American
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
A spiral-cut ham gently warmed, then lacquered with a brown sugar, honey, orange and Dijon glaze until sticky and caramelized.
- Easiest holiday centerpiece
- Sticky caramelized glaze
- Feeds a crowd
A glazed ham is the easiest holiday centerpiece there is, because the ham arrives fully cooked and just needs to be warmed and glazed. The trick to keeping it juicy is heating it low and covered with a little water in the pan. Our glaze balances brown sugar and honey with fresh orange juice, Dijon and warm spices so it is sweet but never cloying. A final blast of high heat gives the glaze a shiny, caramelized finish.
Instructions
Take the ham out of the refrigerator 1 hour before baking and discard any glaze packet. Heat the oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the lower third.
Place the ham cut side down in a roasting pan and pour the water into the pan.
Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for about 12 to 15 minutes per pound, roughly 2 hours, until the center of the ham registers 120 degrees F.
While the ham bakes, combine the brown sugar, honey, Dijon, orange juice, vinegar, butter, cinnamon, cloves and pepper in a small saucepan.
Bring the glaze to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring, until slightly syrupy. Remove from the heat.
Remove the ham from the oven, uncover it and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
Brush about one third of the glaze all over the ham, letting some drip between the slices.
Return the ham to the oven uncovered for 10 minutes, then brush with another third of the glaze.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, watching closely so the sugar does not burn, until the glaze is bubbling and caramelized and the ham registers 140 degrees F.
Transfer the ham to a carving board and rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the remaining glaze with a few spoonfuls of pan drippings.
Cut along the bone to release the spiral slices and serve with the warm glaze on the side.
Test kitchen tips
- If the glaze starts to darken too fast in the final bake, tent the top loosely with foil and keep going.
- Leftover ham keeps 5 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen; save the bone for bean soup or split pea soup.
- Maple syrup can stand in for honey, and pineapple juice can replace the orange juice for a tropical twist.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390
- Protein
- 36g
- Carbs
- 22g
- Fat
- 17g
- Fiber
- 0g
- Sugar
- 21g
- Sodium
- 1640mg
Nutrition values are estimates calculated per serving. See our disclaimer.
