With its smoky flavor and rich consistency, ham is ideal for holidays as well as for quick weekday dinners. Cooking ham in a bag will keep it moist and make cleaning a breeze. If youre on a diet, opt for low-fat, low-sodium varieties so you can enjoy your meal without guilt.
Cooking ham in a bag will seal in the flavor and keep the meat moist. Feel free to add citrus fruits, apple slices, sweet or hot peppers, potatoes and other delicious, healthy ingredients for a perfect holiday meal.
Can You Cook a Ham in a Turkey Bag? Everything You Need to Know
With the holidays right around the corner, many home cooks are starting to think about preparing the perfect main course for their festive meals. A beautifully glazed ham is always a crowd-pleaser, but getting that gorgeous browned exterior while keeping the inside tender and juicy can be tricky.
That’s why more and more people are turning to an unconventional technique – cooking their holiday ham in a turkey bag. While it may seem odd at first, using an oven-safe turkey bag to cook your ham provides some major advantages. But it also comes with a few potential downsides to consider.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about baking ham in a turkey bag We’ll cover the benefits, prep tips, recommended cooking times and temperatures, helpful variations, and possible pitfalls Our goal is to provide all the details so you can decide if using a turkey bag is the right choice for your next ham.
Why Cook a Ham in a Turkey Bag?
While turkey bags are designed for poultry, many home cooks have realized they work just as well for other meats like ham. Here are the main benefits of cooking ham in a turkey oven bag:
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Seals in Moisture – The bag creates a contained environment full of steam that keeps the ham very moist and juicy. No need for constant basting.
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Enhances Flavor – Cooking in an enclosed bag really concentrates the flavors and allows them to penetrate deep into the meat
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Easy Cleanup – Turkey bags prevent messy spills and drips in your oven. Just throw away the bag when finished cooking.
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Saves Time – With no basting required, you can simply pop the bag in the oven and focus on other dishes until the ham’s done.
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Versatile – You can cook bone-in or boneless, glazed or unglazed ham successfully in an oven bag.
So if you want a fuss-free way to get deliciously moist and flavorful ham every time, a turkey bag offers a great option. The bag does all the work for you!
How to Prepare a Ham for Cooking in a Bag
Proper prep is important for the best results when oven bag cooking. Follow these tips:
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Choose a boneless, fully cooked ham ideal for bag cooking. Bone-in hams are tricky.
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Trim excess fat, leaving about 1⁄4 inch. Helps glazes and spices penetrate.
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Score the ham by making shallow X-cuts. Again, allows flavor into meat.
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Apply any glazes, juices, or dried spices/herbs you want. Get creative!
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Place seasoned ham in a large, heavy-duty Reynolds oven bag. Load bag on a baking sheet.
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Thoroughly seal the bag according to package directions. Leave a little air space.
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Add a small amount of liquid like broth, juice or water to generate steam.
Now your ham is prepped and ready for the oven!
Baking Instructions and Tips
To bake ham in a turkey bag:
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Preheat oven to 325°F.
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Put sealed bag with ham on a baking sheet/pan (prevents leaks).
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Bake approximately 15-20 minutes per pound.
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Check temperature – should reach 140°F when done.
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Let rest 10-15 minutes before removing carefully from hot bag.
The cooking time can vary based on size and shape of your ham. Rely on a meat thermometer for doneness, not just time. Here are more helpful pointers:
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Add extra flavorings like pineapple, brown sugar, cloves, apple juice, etc.
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Use an oven-safe probe thermometer to monitor temp.
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Reduce temp to 300°F for smaller hams under 3 pounds.
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Account for sugars in glazes when choosing oven temp.
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Allow ham to rest before slicing for optimal texture.
You really can get creative with ingredients and glazes inside the bag. The sealed environment distributes those flavors beautifully into the ham.
Potential Downsides to Consider
While baking ham in a turkey bag offers some big advantages, there are a few potential downsides to keep in mind:
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Opening the bag releases moisture – avoid until fully cooked.
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Cheap bags may leak, creating an oven mess. Use quality bags.
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You lose the tasty browned exterior glaze. May look less appealing.
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Improper bag sealing can cause it to burst when cooking.
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Cook times are faster than normal since it’s well-insulated.
Provided you use a heavy-duty oven bag, properly seal it, and follow our tips, you can avoid most of these pitfalls. But it’s good to be aware before you cook.
The Bottom Line
Can you successfully cook bone-in or boneless ham in a turkey bag? The answer is a resounding yes!
When used properly, an oven bag provides a steamy environment that keeps your holiday ham incredibly moist, tender and flavorful. It also cuts down on messy cleanup and constant basting.
Just be sure to prep the ham well, use a high-quality bag, seal it thoroughly, include some liquid, and follow the temperature guidelines. There are some minor drawbacks, but overall baking ham in a turkey bag can deliver delicious results on your next special occasion or weekend dinner. Give it a try and see if it becomes your new go-to ham cooking method!
Cooking Ham in a Bag
Oven bags make cooking and cleaning a lot easier while enhancing food flavor. Choose among several brands, including the popular Reynolds bag. Manufacturers recommend choosing one in a larger size for fresh ham.
Season the meat with herbs and spices, put it inside the bag and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Bake it in an preheated oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until it reaches a minimum internal temperature of 145 F.
For extra flavor, marinate the ham before you cook it. Mix low-sodium soy sauce, hot sauce, Dijon mustard, ground black pepper and herbs like cilantro or rosemary in a small bowl. You may also add brown sugar or honey, but these ingredients will increase the calorie count. Stir well, pour the mixture into an oven bag and then add the ham.
