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Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

By Melissa

4.91 from 10 votes

on Nov 14, 2019, Updated Mar 15, 2024

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.

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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.

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 1/3 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 1/3 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.

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.

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 1/3 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.

4.91 from 10 votes

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

By: Melissa Griffiths

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.

Prep: 2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Cook: 3 hours hrs

Total: 5 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 15 (Serves 15+)

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 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 

• 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.
• Preheat the oven 325 degrees F.
• In a small saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar, orange juice, honey, white vinegar, yellow mustard, onion powder, garlic powder, and cinnamon. 
• 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.
• Tear two large pieces of foil off the roll (enough to wrap the ham in), and overlap them. 
• Place the ham in the center of the foil. 
• Brush 1/3 of glaze over the ham, and then tightly wrap it in the foil.
• Place the ham in a baking pan, flat side down (mine fit in a 9×13-inch pan).
• 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.
• Turn the oven temperature up to 400 degrees F. 
• Carefully unwrap the ham (you can throw away the foil or open it up and let it line the bottom of the pan).
• Brush another third of the glaze over the ham, and return the ham to the oven.
• 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. 
• Remove from the oven, and brush on the last of the glaze. 
• 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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 15 servings, Calories: 476kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 65g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 150mg, Sodium: 4248mg, Potassium: 1124mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 17g, Vitamin A: 18IU, Vitamin C: 112mg, Calcium: 29mg, Iron: 4mg

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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
• 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!