This glazed ham is coated in a sweet brown sugar and honey glaze, then baked until golden brown and caramelized. The ultimate holiday ham that’s super easy to make and always gets rave reviews.
You can never go wrong with ham for the holidays and this glazed version is both beautiful and delicious. Serve your ham with loaded mashed potatoes and bacon wrapped green beans for a festive meal that your family and friends will love.
Ham is a classic main course around the holidays. The nice thing about buying a ham is that most of the work is already done for you. Hams come pre-smoked, fully cooked and spiral cut, all you have to do is add some flavorings and you’re ready to go. This glazed ham has a rich and delicious glaze that caramelizes in the oven. Best of all, it’s super easy to make!
When you want a main course for a holiday like Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter, try this one or some of my other favorite Christmas recipes like honey baked ham, smoked turkey or slow roasted prime rib.
To make this simple glazed ham recipe you will need a smoked spiral cut ham, butter, brown sugar, honey, apple cider, cinnamon and nutmeg. You may want herbs or cranberries for a garnish.
Editor’s Choice. Market Pantry Hickory Smoked Spiral-Cut Bone-In Ham. … A Delicious Second Choice. Appleton Farms Spiral Cut Double-Glazed Ham (Bone-In) … A Popular Pick. Kirkland (Costco) Applewood Smoked Spiral Sliced Ham (Bone-In) … An Expensive Dud. The HoneyBaked Ham Company Half Ham (Boneless) … One to Skip.
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Editor’s Choice. Market Pantry Hickory Smoked Spiral-Cut Bone-In Ham. …
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A Delicious Second Choice. Appleton Farms Spiral Cut Double-Glazed Ham (Bone-In) …
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A Popular Pick. Kirkland (Costco) Applewood Smoked Spiral Sliced Ham (Bone-In) …
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An Expensive Dud. The HoneyBaked Ham Company Half Ham (Boneless) …
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One to Skip.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- You’ll need to reserve half of the glaze to use after your ham mostly cooks through. You can store the glaze at room temperature or in the fridge. The glaze may start to harden as it sits – simply microwave the glaze in 30 second increments until it’s liquid when you’re ready to use it.
- While I prefer to use a spiral cut ham for this recipe, you can also use an uncut bone-in ham and score it in a cross hatch pattern before you glaze it.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for 2 months.
- First time making a ham? Check out my full tutorial on how to cook a ham!
- Keep any leftover ham and make one of my leftover ham recipes like ham bone soup, scalloped potatoes and ham or ham casserole.
This recipe calls for apple cider the juice, do not use apple cider vinegar as it is not the same thing.
A ham needs to cook for about 20 minutes per pound in the oven at 325 degrees F. This is for a standard half ham around 7-8 pounds.
You can plan on serving about 3/4 pound of ham per person for a standard bone-in half ham. If you’d like a lot of leftovers at the end of your meal, you can increase this amount to 1 pound of ham per person.
The overwhelming majority of hams are already cooked. All you’re actually doing is warming your ham through to the proper food safe temperature. A ham is ready to eat when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham reads at least 145 degrees F.
There are two common ways to cook a ham. You can bake a ham in the oven, or cook it in a crock pot. Either way you will make a glaze and pour it over the ham before cooking. In an oven, after you bake it most of the way, pour more glaze on top and increase the heat until done. If you choose to cook your ham in a slow cooker, check out my crock pot ham recipe.
I typically make this recipe as written, but sometimes I use other ingredients depending on what I have on hand.
- Juice: Instead of apple cider, try using pineapple juice, cranberry juice or orange juice.
- Spices: Skip the cinnamon and nutmeg, and try pumpkin pie spice, allspice with a pinch of cloves, cinnamon with a pinch of ginger or even a bit of cardamom.
- Sweetener: Feel free to use maple syrup or molasses instead of honey. If you don’t have a liquid sweetener on hand, use an extra 1/4 cup of brown sugar instead.
- Tangy: Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard for a tangy glaze.
This glazed ham is sure to become a favorite with your family as it has been with mine!
How Do You Make Glazed Ham?
Start your glazed ham by making a glaze for your ham. To make the glaze, place butter, brown sugar, honey, apple cider, cinnamon and nutmeg in a pan and simmer until a thick, syrupy mixture forms. Brush half of the glaze over the ham before putting it in the oven. When the ham is almost done, heat up the remaining glaze and pour it over the ham. Increase the oven temperature and cook the ham a few more minutes for a perfect caramelized glaze.
Honey Glazed Ham – The Perfect Thanksgiving Feast
FAQ
What is the most popular type of ham?
How big of a ham should I get for Thanksgiving?
Are spiral hams good?
What to serve with a Ham on Thanksgiving?
Jazz up store-bought apricot jam with white wine vinegar and ground ginger to give this ham a real kick of flavor. This classic ham is the perfect protein to serve with any classic Thanksgiving side dish. Try using cola or Dr. Pepper to sweeten up this glaze. Red wine vinegar adds sharpness to this sweet and fruity sauce.
Is honey baked ham as good as regular ham?
The addition of honey will affect the calorie content of the food. One tablespoon of honey contributes to approximately 64 calories. In addition, the use of heat when making baked ham will reduce the quality of the honey.
How to cook a ham for Thanksgiving?
Slice the ham carefully, following the scored cuts for easy serving. Arrange the slices on a platter and garnish with fresh herbs, such as rosemary or thyme, for an elegant touch. Now that you know how to cook a delicious ham for Thanksgiving, it’s time to gather your ingredients and get cooking!
Are these Thanksgiving Ham ideas better than Turkey?
These Thanksgiving ham ideas *might* just be better than turkey. Sure, the Thanksgiving turkey holds the lead role on the table every year, but it can be difficult to prepare correctly, especially when there’s so much pressure on you to prep and serve the ultimate Thanksgiving dinner.