to 25 minutes per pound before a 15-minute glaze under a 400-degree broiler. Prep dwarfs the roast.
How much ham do you need per person?
A third to a half pound bone-in, a quarter to a third pound boneless — the bone buys you servings, not weight. A 10-pound bone-in ham feeds roughly 20 to 30 people, which is why it anchors the holiday table.
Can I roast the ham at a higher temperature to save time?
USDA's timetable is built for 325 degrees, and higher heat works against you on a large cured roast: the exterior dries long before the center reaches temperature, and a half-hour saved costs the crust. If the clock is short, pick a smaller cut instead of a hotter oven.