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    Bless This Mess > Recipes > Easy Dinners > Pork

    Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

    Published: Nov 14, 2019 · Modified: Dec 19, 2022 by Melissa · 16 Comments

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    Title Image for Glazed Ham and brown sugar sauce being poured over a ham

    Brown sugar glazed ham is an easy, flavorful recipe for juicy ham with a sweet and salty, caramelized outside, perfect to serve to a crowd for a holiday meal.

    Ham is a holiday meal staple, and this simple recipe gives you all the tools to glaze your own at home for big flavor and a satisfying and delicious end product.

    A perfectly cooked ham, covered in glaze is garnished by some parsley and orange slices on a white square dish on top of a blue with small white striped hand towel.

    Homemade Glazed Ham Recipe

    Which side of the holiday protein debate are you on: team turkey or team ham? Personally, I like a little bit of both on my plate, and if you're a ham lover, then this brown sugar glazed ham recipe is going to be right up your alley. To make it super-simple, you just start with an already cooked ham, add the flavorful glaze ingredients, and bake it for a few hours. If you want to start with an uncooked ham, you definitely can do that, but make sure the correct internal temperature is reached before serving to ensure it's properly cooked.

    This recipe creates juicy, big-flavored, slightly sweet and salty slices of ham every time, and it's the perfect option for a holiday dinner where you have a big crowd to serve. And, it's the dish that keeps giving because glazed ham leftovers are seriously divine on rolls, sandwiches, or just by itself with other holiday fixin's. You'll love this easy, scrumptious, rich ham recipe that is a great recipe for any big gathering or holiday meal.

    A perfectly cooked, browned ham is sitting in the middle of tin foil that covered it while cooking.

    Do you have to glaze a ham?

    Glazing a ham is optional, but I think it adds the best flavor and texture to the end product, and keeps the ham nice and moist. I love this glaze because it's a little sweet and a little savory and it goes so nicely with a salty ham.

    How do I cook a precooked ham?

    I love getting a precooked ham and glazing it to add more flavor and a caramelized texture to the outside. To cook it, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F., and add ⅓ of your glaze to the ham before wrapping it in foil and placing it in a baking dish in the oven. Cook it for about 15 minutes per pound of meat, until the internal temperature is 100 to 110 degrees F.

    Remove from the oven, and increase the oven temp to 400 degrees F. Unwrap the foil, add another ⅓ of glaze, and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until the glaze caramelizes. Remove from the oven, add the remaining glaze, and tent with foil for about 10 minutes before carving and serving the ham.

    A white plate has a silver fork angled on it next to mashed potatoes that have butter melting on them, green beans, stuffing, and two slices of ham. The plate is on top of a skinny striped red and white towel.

    Why is my ham tough?

    Ham requires slow, long cooking in order for it to become really tender. It's a dense cut of meat, so low and slow is the way to go for juicy, tender, melt-in-your-mouth ham. A 15-pound precooked ham will take about 3 hours of cook time to get it glazed, heated, and ready to eat.

    How do you keep a ham from drying out?

    Using water, stock, or a glaze will help to keep ham moist. Also, covering it tightly with foil for the majority of the cook time helps to lock in moisture and keep the meat nice and tender.

    The perfectly cooked, browned ham is sitting in the tinfoil that had covered it while being cooked and a hand is holding a sauce pan full of glaze that is cascading out of the pan and down the ham.

    How to make glazed ham:

    1. Whisk together the brown sugar, orange juice, honey, white vinegar, yellow mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and cinnamon. 
    2. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
    3. Brush ⅓ of glaze over the ham, and then tightly wrap it in the foil.
    4. Bake the ham until heated through or the center registers 100 to 110 degrees F. Remove from the oven.
    5. Unwrap the ham.
    6. Brush another third of the glaze over the ham, and return the ham to the oven.
    7. Remove from the oven, and brush on the last of the glaze. 
    8. Tent with foil, and let the ham rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving hot.
    Another angle of the perfectly cooked ham, this picture is taken from a little bit higher up. The ham is browned with glaze and garnished by two orange slices and parsley on a square white dish on top of a blue towel that has thin white stripes on it.
    A white dinner plate has a silver fork angled from the middle of the bottom toward the left upper corner with mashed potatoes that have butter melting on them, green beans, stuffing, and two slices of ham. The plate is sitting on a skinny striped red and white dish towel.
    Print
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    whole cooked brown sugar glazed ham on white plate

    Brown Sugar Glazed Ham


    ★★★★★

    5 from 4 reviews

    • Author: Melissa Griffiths - Bless this Mess
    • Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
    • Yield: Serves 15+ 1x
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    Description

    Brown sugar glazed ham is an easy, flavorful recipe for juicy ham with a sweet and salty, caramelized outside, perfect to serve to a crowd for a holiday meal.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 large fully cooked ham (bone in, spiral sliced is fine), about 15 pounds
    • 1 cup packed brown sugar
    • ½ cup orange juice
    • 2 tablespoons honey
    • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
    • 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

