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Maple Glazed Ham
A burnished, sticky sweet glaze over smoky ham, with mustard and warm spice underneath. For the family members who quietly prefer ham to turkey, this is their holiday.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Maple Glazed Ham, in 5 ideas
- The glaze works just as well on a smaller boneless ham, just cut the baking time down.
- Save the bone. It makes the best split pea or bean soup of the whole winter.
- Warm leftover slices in a skillet with a spoonful of glaze for next day sandwiches.
- A spiral sliced ham needs no scoring, just glaze between a few of the slices.
- Serve with a sharp mustard on the side to balance the sweetness.
What you need
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in smoked ham, 8 to 10 lbs
- 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- Whole cloves for studding (optional)
- 1 cup water or apple cider, for the pan
How to make it
Directions
- Take the ham out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Heat the oven to 325°F and set the ham cut side down in a roasting pan with the water or cider.
- Score the fat in a diamond pattern about 1/4 inch deep. Stud with whole cloves if you like the classic look.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the ham is warmed through.
- Meanwhile, simmer the maple syrup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, cinnamon, and ground cloves in a small saucepan for 3 minutes until glossy.
- Uncover the ham, brush generously with glaze, and raise the oven to 425°F.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes more, brushing with more glaze every 8 minutes, until the surface is deep amber and caramelized at the edges.
- Rest at least 15 minutes before carving so the slices stay juicy.
Buy the ham a few days early when the store puts them on sale before the holiday, and keep the per pound price in mind: a bigger ham almost always costs less per pound and the leftovers are a gift.