Choosing the right cut of meat is the first step toward a successful family dinner, and the butt portion ham is often the unsung hero of the holiday table. While many people gravitate toward the shank end for its iconic “handle” bone, the butt portion—the upper part of the hog’s hind leg—offers a richer, more marbled flavor profile that stays incredibly juicy when prepared correctly. Because it contains the hip and pelvic bone, it can be slightly trickier to carve, but the culinary payoff is well worth the extra effort.
Cooking a butt portion ham doesn’t have to be intimidating. Whether you are preparing a pre-cooked, city-style ham or a fresh ham, the key lies in moisture retention and temperature control. Since most retail hams are sold “ready-to-eat” or “fully cooked,” your primary goal is actually reheating the meat without drying it out. This guide will walk you through every step of the process, from preparation and glazing to the final rest.
Understanding Your Butt Portion Ham
Before you preheat the oven, it is important to know exactly what you are working with. The butt portion is the top half of the ham. It is meatier and contains more fat than the shank, which translates to a more tender bite. However, because the bone structure is more complex, you won’t get those perfect, circular slices you see in advertisements. Instead, you get hearty, flavorful pieces that are perfect for main courses and even better for leftover sandwiches.
Most butt portion hams found in grocery stores are “city hams.” This means they have been cured in a brine of salt, sugar, and nitrates, and then smoked. They are typically sold fully cooked. If your label says “cook before eating,” you are dealing with a fresh or partially cooked ham, which requires a longer cooking time and a higher internal temperature to ensure safety.
Preparation and Essential Tools
To achieve the best results, you need to treat the ham with a bit of care before it ever sees the heat. Start by taking the ham out of the refrigerator about one to two hours before you plan to cook it. Bringing the meat closer to room temperature allows for more even heating; a cold core often leads to overcooked exterior edges by the time the center is warm.
Essential Equipment Checklist
- You will need a sturdy roasting pan, ideally one with a rack to keep the ham from sitting directly in its juices.
- Aluminum foil is your best friend here, as it creates a steam chamber that prevents the meat from turning into leather.
- Finally, a reliable meat thermometer is non-negotiable. Relying on time alone is a recipe for disappointment, as oven temperatures and ham shapes vary wildly.
The Roasting Process Step by Step
To begin, preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. This relatively low temperature ensures the fat renders slowly and the proteins don’t toughen up. Remove all packaging from the ham, including the plastic disc that often covers the bone end.
Setting the Stage for Moisture
Place the ham in the roasting pan with the flat, cut side facing down. This protects the most exposed part of the meat from direct heat. Pour about a cup of liquid into the bottom of the pan. While water works fine, you can add layers of flavor by using apple juice, orange juice, or even a dry hard cider.
Cover the entire roasting pan tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. If your ham is particularly large and peaks out of the pan, create a foil tent. The goal is an airtight seal to trap the steam.
Calculating Cooking Time
For a fully cooked butt portion ham, you should plan for approximately 15 to 20 minutes per pound. If you are starting with a 10-pound ham, expect it to take between 2.5 and 3 hours. However, start checking the internal temperature about 45 minutes before the estimated finish time. You are aiming for an internal temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit for a pre-cooked ham. If you are cooking a “cook-before-eating” ham, you must reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
Scoring and Glazing for Maximum Flavor
A plain ham is delicious, but a glazed ham is an event. About 30 minutes before the ham reaches its target temperature, remove it from the oven and increase the oven heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Art of Scoring
Carefully remove the foil. Using a sharp knife, score the fat layer on the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern. Cut about a quarter-inch deep. This not only looks professional but allows the glaze to penetrate the meat rather than just sliding off the surface. If you like a classic look, you can press a whole clove into the center of each diamond.
Applying the Glaze
Brush your chosen glaze generously over the surface, making sure it gets into the scores you just made. Return the ham to the oven, uncovered. Every 10 minutes, brush on more glaze. The high heat will caramelize the sugars in the glaze, creating a sticky, mahogany crust that balances the salty meat perfectly. Keep a close watch during this stage, as glazes with high sugar content can go from caramelized to burnt very quickly.
The Secret of the Rest
One of the biggest mistakes home cooks make is carving the ham the moment it leaves the oven. When meat is heated, the muscle fibers tighten and push juices toward the center. If you cut it immediately, those juices will run out onto the cutting board, leaving the meat dry.
Transfer the ham to a carving board and tent it loosely with foil. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes. This allows the fibers to relax and reabsorb the moisture, ensuring every slice is as juicy as possible. This also gives you time to finish up your side dishes or make a quick gravy from the pan drippings.
Carving Tips for the Butt End
Because of the aitch bone (hip bone), carving a butt portion requires a bit of navigation. The easiest way is to cut large chunks of meat away from the bone first. Once you have a manageable boneless piece of meat, slice it across the grain into your desired thickness. Don’t worry about perfect slices; the irregular, rustic pieces of a butt ham are part of its charm. Save the bone! A ham bone from the butt portion is packed with marrow and flavor, making it the perfect base for split pea soup or red beans and rice the next day.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the butt portion or the shank portion better for roasting?
- It depends on your preference. The shank portion is easier to carve and has a classic look, but it can be leaner and slightly drier. The butt portion has more fat and marbling, which leads to a more flavorful and tender result, though the bone structure makes carving a bit more complex.
- Do I need to wash the ham before cooking?
- No, you should never wash a ham. Modern processing is very clean, and washing meat in the sink actually increases the risk of cross-contamination by splashing bacteria around your kitchen. Simply pat the ham dry with paper towels if it is excessively wet from the packaging.
- How do I prevent the ham from becoming too salty?
- If you are sensitive to salt, you can soak the ham in cold water for several hours before cooking, changing the water once or twice. However, for most city hams, the best way to balance the salt is through a sweet glaze containing brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, which provides a culinary counterpoint to the curing salts.
- What should I do if the ham is still cold in the middle but browning too fast?
- If the exterior is darkening but the internal temperature is lagging, cover the ham back up with aluminum foil and lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. This slows down the exterior cooking while allowing the heat to continue penetrating the core.
- How long can I keep leftover butt portion ham in the fridge?
- Cooked ham will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days when stored in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in foil. For longer storage, you can freeze the meat for up to two months. It is helpful to dice some of the leftovers before freezing so they are ready to be tossed into omelets, pastas, or casseroles later.