Brown Sugar Glazed Ham Recipe

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Cook Time: 2 30

Total Time: 2 30

Servings: people

Calories: 565kcal

A whole ham, baked and brushed with the sweetest, tangiest glaze, makes the juicy, tender, and delicious ham your family craves for the holidays.

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Place the ham on a cutting board. Score the ham by using a sharp knife to cut parallel lines about ½-inch deep and 1 inch apart across the entire ham. Turn the ham, and then repeat this process, cutting lines across the previous lines to create small diamond shapes.
14-16 pound bone-in ham
Place the ham, flat side down, in a roasting pan. Pour 3 cups of water into the pan. Cover with foil. The ham should cook for about 12 minutes per pound.
3 cups water
After 1 hour, prepare the glaze. Add the brown sugar, honey, dijon mustard, butter, apple cider vinegar, garlic, cinnamon, and ginger to a saucepan over medium heat. Once it starts bubbling, turn down the heat to low and continue cooking for a couple more minutes. The glaze may seem runny at first, but that’s okay. It will thicken up as it sits.
1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup honey, ⅓ cup Dijon mustard, ¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar, 3 cloves garlic, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Remove the ham from the oven and spread ⅓ of the glaze over the ham and return to the oven without the foil. Continue cooking for another hour.
Remove the ham from the oven again, and spread another ⅓ of the glaze over the ham. Cook for the remaining time based the weight of your ham.
Remove the ham from the oven and spread the remaining glaze over the ham.
Let the ham rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

I recommend using a whole, bone-in ham for this recipe. It’s going to be extra juicy and flavorful when baked in the oven, especially aftering scoring and glazing it!

To avoid overcooking the ham, insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part without touching the bone. It should read 140°F.
If using a spiral ham, take extra care not to let it dry out.
Don't simmer the glaze for too long; otherwise, it will turn into a hard caramel once cooled.
Tent the baked ham with foil to keep it warm and moist.

Storage: Store brown sugar glazed ham in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.