Turkey and ham in the same oven: one temperature, two start times
A turkey and a ham do not need different oven temperatures. USDA's turkey timetable is for a 325 °F oven, and its ham timetable says to set the oven to 325 °F as well. So both go in the same oven at 325 °F, and the work is picking two start times so they come out together. The tables below put clock times on that, for a 5 PM dinner and a 12–14 lb turkey.
What the times rest on
- Turkey: an unstuffed 12–14 lb bird takes 3 to 3¾ hours at 325 °F. The plan uses the long end, 225 minutes. See the turkey roasting time chart. It is done at 165 °F in the thigh, wing and breast.
- Ham: USDA's ham sheet ("Ham and Food Safety", a copy hosted by Utah State University Extension; the fsis.usda.gov page blocked my fetch) lists minutes per pound at 325 °F for each cut. The plan uses the long end of each range.
- Ham temperature: a cooked ham packaged in a USDA-inspected plant is reheated to 140 °F. A ham repackaged elsewhere, or leftover ham, goes to 165 °F. A cook-before-eating ham must reach 145 °F, then rest at least 3 minutes. The label says which kind you bought.
- The sheet says to set the oven "no lower than 325 °F" for ham. That is why one 325 °F oven works for both. It suggests covering a spiral-cut ham with heavy foil, and notes that heating sliced hams can dry the meat out, so many people serve them cold.
- Rest and hold: the turkey rests at least 30 minutes and up to 60 in the plan, and the ham at least 15 and up to 60. Those numbers are my assumptions, not USDA's. A thermometer reading beats the clock for both.
- Rack placement, from one cook who roasts a spatchcocked turkey and a ham together on Eat Like No One Else: turkey on the top rack, foil-wrapped ham on the bottom rack. That cook starts at 425 °F for the first 30 minutes of the turkey, then drops to 350 °F and adds the ham. I use plain 325 °F because that is the temperature USDA gives times for.
When the ham goes in
The turkey goes in at 12:45 PM in every row and comes out 30 minutes before dinner. A ham that heats for less time than the turkey goes in later, so the oven holds the turkey alone for the first part and both meats after that. The "after the turkey" column is that gap.
| Ham | USDA range (min) | Planned (min) | Ham in | After the turkey | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spiral cut, cooked, 8 lb | 80 to 144 | 144 | 2:21 PM | 1 h 36 min | 140 °F |
| Half, bone in, cooked, 6 lb | 108 to 144 | 144 | 2:21 PM | 1 h 36 min | 140 °F |
| Vacuum packed, boneless, cooked, 8 lb | 80 to 120 | 120 | 2:45 PM | 2 h | 140 °F |
| Half, bone in, cook-before-eating, 6 lb | 132 to 150 | 150 | 2:15 PM | 1 h 30 min | 145 °F, then rest at least 3 minutes |
Ranges are the approximate USDA minutes per pound times the weight shown. Check both with a thermometer well before the planned time. If the ham is done early, check it is still at or above 140 °F before serving and reheat it if it has cooled.
Checklist with sides: turkey, 6 lb bone-in ham, three 350 °F dishes
Sides that bake at 350 °F need the oven after the meat. Here the turkey and the ham both come out an hour before dinner (the longest wait the plan allows), the oven changes to 350 °F (15 minutes), and the stuffing, sweet potato casserole and rolls take the last hour. Side times are example recipe times.
| Time | Step |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | Preheat the oven to 325 °F |
| 12:15 PM | Put Turkey, 12–14 lb in the oven (325 °F, 3 h 45 min) |
| 1:36 PM | Put Ham in the oven (325 °F, 2 h 24 min) |
| 4:00 PM | Take Turkey, 12–14 lb out (1 h before serving) |
| 4:00 PM | Take Ham out (1 h before serving) |
| 4:00 PM | Set the oven to 350 °F and let it get there |
| 4:15 PM | Put Stuffing (in a dish) in the oven (350 °F, 45 min) |
| 4:30 PM | Put Sweet potato casserole in the oven (350 °F, 30 min) |
| 4:45 PM | Put Dinner rolls in the oven (350 °F, 15 min) |
| 5:00 PM | Take Stuffing (in a dish) out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Sweet potato casserole out |
| 5:00 PM | Take Dinner rolls out |
| 5:00 PM | Serve |
The plan holds the meats covered for up to an hour; check the ham is still at or above 140 °F before serving and reheat it if it has cooled. To carve sooner, shorten the wait in the planner and the sides stop fitting in one oven. Open this menu in the planner to change the weights, the dinner time or any dish.
Keeping them apart
- Raw turkey juices should not drip onto the ham. A pan under the turkey on the upper rack handles that. This is common sense and the rack tip above, not a USDA figure.
- Use two thermometers, or move one between the meats. Each reading is for its own meat: 165 °F for the turkey, and 140 °F, 145 °F or 165 °F for the ham depending on the label.
- A 12–14 lb turkey and a half ham need two racks and some space around them. If they do not fit, reheat a cooked ham in the sides window instead, or use a second oven.
More oven timing
- How to cook Thanksgiving dinner with one oven, with the turkey on its own.
- Turkey roasting time chart for other sizes.
- Ham cooking time per pound, every cut on the USDA chart, for a ham on its own.
- Side dish oven temperature chart.