This method takes the most time, but it’s the best way to thaw ham safely and evenly.
For example, if you have a large 18 lb (8. 2 kg) ham, multiply 18 by 6 to get 108 hours. This means that you’ll need to leave your ham in the refrigerator for 4. 5 days to fully thaw it. If you have slices of ham that you’re thawing, you will likely be able to thaw them in 12-24 hours. Place the ham in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours, depending on its size, to allow it to defrost slowly. A small ham (5-7 pounds) may take 24 hours to defrost, while a larger ham (10-15 pounds) may take up to 48 hours. You can leave an uncooked ham in the fridge for 1 day after it’s thawed. You can leave a cooked ham in the fridge for up to 3 days after it’s thawed.
If the ham isn’t fully thawed, pop it back in the fridge and leave it for another 2-12 hours based on how frozen it is. Keep the bone after you’ve finished eating a bone-in ham. It can be used to make a delicious broth! If your plans change, you can refreeze your ham if it hasn’t spent more than 3 days in the fridge.
This method is much faster than thawing it in the fridge, but it requires a little more effort on your part. You also won’t be able to refreeze the ham afterwards. If your ham is really big, it can be kind of a pain to find a bag big enough for it. Look for extra-large food storage bags in your grocery store to pick some up. If you’re thawing sliced ham, you can thaw it in its original packaging so long as it’s sealed and airtight. You can’t thaw your ham under warm water. If you do, the outer layers of your ham may get warmer than 40 °F (4 °C), which is the minimum threshold for dangerous bacteria to grow in your meat.
For example, if your ham is 12 lb (5. 4 kg), multiply 12 by 30 to get 360 minutes. This means that you’ll need to thaw a 12 lb (5. 4 kg) ham for 6 hours in cold water. Sliced ham can be thawed this way in 1-2 hours.
You cannot refreeze a ham that has been thawed in cold water.
This method is the fastest, but it’s widely accepted as the worst way to thaw ham. You may accidentally cook part of the ham, and it will change the texture of the meat to make it less pleasant. Still, if you’re in a pinch, you can thaw your ham in the microwave. The ham has to fit in the microwave. This means that most medium and large hams can’t be thawed this way.
Check the ham once every 5-10 minutes by pressing it to see if it’s softening up. If it’s soft, try cutting the ham. If you can get a knife easily through the ham, it’s thawed.
