How to Score a Ham

Have you ever wondered what the secret is to scoring a ham? Or better yet, have you ever wondered why it's so important? It's a must for the perfect holiday dinner. Watch Howard as he shows us how it's done, and get ready for your best ham yet!

What to Do

A fully cooked ham has a layer of fat that we don't want to remove for two reasons: there's a lot of flavor in that layer and it'll keep your ham really moist.

So what do we do? We score it. That means we take a knife and actually score or cut the outside of the ham in a diagonal pattern, cutting it about 1/3 of an inch deep. Next we place it in a roasting pan and cook it for 15 to 20 minutes a pound. The diamond pattern will open up and get crispy. That means the fat melted and basted our ham. And when we slather on our glaze, the grooves from scoring help the glaze to keep from dripping off, making our ham extra flavorful.

Try It!

Check out two of our favorite glazed ham recipes: Cherry Citrus Glazed Ham and Maple-Glazed Ham.

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BeckySue

Aug 19, 2016

Yes! I've done this and everyone is so impressed! It makes quite an appearance at the table! I do it with a pork butt/shoulder with a dry up and the slices open up so beautifully! The dry rub gets down in the cracks and flavors it. I prefer a dry bbq rub over a thick, gloppy sauce. I slow cook my pork in the oven at 250 degrees practically over night, depending on the size. I always use a meat thermometer to make sure it's thoroughly cooked, but you also have to cook it to a high enough temperature that it breaks all the connective tissue and makes the meat fall apart. There is leeway between done and overdone and there's a sweet spot where it's melt in your mouth perfect! I make Cuban spiced pork, too!