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This brown sugar ham glaze turns your ham into the best Christmas centerpiece. Juicy, succulent meat with caramelized crispy bits makes it truly mouthwatering.
Nothing says Christmas like a honey glazed ham.
Thinking about that diamond pattern and glaze dripping all over it makes me wish Christmas would hurry up.
Lucky for us, pulling off the ultimate holiday centerpiece is surprisingly easy, even for beginners in the kitchen!
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Don’t stop at brown sugar glazed ham! Add make-ahead mashed potatoes and Christmas focaccia bread to your upcoming holiday dinners.
Why You’ll Love This Brown Sugar Ham Glaze Recipe
- This brown sugar ham glaze makes baked ham less intimidating, thanks to its simple ingredients and preparation.
- This honey baked ham glaze makes a beautiful and tasty Christmas dinner centerpiece!
- This honey-glazed ham recipe is adaptable and can even be made ahead of time for convenience.
Ingredients
Bone-in ham – Use a cooked bone-in ham for the best flavor. With cooked ham, you won’t need to worry about undercooked pork, so you can focus on developing that mouthwatering caramelized crust.
Butter – Lends richness to the brown sugar and mustard glaze.
Brown sugar – The molasses flavor goes perfectly with the smoky ham.
Honey – Helps achieve the signature stickiness of the brown sugar ham glaze.
Dijon mustard – Its sharp, nuanced flavor adds balance to the sweet and savory holiday ham glaze.
Water – For adjusting the glaze’s consistency. We’ll also add water to the baking dish to keep the glaze from burning.
Garlic – Rounds out this sweet homemade glaze for ham with its savory bite.
Ingredient Substitutions For Honey Glazed Ham
Spiral ham
Want an even easier way to serve your baked ham with brown sugar glaze? Use spiral-sliced ham! You can bake it at 12 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature reaches 140°F,
Orange juice
Instead of adding water to the baking dish, use orange juice to keep your ham juicy and extra tasty!
Maple syrup
Maple syrup is another delicious, sticky sweetener you can use for this easy ham glaze if honey is unavailable.
Tips For Making This Recipe
Don’t Remove the Fat
Make sure not to trim the fat for that mouthwatering, sticky, glossy glaze of classic baked ham.
Rind Removal Tips
Slice through the skin around the shank and score down each side of the ham and across the top, being careful not to cut into the fat. Use your fingers to gently pull the rind back from the top of the ham. It should come off easily.
Use the Pan Drippings
You can use the pan drippings to add flavor and keep the glaze runny for brushing! Just stir it into the glaze over low heat.
Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze Recipe FAQs
Do you leave the rind on Christmas ham?
I recommend taking the rind off for this brown sugar ham glaze recipe. The rind will just get chewy (not crispy), and removing it helps the glaze soak into the ham.
How to keep the glaze from burning?
Do not cook at a high oven temperature, and pour some water into the bottom of the baking pan. It will catch the dripping glaze and keep it from burning!
How do you slice a ham with a bone in it?
Start at one end of the ham and slice thinly until you hit the bone. Then, cut along it to lift a big wedge of meat. Put the wedge on the cutting board and slice it up!
What spices go well in a brown sugar glaze?
This brown sugar mustard glaze for ham is already tasty, but you can add more flavors with spices like ground cloves and ground cinnamon.
How do you store glazed ham?
You can store this ham with mustard and brown sugar in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the slices in freezer bags for up to 2 months.
More Delicious Recipes For Your Holiday Spread
- Dirty Martini Dip
- Christmas Tree Charcuterie Board
- Christmas Eggnog Bread
- Grinch Oreo Balls
- Non Alcoholic Christmas Punch
I found this recipe for Christmas Lunch Loaf that I HAVE to try!
Yay! You have made it this far, and I am so glad! Hey – If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below.
Brown Sugar Ham Glaze
Ingredients
- 4 lbs bone-in ham, cooked
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
Instructions
- Remove the ham from the fridge 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and position a rack in the lower third of the oven.
- Line a baking dish with 2 sheets of aluminum foil, long enough to fully wrap and enclose the ham.
- Trim away the rind from the bone-in ham and score the surface in a shallow crosshatch pattern.
- Place the ham in the baking dish, fat side up, and wrap it with the foil.
- Pour enough water into the bottom of the pan to reach about 1/2 inch up the sides. This will help prevent the ham from drying out.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- While the ham is baking, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the brown sugar and stir continuously until fully dissolved.
- Stir in the honey, mustard, water, and garlic.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook until the glaze just begins to simmer and the garlic is fragrant. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool until the glaze thickens to a honey-like consistency.
- After 30 minutes, uncover the ham and brush one-third of the glaze evenly over the surface.
- Continue baking uncovered, brushing with more glaze every 15 minutes, until a dark golden-brown crust forms and the internal temperature reaches 145°F.
- Let the fully cooked ham rest for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure not to trim the fat for that mouthwatering, sticky, glossy glaze of classic baked ham.
- Slice through the skin around the shank and score down each side of the ham and across the top, being careful not to cut into the fat. Use your fingers to gently pull the rind back from the top of the ham. It should come off easily.
- You can use the pan drippings to add flavor and keep the glaze runny for brushing! Just stir it into the glaze over low heat.
Nutrition
PIN FOR LATER!
