Description
A savory glazed Christmas ham with a sweet and tangy glaze that caramelizes to a golden-brown crust, perfect for holiday dinners. This easy recipe balances mustard, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar for a tender, flavorful ham.
Ingredients
Scale
- Pre-cooked bone-in ham (about 8-10 pounds)
- 1 cup brown sugar (preferably dark brown sugar)
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- About 20 whole cloves (optional, for studding the ham)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (163°C).
- Remove any packaging and excess plastic from the ham. Pat it dry with paper towels.
- Score the ham surface in a diamond pattern about 1/8 inch deep. Optionally stud intersections with whole cloves.
- Place the ham on a rack in your roasting pan.
- In a bowl, whisk together brown sugar, Dijon mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, ground cloves, and black pepper until smooth.
- Using a silicone brush, baste the entire ham surface with half of the glaze. Reserve the rest.
- Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes (approximately 10 minutes per pound) until internal temperature reaches 140°F (60°C).
- Every 20 minutes, remove foil and baste the ham with remaining glaze to build layers of caramelized coating.
- For the last 15 minutes, remove foil completely to let the glaze thicken and crisp up.
- Remove ham from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes to redistribute juices.
- Slice the ham into thin slices and serve.
Notes
If glaze darkens too quickly, tent ham with foil to prevent burning. For hams over 10 pounds, add extra basting intervals. Keep a small pan of water in the oven to maintain humidity and prevent drying. Bring ham to room temperature 30 minutes before baking. Rest ham after baking for best juiciness. Glaze can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: About 3 ounces (85 g
- Calories: 250
- Fat: 12
- Carbohydrates: 8
- Protein: 18
Keywords: Christmas ham, holiday ham, glazed ham, savory ham, holiday dinner, easy ham recipe, baked ham, Christmas dinner