    Instructions

    1. Remove the ham from the fridge, and let it rest at room temperature for at least 2 hours. This helps the meat to cook evenly once in the oven.
    2. Preheat the oven 325 degrees F.
    3. In a small saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, orange juice, honey, white vinegar, yellow mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and cinnamon. 
    4. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to simmer. Simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the mixture thickens just a bit. Remove from the heat.
    5. Tear two large pieces of foil off the roll (enough to wrap the ham in), and overlap them. 
    6. Place the ham in the center of the foil. 
    7. Brush ⅓ of glaze over the ham, and then tightly wrap it in the foil.
    8. Place the ham in a baking pan, flat side down (mine fit in a 9x13-inch pan).
    9. Bake the ham until heated through or the center registers 100 to 110 degrees F. (This takes about 15 minutes per pound of meat.) Remove from the oven.
    10. Turn the oven temperature up to 400 degrees F. 
    11. Carefully unwrap the ham (you can throw away the foil or open it up and let it line the bottom of the pan).
    12. Brush another third of the glaze over the ham, and return the ham to the oven.
    13. Let the ham cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the glaze has started to caramelize and looks dark and sticky but not burnt. 
    14. Remove from the oven, and brush on the last of the glaze. 
    15. Tent with foil, and let the ham rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving hot.

    Notes

    • You can use this recipe with an uncooked ham too -- just make sure the meat comes to proper internal temperatures before serving.
    • Prep Time: 2 hour 15 min
    • Cook Time: 3 hour
    • Category: main dish
    • Method: bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: ham glaze, glazed ham, Christmas Ham, Thanksgiving ham, ham dinner, glazed ham recipe, honey glazed ham, sugar glazed ham, orange glazed ham

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @blessthismessblog on Instagram and hashtag it #blessthismess

    Brown sugar glazed ham is an easy, flavorful recipe for juicy ham with a sweet and salty, caramelized outside, perfect to serve to a crowd for a holiday meal. Ham is a holiday meal staple, and this simple recipe gives you all the tools to glaze your own at home for big flavor and a satisfying and delicious end product. #glazedham #brownsugarglazedham #ham #holidayham #hamrecipe #holidayfood #holidayrecipes #thanksgivingrecipes Brown sugar glazed ham is an easy, flavorful recipe for juicy ham with a sweet and salty, caramelized outside, perfect to serve to a crowd for a holiday meal. Ham is a holiday meal staple, and this simple recipe gives you all the tools to glaze your own at home for big flavor and a satisfying and delicious end product. #glazedham #brownsugarglazedham #ham #holidayham #hamrecipe #holidayfood #holidayrecipes #thanksgivingrecipes

    More ham recipes you'll love:

    • Crispy Ham and Cheese Waffles
    • Classic Ham and Bean Soup (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker recipe)
    • Creamy Slow Cooker Potato Corn Chowder with Ham
    • Quick and Easy Hot Ham and Cheese Pinwheels

    More Thanksgiving recipes you have to try:

    • Katie's Easy Corn Casserole
    • Whipped Sweet Potato Casserole
    • Simple and Juicy Oven Roasted Turkey Breast
    • Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower
    • Simple Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
    • Easy Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
    • Deli-Style Broccoli Salad
    • Easy Apple Cabbage Salad with Pecans

    Homemade glazed ham is such a delicious and simple holiday dish that's rich, flavorful, moist, and melt-in-your-mouth good. It cooks for a while, but hands-on time is minimal!

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    Melissa is dedicated to helping parents figure out the nightly questions, "What's for Dinner?!" with her no-fuss approach to cooking. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jane

      December 20, 2022 at 10:54 am

      Can this be cooked in a slow cooker? Would I still wrap in foil?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 20, 2022 at 4:26 pm

        I haven't tried it but I bet you could if the ham fits. I wouldn't worry about the foil if the lid is fitting properly.

    2. Dawn

      December 17, 2022 at 10:19 pm

      Hi, it mentions it takes the ham 15 per pound to get to 100 degrees. Most other recipes say 140 degrees. Is the 100 degrees correct?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 19, 2022 at 1:32 pm

        Ham in the US is sold precooked so you are just heating it to serve not to cook it, so 100 degrees is fine and won't dry it out. Check your packaging but odds are your ham is already cooked.

    3. Marjorie

      December 18, 2021 at 6:42 am

      Can you use pineapple juice in place of Orange juice?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 20, 2021 at 10:07 am

        Ohhh that sounds excellent, I do think it would work wonderfully.

    4. Elizabeth C.

      February 20, 2021 at 12:51 pm

      This was amazing!

      Reply
      • Julie

        March 14, 2021 at 3:21 pm

        This glaze was incredible!!
        Best ham I have ever made!!

        ★★★★★

    5. Tilene

      October 28, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      Can you do this on a smoker? If so, would you leave it unwrapped?

      Reply
      • Melissa

        October 29, 2020 at 8:30 am

        I honestly don't know but it sounds amazing!

      • Leslie

        November 24, 2022 at 12:17 pm

        This glaze is delish! For some reason my glaze never thickened up though.

    6. Cindee

      June 07, 2020 at 10:45 pm

      This Ham glaze recipe was fantastic! The glaze was delicious. I followed the recipe & cooked the ham as written at 15 minutes per pound with the 15 minutes at the end with more glaze & not covered. The ham was tender & the gravy tasted awesome. Thank you so much for this recipe. It is definitely a keeper.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        June 08, 2020 at 1:54 pm

        I love that you are making ham and June, I want to too!

    7. Tracy

      April 12, 2020 at 7:51 pm

      My husband said it was the best ham I ever made. This will be my go to glaze from now on.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    8. Ichi Tokyo

      December 02, 2019 at 10:21 pm

      This looks delicious! Thanks for tasty recipe!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Melissa

        December 03, 2019 at 9:46 am

        I'm making it again next week and am so excited!

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