Are you searching for the ultimate, stress-free holiday showstopper? A magnificent, jaw-dropping centerpiece for your Christmas or Thanksgiving table that is as impressive to behold as it is unbelievably delicious and easy to make? This incredible guide to the Perfect Glazed Holiday Ham is the only recipe you’ll ever need. We’re talking an impossibly juicy and tender ham, with a beautiful, deep diamond-scored crust, all lacquered in a luscious, sticky, and flavorful homemade glaze of your choice.
This isn’t just one recipe; it’s your definitive guide to creating a truly unforgettable holiday feast. We’ll demystify the entire process, from choosing the right ham to the simple but crucial professional secrets that guarantee a flawless result. Best of all, we’re sharing six incredible, easy glaze recipes—from a classic Mustard-Orange to a festive Cranberry-Maple—so you can customize your perfect holiday centerpiece.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate Festive & Easy Holiday Main
What makes this Glazed Ham so spectacularly delicious is its incredible depth of flavor and its stunning, jewel-like presentation. This recipe is a masterpiece of classic, festive cooking. The star of the show is a magnificent, fully-cooked, bone-in ham. The ham’s fat cap is beautifully scored into a deep diamond pattern, which allows the rich, from-scratch glaze to penetrate deep into the meat. The real magic happens in the oven, where the ham is gently slow-roasted until perfectly heated through, and then lacquered in multiple stages with your chosen glaze until it’s sticky, caramelized, and completely irresistible.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 4-5 hours (includes resting) |
| Active Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 12-16 |
The Holiday Pantry: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, classic ingredients to create its signature rich and savory-sweet flavor.
- The Ham (The Star of the Show!):
- For the easiest preparation and the most flavorful, juicy result, it is essential to use a fully-cooked, bone-in “city” ham. This is the classic, brined ham you find in the refrigerated case at your grocery store. The bone adds incredible flavor and helps the meat stay wonderfully moist. You can use either the “butt” (upper portion) or “shank” (lower portion) half.
- The Glaze (Your Flavor Adventure!): The beauty of this guide is that you get to choose your perfect flavor profile! Each glaze is a simple combination of sweet, tangy, and aromatic ingredients that you simmer into a thick, syrupy lacquer.
The Glazing Masterclass: The Secret to a Perfect, Lacquered Crust
This recipe uses a simple but brilliant “three-stage” glazing process. Here’s why each step is so important:
- The Deep Scoring: The number one secret to a ham that is flavorful through and through is to score it deeply. By cutting a beautiful, 1-inch deep diamond pattern all over the fat cap, you are not only creating a stunning presentation but also dozens of channels for your delicious glaze to seep into, seasoning the meat from the inside out.
- The “Low and Slow” Start: The initial, long bake at a low temperature ($350^{\circ}F$) while the ham is covered with foil is designed to gently and evenly heat your fully-cooked ham all the way through to the bone without drying it out.
- Multiple Coats are Key: By brushing the glaze on in three separate, thin layers during the final hour of cooking, you are allowing each layer to caramelize and set. This is the secret that builds up that beautiful, thick, glossy, and deeply flavorful, lacquered crust without burning.
- Rest, Rest, Rest!: You must let your finished ham rest for at least 15-20 minutes before you slice into it. This crucial, patient step allows the hot, delicious juices to relax and redistribute throughout the entire roast.
Step-by-Step to the Perfect Glazed Holiday Ham
This elegant, festive meal is a joy to prepare.
Part 1: Prepare the Ham
Step 1: First, let your 10- to 12-pound ham sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. Preheat your oven to 350°F ($175^{\circ}C$) with an oven rack in the lowest position.
Step 2: Use a sharp knife to score the fat on the ham in a 1-inch crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut through to the meat. Place the ham, fat-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan.
Step 3: Pour 2 cups of water into the bottom of the pan. If your chosen glaze recipe calls for aromatics in the pan, add them now. Tent the pan with foil.
Step 4: Bake until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the ham (avoiding the bone) registers $110^{\circ}F$, which will take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove the ham from the oven and uncover it.
Part 2: Choose Your Glaze! (A Flavor Guide)
While the ham is in its initial bake, prepare one of these six delicious, from-scratch glazes.
- For a Classic Mustard-Orange Glaze: Before baking, arrange thinly sliced oranges all over the ham, securing with cloves. For the glaze, whisk together 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 cup Dijon mustard, and the juice of 2 oranges.
- For a Tropical Pineapple-Rum Glaze: Before baking, arrange thinly sliced pineapple all over the ham, securing with cloves. For the glaze, simmer 2 cups pineapple juice until syrupy. Whisk in 1 cup pineapple preserves, 1/4 cup dark rum, 1 teaspoon mustard powder, and 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cloves, allspice, and coriander.
- For a Spicy Pomegranate-Jalapeño Glaze: Simmer 2 cups pomegranate juice until syrupy. Whisk in 1/4 cup spicy mustard, 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon chili powder, and 1 tablespoon jalapeño hot sauce.
- For a Festive Cranberry-Maple Glaze: Boil 2 cups cranberries, 1 cup cranberry juice, 3/4 cup maple syrup, 4 thyme sprigs, and 1 cinnamon stick until syrupy, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme.
- For an Aromatic Ginger-Juniper Glaze: Before baking, add 2 teaspoons whole juniper berries and 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns to the water in the pan. For the glaze, simmer 1 cup ginger preserves, 1/2 cup dry vermouth, and 3 tablespoons champagne vinegar until syrupy, 4 to 5 minutes.
