Heating and glazing a cured ham seems effortless, but many recipes yield leathery meat in an overly sweet glaze. We wanted to guarantee moist holiday meat in a nuanced glaze.

Bone-in hams, labeled “with natural juices,” have the best flavor, and spiral-sliced ones make carving a cinch. But too much time in the oven can ruin even the best ham on the market, so we focused on reducing the cooking time. Soaking the ham in hot water shaved off a full hour, and using an oven bag further reduced the cooking time while also containing the ham’s moisture.

We heated a mixture of sweet and savory pantry staples for two tempting glaze options.

You may bypass the 11/2-hour soaking time, but the ham will be less juicy and the heating time must increase to 18 to 20 minutes per pound. We prefer a tapered shank ham, but a rounded sirloin ham will work here.

If there is a tear or hole in the ham’s inner covering, wrap it in several layers of plastic wrap before the hot-water soak. If you do not want to use an oven bag, place the ham cut side down in the roasting pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil, adding 3 to 4 minutes per pound to the heating time.

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