How to Bake a Cooked Boneless Kretschmar Ham, According to Chefs

If you're buying a ham for your holiday dinner, there's a good chance it's from Kretschmar — the brand, which offers both meats and cheese, has been around since 1883, according to its website. And when it comes to hams, they're got options: smoked, spiral sliced, off the bone, uncured, Black Forest and more.

One popular choice is a fully cooked boneless ham. Even though this ham is already cooked through, you'll still need to do some prep work before serving.

"The goal is to reheat the ham to a beautiful warm center and crispy caramelized exterior without drying it out," Chef David Schneider of Sodexo tells LIVESTRONG.com.

Here's everything you need to know to get started reheating your Kretschmar fully cooked boneless ham.

Prepare a glaze the day before, Schneider recommends. "This allows the ingredients of the glaze to become more robust, blended and well-rounded, giving the finished ham an even, consistent flavor," he says.

Schneider shares some favorites glaze options:

• ​Brown sugar and mustard:​ This is a simple, traditional option. "Add depth in flavor with fresh herbs, spices or fruit juice, pineapple rings or maple syrup," Schneider suggests.
• ​Orange marmalade, butter, cardamom and rosemary:​ This makes for a sweet mixture, with a pungent blast of flavor from the rosemary.
• ​Raspberry jam, habanero and onion:​ Adjust the consistency of this sweet and spicy glaze with chicken stock, Schneider recommends.
• ​An old-fashioned:​ Mimic the flavor of the classic cocktail with a glaze made with cherries, orange, bitters, honey and bourbon.
• ​Spiced pomegranate:​ Try mixing pomegranate molasses, honey, brown sugar and spices — Schneider includes star anise, cinnamon, black mustard seed and parsley.

Pick a glaze based on your preferences. Mix the ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Remove the ham from the refrigerator about an hour before the reheating process, Schneider says. "This allows the ham to come to room temperature for a more even reheat."

Set the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the oven is preheating, remove the ham from the packaging. Retain any liquid.

"Place on a wire rack or mirepoix in a roasting pan," Schneider says. (Mirepoix is a mix of diced onions, celery and carrots.)

Once your ham is in the pan, add the liquid from the packaging as well as water, Schneider says — you want about 1/4 inch of liquid at the bottom of the pan. This water helps the ham reheat, and also keeps it moist, Schneider says.

If you want to add more flavor, try cola, root beer or low-sodium chicken broth, says Shawn Matijevich, lead chef for online culinary arts and food operations at the Institute of Culinary Education. "You can use any flavorful liquid that you might enjoy," he says.

You can put the ham in the oven as-is, with liquid at the bottom. Or: "Stud the ham with cloves, pineapple rings, cherries or something else based on preference," Matijevich suggests.

Cover your pan with aluminum foil and make sure the foil is applied tightly.

Bake it for 15 minutes per pound. "Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature through the reheating process," Schneider says.

The temperature of a fully cooked ham should reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit, per the USDA.

Remove the ham from the oven once it reaches the internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the foil.

This time, you'll want to preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Apply some glaze — either a large spoon or brush, Schneider says. Do not use all the glaze; you'll repeat this process a few times.

Once the glaze is on and the oven temperature reaches 425 degrees Fahrenheit, return the ham to the oven.

Let the ham bake until the glaze becomes tacky and bubbly, Schneider says.

"Remove the ham from the oven, glaze again and place back in the oven. Repeat the glazing process one or two more times. On the last glaze, allow the last glaze to blister and caramelize," he says.

Once the ham has cooked after the last glaze, remove it from the oven.

Then, let it rest for up to 20 minutes. "If you cut into it straight away, you'll wind up with a drier ham," Matijevich says.

Once the ham is rested, slice it up and serve it.