Picture this: It’s Christmas Eve, snow tapping gently on the window, and the whole house fills with this sweet, smoky aroma that pulls everyone toward the kitchen like a magnet. That, my friend, is the power of a properly baked ham with honey glaze. I’ve made this dish more times than I can count—family gatherings, holiday potlucks, even a few New Year’s brunches—and every single time, it’s the star that makes people linger around the table a little longer, eyes half-closed on that first salty-sweet bite.
This isn’t just any ham. We’re talking a bone-in, slow-baked beauty, scored deep so the honey glaze seeps right into every crevice, caramelizing into sticky, lacquered perfection. What sets this classic apart? It’s simple ingredients transformed by time and heat into something truly festive. The honey brings floral sweetness, mustard adds a subtle tang, brown sugar deepens the caramel notes, and cloves—those tiny spikes—infuse warm spice that screams holiday. Make this once, and it’ll become your Christmas tradition too. Trust me.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Let’s get the goods together. I always shop for a ham the day before—fresher the better—and this recipe serves 12 to 15 people easy, with leftovers you’ll fight over.
Here’s the breakdown in a clean table so you can screenshot it for the store run:
| Ingredient | Amount (Imperial) | Amount (Metric) | Notes & Insights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bone-in ham (fully cooked, shank or butt end) | 8-10 lbs | 3.6-4.5 kg | Go for city ham (wet-cured), not country. Bone-in gives better flavor and moisture. Spiral-sliced is convenient but dries out easier—I’ll explain how to prevent that. |
| Clover honey (or any mild honey) | 1 cup | 240 ml | Raw honey if you can; it has more floral notes that shine through the bake. |
| Dark brown sugar | ¾ cup, packed | 150 g | Dark for deeper molasses flavor. Light works in a pinch but you’ll miss that richness. |
| Dijon mustard | ¼ cup | 60 ml | Grainy or smooth—both good. Adds the essential sharp backbone so it’s not cloying. |
| Apple cider vinegar | 2 Tbsp | 30 ml | Balances sweetness. White wine vinegar subs fine. |
| Ground cloves | ½ tsp | 2 g | Or 30-40 whole cloves for studding—whole look prettier. |
| Ground cinnamon | ½ tsp | 2 g | Optional but rounds out the spice. |
| Freshly ground black pepper | 1 tsp | 4 g | Don’t skip—cuts through the sweet. |
| Unsalted butter, melted | ¼ cup | 55 g | Helps the glaze adhere and brown. |
Substitutions that actually work:
- Vegetarian? Use a plant-based “ham” roast (some are scarily good now) and swap honey for maple syrup.
- Lower sugar? Cut brown sugar to ½ cup and add a splash more vinegar. It’ll be tangier, more adult.
- No Dijon? Yellow mustard + a pinch of cayenne gives similar bite.
- Gluten-free? Everything here already is, as long as your ham doesn’t have weird additives (check the label).
Pro tip on choosing your ham: Avoid anything labeled “water added” or “ham with natural juices”—those can be up to 20% water and shrink like crazy. Look for “ham” only on the label, nothing else. That means less water, more actual pork flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Alright, roll up those sleeves. Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Line a heavy roasting pan with foil—trust me, cleanup will thank you.
- Take the ham out of the fridge an hour before baking. Cold meat cooks unevenly, and we want juicy all the way through.
- Place it cut-side down on a rack in the pan. If it’s spiral-sliced, keep that plastic thing on the bone until after baking—it helps hold moisture.
- Score the fat cap in a diamond pattern, about ¼-inch deep. Don’t cut into the meat, just the fat. This lets the glaze penetrate and gives those gorgeous crispy edges.
- Stud the intersections with whole cloves if you’re using them. Smells incredible already, doesn’t it?
- Whisk together the honey, brown sugar, Dijon, vinegar, melted butter, ground cloves, cinnamon, and pepper in a bowl. It should be thick but pourable. Warm it gently if the honey’s stubborn.
- Brush about a third of the glaze over the ham. Really work it into the scores.
- Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the pan—this steams and keeps things moist.
- Tent loosely with foil and bake for 10-12 minutes per pound, until internal temp hits 110°F (43°C). For a 9-lb ham, that’s roughly 1½-2 hours. Baste every 30 minutes with pan juices.
- Crank the oven to 425°F (220°C). Remove foil, brush with half the remaining glaze.
- Bake uncovered 15-20 minutes more, glazing again halfway, until the top is bubbling and mahogany-colored and internal temp reaches 140°F (60°C). Watch it like a hawk—the sugar burns fast.
- Rest it 20-30 minutes tented loosely. This is non-negotiable. The juices redistribute, and carving is easier.
Common mistake? Glazing from the start. Sugar burns at low temps over long periods. We add most glaze at the end for shine without bitterness.
Another: Overcooking to 160°F. It’s already cooked! We’re just heating and glazing. 140°F max for juicy slices.
Cooking Techniques & Science
Why does this work so damn well?
First, low-and-slow heating. Ham is lean-ish and pre-cooked, so gentle heat warms it without drying. The water in the pan creates a moist environment—think DIY steam oven.
Scoring + glazing = maximum flavor surface area. Those cuts expose more meat to the Maillard reaction during the high-heat finish. Maillard is that magical browning where amino acids and sugars react above 280°F, creating hundreds of new flavor compounds. That’s your caramelized crust.