If youre trying to slim down, cook with fresh lean pork instead of ham. This type of meat may help improve body composition and cardiovascular health, according to a July 2012 study published in Nutrients.
Make sure the bag is fully sealed. Place it in the refrigerator and marinate for a few hours or overnight. When youre ready to cook the ham, transfer it to a new oven bag and follow the manufacturers instructions. Feel free to add sweet potatoes, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, apples and other ingredients to your Reynolds bag for a meal thats bursting with flavor.
Choose the Best Ham
A perfectly baked ham can be a spectacular centerpiece on any holiday table. However, this doesnt mean you cant cook ham after a long day or on a busy weekend. This type of meat requires minimal prep and goes well with mashed or roasted potatoes, steamed asparagus, salads, brown rice and other quick and easy side dishes. Plus, its relatively low in calories and has zero carbs.
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Lean roasted ham, for instance, has only 179 calories per 3-ounce serving. Youll also get a whopping 25 grams of quality protein, 8 grams of fat and 25 percent of the daily recommended zinc intake. Regular roasted ham boasts 232 calories, 22.8 grams of protein and 15 grams of fat per serving, according to the USDA. Cured ham is lean but high in sodium, so it should be consumed in moderation.
Depending on your preferences, you may opt for fresh, cured, country-style or cooked ham. Fresh varieties are the least processed and typically include the pork leg. If the label states “cook thoroughly,” make sure you bake the ham until its internal temperature reaches at least 160 Fahrenheit, advise the experts at Michigan State University Extension.
Choose a half-ham if you expect 10 or more guests. The butt half is tender and easy to cook but difficult to carve because it contains the hip bone. The shank half, on the other hand, is easier to carve but tougher, so it takes longer to cook. Another option is boneless ham, which requires no carving.
If youre planning to bake the ham, select one with water or natural juices, advises Kansas Farm Food Connections. Both options are suitable for roasting. A pound of boneless ham is enough for four or five servings, while the same amount of bone-in ham yields up to three servings, making it ideal for family meals.
Country-style ham is dry-cured, so it contains more salt than other varieties and should be served in small portions.
When consumed in excess, sodium may raise your blood pressure and put you at risk for kidney stones, heart failure and osteoporosis, warns the American Heart Association. To stay safe, try not to exceed 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
How to bake a Ham in an Oven Bag | Easy Glazed Ham Recipe
FAQ
Is it better to cook a ham in a bag or not?
Stay Moist Oven Baked Ham in a Bag. “This produces a very flavorful moist ham with no basting and no messy clean-up. Use the regular Reynolds oven bags that you would use to roast a turkey.”
How long to cook a ham in a Reynolds oven bag?
| OVEN BAG HAM COOKING TIMES | |
|---|---|
| Ham Weight | Cooking Time @ 325°F |
| 6 to 10 pounds | 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours |
| 10 to 12 pounds | 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 hours |
| Fully Cooked Ham Half, bone-in No water needed. Cook until internal temp reaches 140°F. |
How long to heat a fully cooked ham in a bag?
Place the ham, cut-side-down, on heavy-duty aluminum foil and wrap the ham thoroughly. Or use an oven roasting bag; follow instructions on the bag for preparation. Bake in a preheated 325F oven for 10-14 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer registers 135F.
Can you cook a spiral ham in a turkey bag?
I popped it into a large turkey roasting bag and put it in the oven at 275°F and roasted it for 50-minutes. Next, I removed it from the oven, opened up the bag, pushing it down around the sides and put a ginger preserve glaze on the ham. Another quick ten-minutes at 350°F crisps up the glaze and…. Voilà.!
How to cook a Ham in a plastic bag?
To cook a ham in a plastic bag, first preheat your oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Then, cut the ham into bite-sized pieces and place them in the bag. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the skin is crispy and the meat is cooked through.
Is honey baked ham as good as regular ham?
The addition of honey will affect the calorie content of the food. One tablespoon of honey contributes to approximately 64 calories. In addition, the use of heat when making baked ham will reduce the quality of the honey.
How do you cook a turkey and ham in a tin?
To cook a turkey and ham in a tin, pour about 50ml of water in with the turkey and ham portions, cover with baking parchment, and then cover the whole tin with tin foil. Store in the fridge until needed. To reheat, pre-heat your oven to 180°C or gas mark 4, place the roasting tin or trays in and leave for 15-20 minutes.
How do you cook Ham in an oven bag?
If desired, spray the inside of the bag with non-stick cooking spray. Add water to the bag as directed by the cooking times chart. Season beef with 1 teaspoon dried thyme and ½ teaspoon pepper, or as directed by the recipe. Whether you’re cooking for a crowd or preparing a delicious weeknight meal, you must try oven bag ham or oven bag pork!
Can you cook a Turkey in an oven bag?
Cooking a turkey in an oven bag is the perfect way to achieve a hassle-free, mess-free, juicy, tasty turkey. Oven bag roasting is ideal for those who have never made a turkey before or an experienced cook who wants a tried-and-true method to roast a flavorful turkey with lots of juices for making gravy.
What size oven bag do you use for Turkey?
Use Reynolds Kitchens Large Size Oven Bags for turkeys and other meats and poultry that are 8 pounds or smaller. Use Reynolds Kitchens Turkey Size Bags for meats and poultry 8-24 pounds. Add one tablespoon of flour to the bag, twist the bag closed, and SHAKE (this will keep the bag from bursting).