With only six ingredients, Sous Vide Ham with Honey Chipotle Glaze is easy to make and turns out tender and juicy. It’s perfect for Christmas, Easter or any day of the week!.
If you’re anything like us, ham usually makes an appearance on your holiday table. This honey baked ham has been a favorite of ours for years.
It has a tasty orange chipotle glaze and makes enough so that we can make lots of recipes with leftover ham, like this instant pot bean soup!
We will always love a ham that is baked in the oven, but this sous vide version I’m going to show you today is so much easier!
You don’t have to do much while the ham cooks in a water bath for 4 to 6 hours. The controlled temperature of the water bath also makes sure that the ham never gets dry and always comes out juicy.
And, if the caramelized glaze is your favorite part, no worries. You just brush it on at the end and give the ham a quick bake in the oven!.
Sous vide ham is the ultimate way to achieve deliciously moist and tender meat that is heated all the way through without drying out. But nailing the timing can seem tricky for this holiday favorite. How long should you sous vide ham to get ideal texture and flavor?
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk through everything you need to know about cooking ham sous vide style. You’ll learn about:
- Recommended time and temperature guidelines
- Why sous vide makes ham juicier
- Pro tips for maximizing moisture
- How to prep and serve for best results
After reading. you’ll be ready to sous vide ham like a pro!
Why Go Sous Vide for Ham?
Traditional ham cooking methods like roasting, baking, or pan frying can easily dry out and overcook the meat It’s hard to control the temperature perfectly
Sous vide solves this by cooking the ham in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath. The ham cooks gently surrounded by steam which infuses moisture back into the meat.
Benefits of sous vide ham include:
- Guaranteed juiciness from edge to edge
- Foolproof, hands-off cooking method
- Wider window of time flexibility
- Consistent results with no drying or overcooking
You’ll get tender, succulent meat every time!
Sous Vide Ham Cooking Times
To sous vide ham, the cooking time depends on:
- Whether it’s bone-in or boneless
- Ham size/weight
- If you want sliceable texture or fall-apart tender
For a 3-4 lb boneless ham: Cook at 140°F for 4 hours
For a bone-in ham (6-8 lbs): Cook at 140°F for 6 hours
For a ham chop texture: Cook at 135°F (medium rare) to 145°F (well done) for 10-20 hours
Those times will sufficiently heat the ham without overcooking. But leaving it in 1-2 hours longer just makes it more tender.
If sous viding frozen ham, add 50% more time. And precooked hams only need to be warmed through, so reduce time to 2-4 hours.
Step-By-Step Guide to Sous Vide Ham
Follow these simple steps for sous vide ham success:
1. Prep the ham
- Thaw fully if frozen
- Trim off excess fat or skin
- Pat dry with paper towels
2. Seal in a bag
- Use heavy-duty ziplock or vacuum seal bag
- Remove as much air as possible
3. Set the water bath
- Preheat sous vide machine to 140°F
- Add sealed ham bag
4. Cook time based on size
- Cook for 4-6 hours (3-4 lb boneless)
- Cook 6-8 hours (6-8 lb bone-in)
5. Finish ham
- Remove from bag and pat dry
- Glaze and broil until browned
And your sous vide ham is ready to carve and serve!
Pro Tips for Maximum Juiciness
Follow these pro tips when cooking ham sous vide for guaranteed moisture:
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Cook at 140°F – higher temps risk drying out the meat
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Don’t exceed recommended time or it gets mushy
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Chill ham in bag juices after cooking then reheat later
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Add aromatic herbs and spices to bag for flavor
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Sear ham after sous vide to help lock in juices
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Let ham rest 5-10 minutes before slicing to reabsorb moisture
Prep Ham for Best Results
Proper prep before sous viding is important:
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Select bone-in or boneless – Boneless is quicker but bone-in has more flavor
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Trim excess fat – It can make the bag buoyant so ham cooks unevenly
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Dry thoroughly – Blot ham with paper towels so it browns better later
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Portion if needed – For quicker cooking, cut ham into smaller portions
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Season as desired – Rub with spices, herbs, brown sugar, etc for flavor
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Seal properly – Use water displacement method to remove air from bag
Finishing Sous Vide Ham
After sous viding, finish the ham:
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Dry surface thoroughly and brush with glaze like honey, brown sugar, or mustard
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Broil on high 3-5 minutes until glaze caramelizes and browns
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Or pan sear ham steaks or chops for color and texture
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Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing for juices to redistribute
Serving Suggestions
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Slice ham for sandwiches, eggs Benedict, or charcuterie boards
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Dice ham for salads, omelets, pasta dishes, or casseroles
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Shred ham for fillings like quiche, tarts, or hand pies
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Crumbled ham makes a flavorful topping for baked potatoes or pizza
However you serve it, sous vide ham stays moist and delicious!
