Ham and Pineapple Bake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens when you cook ham with fresh pineapple? ›

Don't bother decorating the outside of your ham with fresh pineapple, as the enzymes in the fruit will turn the meat to mush.

Cooking Temperature and Time

If the ham is a half ham weighing five to seven pounds, it should heat at 325°F for 22-25 minutes per pound. If it is a whole ham weighing between 10 to 14 pounds, heat the ham at 325°F for 18-20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 140°F.

An Easy Pineapple Ham Recipe

The pineapple adds a sweet and tangy flavor to the savory ham, making it a crowd-pleaser that will leave everyone asking for seconds. Plus, the recipe is super easy to follow, so even novice cooks can create a show-stopping dish in no time.

If you don't cover your ham while cooking it will quickly dry out. Instead: Put some aluminum foil over your ham while it's cooking. It is recommended that the ham is covered for at least half of the cooking process and only removed during the last half when you glaze it.

Place ham, fat side up, in a roasting pan large enough to fit it. Add 2 cups of water or enough so that the water reaches about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Set the timer for the amount of time you calculated in step 2.

Heat oven to 325°F. Remove all packaging materials. Place ham, cut/flat side down, on rack in shallow roasting pan; cover tightly with aluminum foil. Heat approximately 18 to 23 minutes per pound until heated through.

The ham cooking instructions below cover all bases, but generally, a half ham will cook in 1½–2¼ hours, while a whole ham could need anywhere from 2½–4½ hours. Allow around 20 minutes per pound for an uncooked half ham; and 18–20 minutes per pound for an uncooked full ham.

Place the ham in a roasting pan and rub it with your choice of seasonings: A mixture of salt, pepper, garlic and herbs always works well. Cover with foil and cook in a 350 F oven for approximately 20 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 F.

Pineapple as a tenderizer for steaks

Being a fruit, pineapple contains a natural fruity flavor that adds flavor to the food when it is marinated in pineapple juice. However, what many people do not know is pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain that softens muscle fiber.

Why do people pour co*ke on their ham? Not only does it give a sweet flavor to the ham, it helps create a sticky glaze we all know and love from a baked ham recipe.

What makes ham taste better? ›

Peach preserves, hot pepper jelly, and maple syrup work as sweet bases for glazes that add sheen as well as distinct flavor. Tasty additions such as aromatics, herbs, and spices switch up a traditional ham and make it truly memorable.

You don't want to make a ham soup, so put just enough to coat the ham and cover the bottom of the pan. You can use water, but if you want to add more flavor, you should use wine or beef, chicken, or vegetable stock. Most of this liquid will cook off, but your tinfoil cover will help your meat absorb those juices.

Tips for Making the Best Baked Ham

Cook it cut-side down: Place the ham cut-side down in your pan to prevent it from drying out while baking. Cover it while cooking: Help the meat retain moisture by covering the ham or pan with aluminum foil before putting it in the oven.

The glaze should not be applied until the final hour to 30 minutes, in order to avoid burning the sugars. What you're going to do with the glaze ingredients is just combine most of them into a paste, and then apply it to the ham. After that, the heat in your oven will take care of everything.

“Typically, when you're doing a country ham, you need something sweet to neutralize the ham's saltiness, and pineapple does this really well.” And it's not just me and Benton: Pineapple shows up in ham recipes—atop the ham, in glazes slicking the ham, in shield-your-eyes versions of fried rice—the world over.

Pineapple will only change the texture of ham if you use fresh pineapple. Make sure to use canned pineapple rings when baking ham, or the acidity of the fresh pineapple will break the meat down too much and make it mushy. Fresh pineapple is fine for the glaze, however, as it's cooked down.

If you're not a fan of salted fruit, high heat also inactivates bromelain, so baking or grilling pineapple will prevent that tingling sensation (and tastes amazing in general). It's also not an issue with canned pineapple because the heat required for the canning process has the same effect, says Camire.

In the case of pineapples, the bromelain is actually a mixture of two enzymes classed as proteases that break down proteins. These proteases target the large protein molecules in meats (specifically the connective proteins called collagen), and break them down into shorter segments.