Honey Glazed Spiral Ham
This Honey Glazed Spiral Ham is the perfect easy recipe. With just a few ingredients, you’ll have a delicious ham with the perfect balance of sweet and salty. It’s an impressive main dish to feed a crowd with little effort.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Using a spiral cut ham means the work of slicing a large piece of meat is done for you so guests can serve themselves easily
- The sweet and tangy sauce has only 4 ingredients but it packs a ton of flavor
- This recipe can feed a large crowd, between 12 and 14 people
About This Recipe
This easy recipe is a great way to feed a crowd making it the perfect addition to any holiday meal or special occasion! Whether it’s an Easter lunch or Christmas dinner, this ham recipe is sure to get rave reviews!
Juicy tender ham is baked at a low temperature to keep it moist and it’s coated in a sweet sauce that turns sticky and delicious as it bakes. If you’re looking for side dishes to go with your ham, try Honey Thyme Carrots, Gruyére Potatoes Au Gratin, or Garlic Parmesan Asparagus.
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- I prefer a bone-in spiral-cut ham for several reasons. First, the bone gives the ham flavor as it bakes and can help keep it moist. Two, the glaze can get down in between the slices and flavor more of the ham. Finally, the slices are already cut for you which makes it an easy no-fuss way to serve it.
- Ham is a highly salty meat that pairs well with a sweet sauce. Combining honey and brown sugar gives the glaze a more well-rounded flavor. The honey becomes sticky while the brown sugar becomes deeply caramelized. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Dijon mustard adds a nice tang to the sauce to keep it from being overly sweet.
- Thyme and ham go together very well. Adding the fresh thyme to the glaze while it simmers allows it to infuse into the sauce. Other herbs and spices, like whole cloves, rosemary, or tarragon can be added to the sauce or used to replace the thyme.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1:
Line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil or use a large disposable foil roasting pan placed on a baking sheet for stability.
Cover the ham with foil and bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour.
Step 2:
When there are 10 minutes left, add the honey, light brown sugar, dijon mustard, and thyme to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Gently simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes or until the honey mixture thickens.
Step 3:
Remove the ham from the oven and uncover.
Pour half of the glaze over the ham using a fork or tongs to gently pull the slices apart to allow the sauce to get down in between them. Press the slices back together and pour the rest of the glaze over the top of the ham.
Step 4:
Return the ham to the oven uncovered. Bake for another hour, basting the pan drippings over the ham every 15 minutes. Once the ham is done baking, allow it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Pour the remaining glaze from the bottom of the pan into a gravy boat or other serving bowl to serve along with the ham.
Expert Tips & Tricks
- The honey and brown sugar become extremely sticky while baking, especially anywhere that begins to caramelize. It can be very difficult to clean. For that reason, I like to use a disposable roasting pan for easy clean-up. However, a metal roasting pan lined with foil will also work.
- If you are using a disposable roasting pan, place it on a baking sheet for better stability.
- Keep the bone to make ham stock. Gently simmer the bone in a large pot of water with vegetables, herbs, and spices for a minimum of four hours.
Storage & Reheating
Storage:
Keep leftover ham either on or pulled off the bone in an airtight container in the fridge. It will stay good for up to 5 days.
Reheating:
To reheat in the oven, preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the ham in an oven-safe baking dish and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until warmed through.
To reheat on the stove, place a slice of ham in a pan and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
To reheat in the microwave, place a slice on a microwave-safe plate and heat at 50 percent power in 1-minute increments until warmed through.
Freezing:
Ham slices wrapped tightly in foil can be frozen for up to 2 months. Allow the ham to thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The outside still gets little crispy bits and the sauce becomes sticky and thick. The benefit of roasting the ham at a lower temperature is that the thickest part of the ham can fully warm through without drying out. With this method, you get a nice juicy ham.
As the ham bakes, some of the sauce will run off and mix with the pan drippings. Basting this over the ham every 15 minutes will add a ton of flavor to the ham while keeping it moist and tender.
Sure! Whole ham, half ham, and boneless ham are all great choices and can be made exactly the same way. The downside to using one of them is that the sauce won’t get down in between the slices and you’ll need to carve the ham when it’s done cooking.
No, the ham is already fully cooked so it isn’t necessary to track the internal temperature. However, once the internal temperature reaches 140 to 165 degrees F is the best time to remove the ham to avoid drying it out.
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Honey Glazed Spiral Ham
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Ingredients
- 8 to 10 pound fully cooked spiral sliced ham
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan with aluminum foil or use a disposable roasting pan.
- Place the ham in the pan and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour.
- When 10 minutes are left, add the honey, brown sugar, dijon mustard, and thyme to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the glaze thickens.
- Pull the ham out of the oven and uncover. Pour half of the glaze over the ham spreading apart the slices with a fork or tongs. Press the slices back together and pour the rest of the glaze over the top of the ham.
- Bake uncovered for another hour basting the pan drippings over the ham every 15 minutes.
- Allow the ham to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the pan drippings on the side.
Notes
-
- The honey and brown sugar become extremely sticky while baking, especially anywhere that begins to caramelize. It can be very difficult to clean. For that reason, I like to use a disposable roasting pan for easy clean-up. However, a metal roasting pan lined with foil will also work.
- If you are using a disposable roasting pan, place it on a baking sheet for better stability.