- For a Savory Rosemary-Honey Mustard Glaze: Before baking, add 4 rosemary sprigs to the water in the pan. For the glaze, boil 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard, 1/2 cup honey, and 1/2 cup dry white wine until syrupy, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary.
Part 3: The Final Glaze and Pan Sauce
Step 1: Whisk 1/4 cup of the pan juices into your chosen glaze. Brush the ham with about half of the glaze. Return it to the oven and continue baking, brushing with the glaze twice more, until the glaze is caramelized and the thermometer registers $140^{\circ}F$. This will take about 1 1/2 to 2 more hours.
Step 2 (The Most Important Step!): Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 3: While the ham is resting, strain the remaining pan juices into a saucepan and boil until slightly syrupy. Spoon this delicious pan sauce over the ham when you serve it.
Perfect Holiday Ham (with 6 Easy Glaze Recipes!)
A comprehensive guide to making a classic, showstopper Glazed Spiral-Cut Ham, perfect as the centerpiece for a holiday meal like Christmas or Easter. The recipe provides a basic method for slow-roasting a fully-cooked, bone-in ham until it is tender and juicy. It also includes six distinct, from-scratch glaze recipes to choose from, ranging from a classic Mustard-Orange to a more adventurous Pomegranate-Jalapeño. The ham is repeatedly brushed with the chosen glaze during the final stages of cooking to create a thick, sweet, and caramelized crust.
Ingredients
- For the Ham:
- 1 (10- to 12-pound) fully cooked bone-in half ham
- 2 cups water
- For the Mustard-Orange Glaze:
- 1 orange, sliced, plus juice of 2 oranges
- Whole cloves
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- For the Pineapple-Rum Glaze:
- Thinly sliced fresh pineapple & whole cloves
- 2 cups pineapple juice
- 1 cup pineapple preserves
- 1/4 cup dark rum
- 1 tsp mustard powder & 1/2 tsp each ground cloves, allspice, coriander
- For the Pomegranate-Jalapeño Glaze:
- 2 cups pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup spicy mustard
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp plus 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp jalapeño hot sauce
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds & 1 diced jalapeño (for serving)
- For the Cranberry-Maple Glaze:
- 2 cups cranberries
- 1 cup cranberry juice
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 4 thyme sprigs & 1 tbsp chopped thyme
- 1 cinnamon stick
- For the Ginger-Juniper Glaze:
- 2 tsp whole juniper berries & 1 tsp whole black peppercorns (for pan)
- 2 tsp crushed juniper berries & 1 tsp crushed peppercorns (for glaze)
- 1 cup ginger preserves
- 1/2 cup dry vermouth
- 3 tbsp champagne vinegar
- For the Rosemary-Honey Mustard Glaze:
- 4 rosemary sprigs (for pan)
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
Instructions
- Let the ham sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Trim any skin from the ham, leaving a 1/2-inch layer of fat. Score the fat in a 1-inch crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat.
- Place the ham, fat-side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of water into the pan. If your chosen glaze requires it, add aromatics (like orange slices, cloves, or herb sprigs) to the ham or water now.
- Tent the pan with foil and bake until a thermometer inserted into the ham registers 110°F, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
- While the ham bakes, prepare the glaze of your choice according to the specific recipe directions (most involve simmering the ingredients in a saucepan until syrupy).
- Once the ham reaches 110°F, remove it from the oven and uncover it.
- Whisk 1/4 cup of the pan juices into your prepared glaze. Brush the ham with about half of the glaze.
- Return the ham to the oven and continue baking, uncovered, brushing with the remaining glaze twice more, until the glaze is caramelized and a thermometer registers 140°F. This will take an additional 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Transfer the ham to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes before carving.
- While the ham rests, you can strain the remaining pan juices into a saucepan and boil until slightly syrupy to serve as a sauce.
Notes
- This is a showstopper main course, perfect for holidays. It is a long-term cooking project, so plan accordingly.
- Letting the ham come to room temperature before roasting helps it to cook more evenly.
- Scoring the fat not only creates a beautiful presentation but also allows the glaze to penetrate the meat.
- Resting the ham before carving is a crucial step to ensure the meat is juicy and tender.
Storage and Leftover Ideas
- Storage: Store any leftover ham, well-wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- The Best Leftovers: Leftover glazed ham is a true holiday treasure! It makes the absolute best sandwiches, is fantastic diced up in an omelet or a frittata, and you can use the ham bone to make an incredible, flavorful split pea or a bean soup.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What is the absolute, number one secret to a juicy, not dry, holiday ham?
The two most important secrets are to not overcook it and to let it rest. Since you are starting with a fully-cooked ham, you are essentially just reheating it. Using an instant-read thermometer and then letting the ham rest are the non-negotiable keys that will guarantee an incredibly juicy and tender result.
Q2: What kind of ham is best for this recipe?
A fully-cooked, bone-in ham (either the shank or butt portion) is the absolute best choice for the most flavor and a super juicy result.
Q3: Can I make the glaze ahead of time?
Yes, absolutely! All of these glazes can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may need to gently warm them on the stovetop to loosen them up before you glaze the ham.
Q4: How much ham do I need per person?
A good rule of thumb is to plan for about 1/2 to 3/4 of a pound of bone-in ham per person. This will ensure you have plenty for dinner and for some delicious leftovers!
Q5: Why did my glaze burn?
A sugary glaze can burn if the oven is too hot or if it’s applied too early in the cooking process. This recipe’s method of applying the glaze only during the final stage of cooking is the key that prevents the sugars from burning over the long bake time.