It’s easy, tastes great, and doesn’t take up much room in the oven. Serve this juicy ham for Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter.
You need recipes because the holidays are coming up! I know that everyone loves Prime Rib and Air Fryer Filet Mignon.
I am going to show you how to make the best holiday ham out of a store-bought traditional ham.
Your job is to heat up the ham and put a pineapple glaze on top. There you go!
Your ham comes pre-seasoned and vacuum-packed, so it is unnecessary to take it out of its original packaging.
Ovens tend to dry out spiral-cut hams since they are pre-sliced. Cooking sous vide keeps the moisture in, resulting in a juicy ham recipe.
To explore more sous-vide recipes, I suggest my Sous Vide Scallops and the Sous Vide Ribeye Steak.
Ham is a classic centerpiece for holiday meals and special occasion dinners. When properly cooked, it’s tender and juicy with a lovely sweet and salty flavor. However, dry, stringy ham is a common complaint. With sous vide cooking, you can ensure moist, delicious ham every time. But how long should you cook ham sous vide?
This complete guide will cover everything you need to know for sous vide ham success We’ll look at
- Benefits of cooking ham sous vide
- Recommended times based on ham size and type
- Adjusting time for different doneness levels
- Seasoning and glazing tips
- Serving ideas for your tasty sous vide ham
After reading this guide, you’ll be ready to make phenomenal sous vide ham for Easter, Christmas, or whenever the mood for this versatile meat strikes.
Why Cook Ham Sous Vide?
Ham is already fully cooked when purchased, so some people wonder why bother with sous vide. Here are some of the biggest benefits:
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Guaranteed moisture – Vacuum sealing retains all the natural juices and prevents the ham from drying out, especially helpful for reheating leftovers.
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Precise temperature control – You can dial in the exact temp needed for your preferred texture.
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Forgiving method – It’s nearly impossible to overcook since ham is pre-cooked. Longer just makes it more tender.
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Hands-off – Once sealed, sous vide ham cooks unattended without worrying about burning or drying out.
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Convenience – Cook sous vide ham straight from frozen. No need to remember to thaw!
With sous vide, you’ll get foolproof, deliciously juicy and tender ham every time with minimal effort required.
Recommended Sous Vide Times for Ham
The sous vide cook time needed depends primarily on the size and type of ham. Use these general guidelines:
- Bone-in half ham (7-10 lbs): 6-8 hours
- Boneless ham (3-4 lbs): 4 hours
- Ham steaks or chops (1-inch thick): 45-90 minutes
Keep in mind that since ham is pre-cooked, extra time simply makes it more tender. Stick close to the recommendations for best texture.
For frozen ham, add 50% more time. So a 4-hour cook becomes 6 hours when frozen.
Adjusting Cook Time for Different Doneness Levels
In addition to size, you can tweak sous vide time and temp to get the exact doneness you prefer:
- Medium rare: 135°F for 10-16 hours
- Medium: 140°F for 10-20 hours
- Well done: 145°F for 10-20 hours
The wide time ranges demonstrate how flexible sous vide ham cook times can be. Stay within the guidelines for your ideal texture.
I recommend cooking to medium for the best balance of juicy and sliceable, but personal taste rules!
Seasoning and Glazing Tips
One sous vide benefit is seasoning and glazes permeate deeply into the ham as it cooks. Here are flavor tips:
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Season aggressively before sealing with spices like brown sugar, crushed peppercorns, rosemary, etc.
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Marinate overnight in apple cider vinegar, fruit juice, etc.
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Glaze with pineapple juice, maple syrup, whole grain mustard before serving.
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Make a sauce from the flavorful ham bag juices.
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Torch the exterior for crispy, caramelized bits after cooking.
Serving Up Your Delicious Sous Vide Ham
You have lots of options for serving your tasty sous vide ham:
- With scalloped or au gratin potatoes and veggies
- Sliced in omelets, quiches or frittatas
- In hearty ham and bean soup
- On fresh biscuits for breakfast sandwiches
- Diced in fried rice or pasta salad
- On pizza with sweet pineapple and red onion
- In a hash with potatoes and peppers
However you serve it, sous vide ham is sure to be a hit!
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have some questions about cooking ham with sous vide? Here are answers to some common queries:
Is it safe to cook ham in the original store packaging?
Yes, as long as you use a food-safe sous vide bag. Commercial packaging can leach plastic flavors.
Can you cook frozen ham sous vide?
Absolutely! Just add 50% more time to the cook time to allow for thawing.
What if I cook the ham too long sous vide?
No worries! Since ham is pre-cooked, extra time simply makes it more tender.
Do you need to sear ham after sous vide cooking?
Searing provides nice browning, but is optional. You can sear in a hot pan or use a torch.
What temp should you reheat sous vide ham leftovers?
140°F for 1-2 hours ensures heated through, moist ham.
Make Delicious Sous Vide Ham at Home
Now that you know the ideal sous vide times for different hams, you can start cooking amazingly juicy and tender results at home.
Refer to this guide for temperature and time recommendations, glazing and seasoning tips, serving suggestions, and FAQs.
With sous vide, you don’t have to worry about overcooking pre-cooked ham. Just set the time and temperature and let the water bath do the work for you. It takes the guesswork out of reheating ham perfectly.
WHAT IS THE WATER DISPLACEMENT METHOD?
For the displacement method, slowly pour water into a ziplock bag. This forces the air out of the bag through the top, which is slightly open.
Use a clip (I prefer sous vide magnets) to attach the bag to the side, preventing it from floating and letting air or water inside.
Here is a visual overview of the sous-vide ham ingredients in this recipe. Scroll to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Ham – This recipe uses pre-cooked, cured, and smoked ham. Putting the pork in salt for a while makes the ham pink. You could use a pork loin or pork butt with a nice ham glaze if color isn’t important.
- Pineapple: We used 1 cup of diced fresh pineapple, but pineapple from a can also works well.
- Pineapple Juice—This glaze tastes great because it has fresh pineapple juice in it.
- Brown Sugar—The glaze tastes sweet and is thick because the sugar is cooked down.
- Spices: Cinnamon and cloves that have been ground up add a Christmasy flavor to this glaze.
- Butter—I like to add 1 tablespoon of butter to the end of my ham glaze to make it shine.
See recipe card for quantities.
What is a Ham?
Ham is an interesting term because its a cut of pork, but you can also ham something. You have smoked ham, cooked ham, boneless ham, baked ham, spiral ham, parma ham, etc. Traditional ham comes from the leg or thigh of a pig. Ever wonder why ham is pink? It’s because it’s brined in a saltwater solution that has sodium nitrates in it.
Sodium nitrate preserves meat from unwanted bacteria and gives it a rosy pink color.[feast_advanced_jump_to]