Serve with mashed potatoes, roasted Brussels sprouts, and homemade dinner rolls for an impressive meal everyone will love. A perfectly glazed ham is a staple for any holiday feast, and this honey-glazed ham recipe will surely be a crowd-pleaser. The combination of sweet honey, tangy mustard, and savory spices creates a flavor explosion that will have your guests coming back for seconds. Plus, this recipe is easy to make, so you can spend more time enjoying the company of your loved ones and less time stressing in the kitchen.
Step By Step Instructions
Preparation
To make honey glazed ham, preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). While the oven is heating up, remove the ham from its packaging and place it in a roasting pan. So, for example, an 8lb fully cooked ham will serve approximately 16 people with a portion size of ½ lb or 24 with a portion size of ? lb per person. Keep in mind that if you have a larger crowd or want to have leftovers, you may want to choose a larger ham or plan for additional side dishes to accompany the ham. Honey: Use good quality honey for the best flavor. Local honey can also add a unique twist to the recipe. Pineapple juice: Use unsweetened pineapple juice for the best results. Orange juice: Freshly squeezed orange juice works best, but you can also use store-bought orange juice if needed. Soy sauce: As ham can be salty, use low-sodium soy sauce to avoid an overly salty dish. Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work well in this recipe. Vinegar: Use white wine or cider vinegar for the best flavor. Dijon mustard: Any brand of dijon mustard will do. Garlic: Fresh garlic is recommended for the best flavor, but minced garlic from a jar can be used as a substitute. Ground cloves: Use fresh ground cloves for the best flavor. Butter: Use unsalted butter for the best flavor. You can also substitute with margarine or a vegan butter alternative for a dairy-free version of the recipe. Score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern, about 1/4 inch deep. The scoring will allow the glaze to penetrate the ham and create a more flavorful end result. Use a sharp knife to make shallow cuts in a diamond pattern, ensuring not to cut too deep.
To Make The Glaze
Add 1/4 cup of unsalted butter over medium heat. Add 1 cup of packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup of honey, 2 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons of pineapple juice, 2 tablespoons of orange juice, 2 teaspoons of white wine or cider vinegar, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves to a saucepan. Stir the mixture until it becomes smooth and cook over medium heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the glaze mixture cooks, it will thicken and become more syrupy in texture. Keep an eye on it, stirring occasionally to prevent it from burning or sticking to the pan. Once it thickens slightly, take the saucepan off the heat. Let the glaze stand for a few minutes. It will continue to thicken even more. You want it to become thick enough to brush on.
Glazing & Baking
Brush the ham with the glaze mixture, making sure to get the glaze into the scored cuts. Use a pastry brush or a spoon to coat the ham with the glaze. Be generous with the glaze, making sure to cover the ham completely. The glaze will add a beautiful shine and sticky texture to the ham. Cover with foil, and bake for 1 ½ hours. Baste every 30 minutes, then turn oven to 425°F/218°C. Add more glaze as needed, remove the foil, and bake for another 15 to 30 minutes. Once the glaze crisps up and the internal temperature of the ham reaches 140°F/60°C, remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the ham. Letting the ham rest will allow the juices to redistribute and make it easier to slice. Cover the ham with aluminum foil to keep it warm while it’s resting. The extra glaze will add even more sweetness and tanginess to the ham. You can also drizzle the glaze over the sliced ham for an extra burst of flavor. Slice the ham before serving. Serve the honey glazed ham with the extra glaze on the side. You can also reheat the remaining glaze mixed with the pan drippings and serve it alongside the ham.
Since spiral hams are pre-sliced, the glaze will seep into the slices as it bakes, creating a more flavorful and tender end result. Covering the ham with foil for the first part of the baking process is important to prevent it from drying out. Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
