Easy Glazed Holiday Ham

Tangy, a bit sweet, with a nice kick (and light on the spice).

Glazed Holiday Ham is one of those classic American dishes that my family has always tried...and kind of found not to our taste (as in, some of us love it and some of us really don't). So this year, I volunteered to take on creating a version for our Christmas dinner that would satisfy everyone's taste buds.

The primary challenge is the spices: my fam is not big on nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, etc. So, after doing my research, I left out the cloves and cinnamon, but kept brown sugar as the base and some nutmeg and paprika for the holiday flavor, plus vinegar to cut the sweetness, garlic powder, pepper, and mustard to round it out. Cayenne, chili flakes, and a whole fresh jalapeño give it a lovely kick (but not too much!). Happy to report the result was really enjoyed by all parties. Guess I'll be making this one again!

🎥You can watch a quick Instagram reel of this recipe here.

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Ingredients

• 4-6lbs smoked, fully cooked ham (easiest to work with, but uncooked works too, you'll just have to adjust the cooking times, I recommend using a meat thermometer)

• 1 to 1-1/2 cup glaze:

1/3 cup brown sugar (light or regular)

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1/4 cup country-style / grainy mustard

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/8 tsp (about a dash or two) nutmeg

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp chili flakes

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 small jalapeño, seeds removed, chopped into small pieces

Equipment: you will need an immersion blender or something similar for this one.

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Preparation

Make the glaze:

1. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small mixing bowl

2. Blend until smooth using immersion blender

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours to let the flavors blend

Prepare the meat:

1. Preheat oven to 350F

2. Place whole ham on a rack in a large roasting pan

3. Score meat diagonally, to form diamonds, ~1 inch deep

4. Pour ~1 cup at the base of the pan, it should be below the level of the rack (the water will evaporate and keep the ham juicy)

5. Bake the scored ham for about 10-12 min per pound

6. Remove from oven (keep it running)

7. The scores should now have opened up as the meat cooked

8. Brush glaze over top and sides of the ham, getting plenty into the open scores

9. Return to oven for another 20-30 min (keep an eye on it, you want a nice crust without burning or drying out the meat)

10. Carve and enjoy!

Note: This glaze probably doesn't have a high enough sugar content to create a true caramelized crust, but the mustardy-ness is worth it. You can try broiling for a few min, it didn't work for me (I have yet to try a blow torch).

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Reference

Glazed Holiday Ham by Sam Sifton via NYT Cooking

Spicy Honey Glazed Ham from Food Network Magazine via foodnetwork.com