1. Ham can be soaked in hot water overnight to remove salt. If you soak your ham, be sure to change water before cooking.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
3. Remove ham from the cloth bag.
4. Remove parchment paper. Do not remove netting.
5. Inspect the ham. If there is mold on the outside, just scrub off under cool water.
6. Place ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Add enough water to cover the bottom.
7. Cook about 4 hours. This is 20 minutes per pound for a 15 pound ham. Adjust the cooking time based on the weight.
8. Check the ham from time to time during the cooking. Add water if necessary, to keep the drippings from scorching.
9. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Test the temperature with an internal meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham. It should be 155 degrees F, so that it will peak at 160 degrees F after it completes cooking once out of the oven.
10. You can view an instructional video below.
11.
Step-by-step video demonstration by professional chef shows how to bake a Virginia Country Ham so it retains maximum moisture and aged, smoked flavor