The Best Baked Honey Ham Recipe for Easter Sunday and How to Time It Perfectly

Baked honey ham is one of those Easter traditions that earns its place on the table every single year. It is crowd-friendly, relatively hands-off once it goes in the oven, and produces a result that looks and tastes far more impressive than the effort involved. The tricky part for most home cooks is not the recipe itself but the timing, because a ham that sits too long goes dry, and one that comes out late throws off the whole dinner. Here is everything you need to know to get it right.

Choosing Your Ham

For Easter, a bone-in, fully cooked ham is the standard choice. The bone adds flavor and makes for better leftovers. A whole bone-in ham typically weighs 14 to 18 pounds and will feed 12 to 15 people. A half ham between 7 and 10 pounds is more manageable for smaller gatherings and works just as well with this method.

Avoid spiral-cut hams if you plan to glaze, because the pre-sliced surface dries out faster in the oven. If you do buy spiral-cut, reduce your cooking time and check the temperature early.

The Glaze