Honey behaves differently from plain sugar. It has fructose, which caramelizes at lower temps than sucrose, giving deeper color without scorching as easily. Plus, it stays slightly hygroscopic—meaning it pulls moisture from the air—so leftovers stay juicier.
Cloves bring eugenol, this warm, numbing spice that somehow makes sweet things taste sweeter by contrast. Tiny amount, huge impact.
Culturally? Glazed ham goes back centuries. Scandinavians did it with mustard crusts, British with treacle. Americans grabbed German immigrant traditions, added pineapple in the 20th century (Hawaiian influence), but honey glaze feels timeless. At Christmas it symbolizes abundance—big, beautiful, feeds a crowd.
Tools? You need a reliable meat thermometer. No guessing. A pastry brush helps with even glazing. Roasting rack keeps it out of the juices so the bottom doesn’t get soggy.
Storage, Reheating & Make-Ahead Tips
This ham is basically better the next day.
Cool completely, then wrap tightly in foil or plastic. Fridge up to 5 days, freezer up to 2 months (slice first for easier thawing).
Reheating: Oven at 275°F, wrapped in foil with a splash of apple juice, 10 minutes per pound till 120°F internal. Microwave works for slices but steams the crust—oven’s better.
Make-ahead magic: Score and stud the day before, wrap tight, refrigerate. Mix glaze ahead too—it keeps a week.
The glaze itself? Make double. Bottle half for ham sandwiches all week.
Leftovers improve. Flavors mellow, fat congeals slightly—perfect cold with mustard or hot in beans.
Variations & Substitutions
Want to mix it up?
Bourbon honey glaze: Swap ¼ cup honey for bourbon. Boozy depth, especially good with smoked ham.
Pineapple twist: Add crushed pineapple to the glaze and lay rings on top last 30 minutes. Retro but delicious.
Spicy: A teaspoon of chipotle powder or cayenne in the glaze. Wake-up sweet heat.
Orange-honey: Zest two oranges into the glaze, swap vinegar for orange juice. Brighter, more festive.
Maple instead of honey: Deeper, woodier. Use grade B if you can find it.
For a smaller crowd: Get a half ham (5-6 lbs) and halve everything. Same technique.
Serving & Pairing Suggestions
Carving matters. Cut around the bone first, then slice perpendicular to it—thin for sandwiches, thicker for plates.
Presentation: Stand those slices up in overlapping rows on a big platter. Spoon extra glaze over. Scatter fresh rosemary sprigs and orange slices for color. Looks straight out of a magazine.
Sides that sing:
- Scalloped potatoes—creamy against salty
- Garlic green beans with almonds
- Simple bitter greens salad to cut richness
- My favorite: roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon
Drinks: Off-dry Riesling, Gewürztraminer, or sparkling cider for non-alcoholic. Beer? A malty brown ale.
Dessert: Something light—pecan pie would be overkill. Go gingerbread or fruit salad.
The whole table feels abundant, warm, like the holiday wrapped up in food.
Best Time to Serve This Dish
Christmas Eve or Christmas Day dinner, hands down. But honestly? Easter, Thanksgiving if you’re non-traditional, big Sunday family lunch in winter.
It’s cold-weather food. That oven heat warms the kitchen, the spices fill the air when it’s dark by 4 pm. Summer? Nah, too heavy unless you’re air-conditioned to the hilt.
Morning of a holiday brunch with eggs Benedict on ham slices? Genius. Or New Year’s Day with black-eyed peas for luck.
Anytime you have a crowd and want to look like you tried hard without actually trying hard.
In the End, It’s About the Memories
There you go—a classic baked ham with honey glaze that’ll make your house smell like pure joy. Simple ingredients, a little patience, massive payoff. That sticky-sweet crust cracking under the knife, steam rising, everyone grabbing seconds before you’ve even finished carving.
Final pro tips: Taste your glaze before it hits the ham—adjust sweet/tang to your crowd. If the skin gets too dark, tent with foil again. And save the bone for split pea soup; it’s gold.
You’ve got this. Go make someone close their eyes on that first bite.
FAQs
Can I use a spiral-sliced ham without it drying out?
Absolutely—it’s actually easier for serving. Keep that plastic bone guard on during the low bake, baste religiously, and don’t skip the final rest. The slices soak up glaze like crazy, and you’ll still get juicy results.
My glaze isn’t thickening or getting bubbly—what went wrong?
Probably not enough high-heat time or the oven wasn’t hot enough. Crank to 450°F the last 10 minutes if needed, and brush on thin layers so it builds up lacquer-style rather than sliding off.
Is there a way to make this lower sodium?
Look for low-sodium ham (they exist, about 30% less). Rinse the ham under cold water and pat dry before scoring—it removes some surface salt. Flavor will still be great with the bold glaze.
How far in advance can I glaze and bake?
Bake the day-of for best crust, but you can low-bake (to 110°F) the day before, cool, refrigerate, then do the high-heat glaze finish right before serving. Saves holiday stress.
What if I only have a boneless ham?
Works fine, just reduces cooking time by about 20%. They’re leaner, so baste even more and consider wrapping in foil the whole time except the last glaze.
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