Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Slicing up a ham glazed with spices and brown sugar.

The sweet brown sugar glaze balances the smoky goodness and is super easy. Kick flavor boredom out, whether for a Sunday dinner, Easter, or Christmas. Take a deep, relaxing breath and gather the family around the table for a delicious feast.

Course Main

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 2 45

Thaw time 1

Total Time 4

Servings

Calories 570kcal

Author Imma

Equipment

1 Large roasting pan
1 Wire rack
Foil
1 Medium saucepan

Ingredients

1 8-10 pound (3.5-4.5kg) ham, cooked or smoked
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons (30g) Dijon mustard
½ cup (120ml) orange juice
½ cup (120ml) pineapple juice
½ cup (168g) honey
1 teaspoon (2g) ground allspice
½ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon (<1g) ground cloves
1 teaspoon (3g) ground ginger
2 teaspoons (8g) Creole seasoning
2-3 tablespoons (3-45ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
½ cup (105g) or more brown sugar for the glaze and sprinkling

Instructions

Remove ham from refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Score the top of the ham diagonally about ¼-inch deep and an inch apart if desired. Scoring allows the flavor of the glaze to penetrate, and it’s aesthetically pleasing.
Preheat the oven to 325℉ (160℃).
Place the ham cut-side down in a large roasting pan. Place foil over the ham to heat the ham without drying it out until it’s time to glaze it. Another option would be to add about ½ cup of wine or water to the bottom of the roasting pan to keep it super moist. While the ham is roasting, make the glaze.
In a medium pan, make the glaze by heating the butter, Dijon mustard, orange and pineapple juice, honey, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, Creole seasoning, lemon juice, and brown sugar.
Stir often while the butter melts and the brown sugar dissolves, 1-2 minutes. Then set aside.
Bake ham until the center registers 100-110℉ (40-45℃). It normally takes 10-14 minutes per pound. Remove the ham from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 400℉ (205℃).
While the oven is heating, carefully unwrap the ham from the foil and discard the foil. Brush with the drippings from ham, then pour about ⅓ of the glaze over the ham, brushing in between the cuts and coating every visible inch of the ham.
Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 12-15 minutes. Remove the ham from the oven, baste the ham with drippings and another ⅓ of the glaze.
Sprinkle the ham with brown sugar and return it to the oven one last time. Bake it for another 10 minutes or until the brown sugar crystallizes.
Remove from the oven, let the ham rest 10-15 minutes before slicing, and serve with the remaining glaze.

Notes

Starting with a lower temperature heats the ham evenly, then raising the temperature while glazing caramelizes the sugar.
Bring the ham to room temperature before baking for more even heating.
Scoring the fat helps it render for crispier skin and better glaze penetration, but be careful not to cut into the meat.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition