Easy Brown Sugar Ham Glaze for Spiral Ham
A brown sugar ham glaze with honey, Dijon mustard and orange juice that simmers for 5 minutes. It goes on a fully cooked spiral ham at the end of baking, so it turns sticky and browned without burning.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 280kcal
Equipment
- Roasting pan or large baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Small saucepan
- Pastry brush
- Instant-read meat thermometer
Ingredients
Ham
- 1 fully cooked bone-in spiral-cut ham 8 to 10 pounds
- ½ cup water
Brown sugar glaze
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Take the ham out of the refrigerator 1 hour before baking. Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) with a rack in the lower third. Unwrap the ham and throw away the glaze packet and the plastic disc on the end of the bone.
- Set the ham cut side down in a roasting pan and pour the water into the pan. Cover the pan tightly with foil.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes per pound, about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours, until a thermometer in the thickest part, not touching bone, reads 140°F (60°C). That is the USDA reheating temperature for fully cooked ham packaged in a USDA-inspected plant; heat ham repackaged anywhere else to 165°F (74°C).
- While the ham bakes, combine the brown sugar, honey, orange juice, Dijon, butter, cloves and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring, and simmer for 3–5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the glaze thickens slightly. Take it off the heat.
- Raise the oven to 425°F (220°C). Remove the foil and brush half of the glaze over the ham, working it between the slices.
- Bake uncovered for 10 minutes. Brush with half of the remaining glaze and bake 5–10 minutes more, until the glaze bubbles and browns at the edges. Watch it closely; the sugar burns fast.
- Rest the ham for 15 minutes. Spoon the last of the glaze and some pan juices over the slices and serve.
Notes
Plan about 1/2 pound of bone-in ham per person.
This recipe is for fully cooked ham. A fresh or "cook before eating" ham needs 145°F (63°C) and a 3-minute rest, and much longer in the oven.
Make the glaze up to 1 day ahead. Refrigerate it covered and warm it in the saucepan before brushing.
Boneless spiral ham heats through faster; start checking the temperature 30 minutes earlier.
Nutrition is an estimate per serving from USDA values, assuming about 6 ounces of ham per serving and all of the glaze. Sodium varies a lot by ham brand.