Baked Ham With Brown Sugar Glaze is deliciously sweet and savory! This recipe is so easy to make it’s sure to become a family classic at your house!
Baked ham can sometimes get a bad reputation for being dry and a little bit underwhelming. The secret to a knockout recipe is this brown sugar glaze. This baked ham with brown sugar glaze is spiked with a drop of hot English mustard that will balance out all the sweetness and give it a slight kick. It’s the perfect dinner for feeding your holiday crowd. Then you can take the leftovers and put some on yeast rolls for the best mid-day snack!
BAKED HAM WITH BROWN SUGAR GLAZE
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Baked ham is gaining in popularity, however, many people still steer clear because they’re not sure what to do with it and how to cook and serve it. Today, we’re remedying that. By the end of this post, you’ll be armed with the knowledge of what ham to buy, cook, and serve. As a result, you’ll also be armed with the best brown sugar glaze recipe you’ve ever tasted.
How to choose a Baked Ham
There are three main types of ham available:
- Fresh- A fresh Ham is essentially a pork roast. It has the same color and texture of uncooked pork and has to be fully cooked before being served. It must have “fresh” as part of the name.
- Cured- Is treated in one of two ways. Either brined or cured with a dry rub, then hung to dry. They may or may not need to be cooked before serving. If a cured ham requires cooking, it must have cooking instructions listed.
- Cured and Smoked- These are the same as the cured hams, but with the addition of being smoked as well, my personal favorite. The extra smokiness sets off the sweetness of the brown sugar glaze and marries with the saltiness of the ham to make this a dream dinner.
In conclusion, if you have decided that you’re going with a smoked and cured ham it’s time to decide which cut. There are only two to choose from making this an easier decision.
- Butt Half- The butt half is the cut closer to the shoulder of the ham. It can be purchased on or off the bone. Again, this is my personal preference, only because they can be smaller cuts and we’re a small family. I prefer a butt with the bone removed, just because I’m not great at carving bone-in joints of meat and it just makes things easier.
- Shank Half- The shank portion is the lower leg portion and is usually sold with the bone-in. In other words, these are perfect for serving a large crowd, and they look impressive in the center of the table.
HOW LONG TO COOK A BAKED HAM
Remember it is best to follow the cooking instructions listed on the ham of your choice, but here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way.
It is approximately 18-20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees F. You are looking for an internal cooked temperature of 145 degrees F. Place cut side down and cover with foil. During the last 30 minutes remove foil and baste every 10 minutes with glaze.
Brown Sugar Glaze for Ham tips for success
Now, let’s talk glaze!!!! This brown sugar glaze is made in a saucepan on the stove and spooned over the ham during the last 30 minutes of baking. This recipe yields quite a bit of sauce, but that’s never been an issue! You want to bake the ham most of the way before glazing it because there’s such a high sugar content that the glaze will burn if left in the oven too long.
- Don’t boil the glaze too much when making it; otherwise, you’ll end up with caramel, rather than a runny glaze.
- Only glaze during the last 30 minutes of baking to avoid burning the sugar.
- Add the pan juices from the ham to the glaze and baste the meat.
- Be generous with the glaze as it will be everyone’s favorite part of the meal, so make sure there’s plenty to go around!
Now that you’ve got your honey baked ham recipe perfected, you may need to grab some quick and easy appetizer recipes for the perfect stress-less holiday party. Try this Lemon and Roasted Garlic Spinach Dip or make the Perfect Holiday Cheeseboard!
Looking for leftover ham recipes?
- Ham and Swiss Pull-Apart Bread
- Ham and Cheese Egg Pastry Tart
- Cuban Sandwich Recipe
- Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole
- Easy Baked Ham and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
- More Dinner recipes…
Tools used to make Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
Roasting Pan: This roasting pan is my holiday workhorse. I use it for prime rib roasts, ham, and whole turkey and my recipes come out great every time!
Saucepan: I don’t know what I’d do without this saucepan. It gets used in my kitchen every day.
Baster: The secret to flavorful roasts and grilling meats, served moist and golden brown, is basting.
Serving Platter: I like having different sizing of serving platters for all occasions, these help me display my recipes in a simple yet elegant way.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs Spiral cut smoked ham
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons hot English mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 oranges juice and zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the ham in a large roasting tin and place in the preheated oven. Follow the package directions for cooking time. (Usually 20 minutes per pound, plus 20 minutes at the end.)
- Meanwhile, In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, sugar and maple syrup. Once the butter and sugars dissolve together, add in the English mustard, cinnamon, cloves, and garlic. Bring to a simmer and add the orange juice and zest. Whisk to combine and let simmer for about 1 minute.
- During the last 30 minutes of baking, baste the ham every 10 minutes, adding any of the pan juices to the glaze pan.
- Once the ham is cooked, place on a serving platter with orange slices and green herbs. Drizzle with the extra glaze
Nutrition
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