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Baked Ham with the Best Glaze

This Baked Ham is a showstopping main dish, perfect for Christmas or Easter dinner. The highlight of this recipe is the flavorful glaze, made with brown sugar, honey, and orange juice to infuse the ham with rich, delicious taste.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Inactive Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 16
Calories 440 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8-12 pound bone-in spiral cut ham fully cooked*
  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions
 

  • Remove the ham from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature, ensuring even cooking.
  • Preheat the oven to 325°F with a rack in the lower third of the oven (remove any other racks that might obstruct the ham).
  • Remove the ham from its packaging. If there’s a glaze packet or plastic disk covering the bone, remove and discard them. Place the ham in a roasting pan or large, deep baking dish, cut side down. Cover the pan/ham tightly with foil (you may need to use multiple pieces to cover it fully).
  • Bake the ham at 325°F, covered with foil, for most of the cook time. When there are 20 minutes left on the cook time, uncover the ham and begin brushing it with the glaze (see the steps below). The total bake time is about 10-11 minutes per pound. For example, a 10-pound ham will take about 1 hour 40 minutes to 2 hours in total. Set a timer for 20 minutes before the ham should be fully cooked to start checking its temperature.
  • While the ham bakes, prepare the glaze: In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, orange juice, honey, Dijon mustard, butter, allspice, and ground cloves. Heat over medium heat, whisking often, until the glaze begins to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue cooking at a low boil, whisking often, until the glaze thickens (about 5-7 minutes). Remove from heat.
  • When the ham reaches an internal temperature of 115-120°F and has about 20 minutes of cook time remaining, remove it from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Uncover the ham and brush on half of the glaze, making sure to get some between the slices. Return the ham to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Brush on the remaining glaze and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the ham reaches 140°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer.
  • Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

You can also use this same method for an uncut bone-in fully cooked ham.
How much ham per person: When buying a bone-in ham, plan for about ½ pound of ham per person (or up to ¾ pound if you want leftovers).
  • To serve 8 people, buy a 4-6 pound bone-in ham.
  • To serve 12 people, buy a 6-9 pound bone-in ham.
  • To serve 16 people, buy an 8-12 pound bone-in ham.
Keyword Baked Ham with the Best Glaze