Storing Leftover Ham
Leftover sous vide ham keeps well:
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Let ham cool completely then refrigerate in juices
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Ham keeps 3-4 days refrigerated
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For longer storage, slice ham and freeze for 2-3 months
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Reheat frozen ham slices in the sous vide or by pan frying
With proper storage, sous vide ham stays tender and juicy for several days.
Common Sous Vide Ham Questions
Should I sous vide ham still in packaging?
It’s best to remove ham from commercial packaging and seal in your own bag. This lets you remove air properly.
Can I sous vide a fully frozen ham?
Yes, just add 50% more cooking time to compensate. Thaw first for quicker cooking.
Is it safe to eat sous vide ham cold?
Absolutely! Sous vide ham is fully pasteurized so you can enjoy slices cold.
Why does my sous vide ham have white coagulated protein?
This is normal with prolonged sous vide times. Simply rinse, pat dry, and sear ham to improve texture.
Get Perfectly Cooked Ham Every Time
Now there’s no guesswork when it comes to cooking juicy, flavorful sous vide ham!
Follow the timing and temperature guidelines shared here based on your ham’s size and bone-in vs boneless. Prep it properly, seal in a bag, and sous vide until heated through.
Finish with a flavorful glaze and you’ll have the perfect centerpiece ham ready for your next holiday meal or gathering. Give it a try and you’ll never oven roast ham again!
Other sous vide recipes
You’ll need a 3-4 pound boneless ham for this recipe. Make sure you use a smoked ham that has already been cooked, not a cook-before-eating or fresh ham, as they need to be cooked at different temperatures and for longer periods of time.
A 3-4 pound ham will feed about 6-8 people. You can make it a little bigger as long as it fits in the water bath. If you like bone-in ham, you can also use that.
For the honey chipotle glaze, you need just five ingredients!
For the spicy kick, you’ll need 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. (One is plenty, so don’t go overboard here!).
I like to use 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar to tone down the heat and help make a sticky, caramelized glaze. You can use maple syrup instead if you’d rather, and granulated sugar will do if you don’t have any brown sugar on hand.
You can also use this hot honey for a nice tang!
You should also add 2 tablespoons of champagne vinegar and ¼ cup of brandy to the glaze to give it more flavor and balance out the sweetness.
If you don’t have champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar will work too. If you don’t have brandy, you can use rum, whisky, wine, or a non-alcoholic drink like pure apple juice or white grape juice instead.
Step by step instructions
Heat a sous vide water bath to 140F degrees.
Place the ham in a vacuum sealable bag (or ziplock freezer bag if using the water displacement method).
Vacuum seal the bag and cook in the water bath for 4 hours. **Cook for 6 hours if using a larger, bone-in ham.
When the ham is done, take the bag out of the water, take the ham out of the bag, and put it on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Heat the oven to 500F degrees.
Spread the glaze (below) on the ham and put it in the oven. After 20 minutes, take it out and baste it with more glaze every 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Slice and serve.
Sous Vide Holiday Ham
FAQ
Can you sous vide a fresh ham?
How long to cook a fully cooked 5 lb ham?
Is a ham done at 140 degrees?
How many minutes per pound do you cook a cured ham?
How long do you sous vide a ham?
To sous vide a ham, preheat your sous vide cooker to 140°F (60°C). Place the ham in a large resealable ziploc bag or vacuum bag and sous vide for anywhere from 3 to 8 hours, depending on the size of your ham. If you’re cooking a boneless ham weighing between 3-4 pounds, you’ll want to sous vide it for 4 hours at a temperature of 140°F (60°C).
How long can ham be without refrigeration and still be safe?
Most food experts recommend that ham, should not be left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. After that time, you should discard it.
Can you cook a Ham in a sous vide cooker?
It’s even better and easier this way because most hams are “pre cooked” so you just need to heat it up using a sous vide cooker. “Sous Vide” is French for “under vacuum” so sous vide cooking is literally the art of vacuum-sealing food in a bag, then cooking it to a precise temperature in a bath of water.
Can You sous vide a frozen ham?
If you have a frozen ham, you can still sous vide it. Just add half of the standard cooking time to frozen foods. For example, if you’re cooking a ham for 4 hours, you would add another 2 hours to the sous vide time for a frozen ham. You can also sous vide a precooked ham.