Simple Honey Mustard Glazed Ham
This was the year that I decided to attempt my very own honey glazed ham for Thanksgiving, even though I had always been intimidated by the idea. I was so happy that I went for it because it turned out to be such a success! I wanted to share the Honey Mustard Glazed Ham recipe that I created with you because it’s a great way to make your Thanksgiving ham really shine this season. Not only does it taste amazing, it also makes the whole house smell incredible while it’s in the oven. I even save the hambone to make soup as a Thanksgiving leftover recipe!
How do you pick the best ham for Thanksgiving?
Get warm and cozy with your local butcher.
In my opinion, the key to a good honey mustard glazed ham starts with the ham selection. I suggest making friends with your local butcher so that you can find specialty cuts of meat or make special requests regarding your cuts.
Ask your butcher for the ham with the rind still on—you’ll need the fat intact!
A reliable butcher will come in handy when you’re looking for a pre-cooked or smoked ham with the rind still on. Buying a rind-on ham will ensure that you get a ham that still has the layer of fat that lies between the rind and the meat intact.
Get the right tools to trim and cut your glazed holiday ham.
Once you get your pre-cooked ham home, I recommend using your fingers to gently pull back the edge of the rind and begin separating it from the fat layer. A flexible filet knife will come in handy for areas that are difficult to separate with the fingers alone. Once the rind is removed, placing diamond cuts into this fat layer is what will create rivets that will hold the juicy, flavorful glaze, allowing it to seep and bake into the meat’s surface.
Cloves or no cloves? Plus, an extra tip for using them in your glazed ham!
Here’s another personal choice. Many folks like to put whole cloves between the diamond shaped cuts made in the ham fat. You will get some nice flavor from the cloves, but you don’t want to slice and serve the ham with the cloves. If you do want the extra flavor (and an extra pretty ham to present before slicing) go for the cloves. Just remember to remove them before slicing and serving.
What size ham should you get?
I go for an 8 to 10 pound ham. In my house, you go big or go home! You may have leftovers, but isn’t that what making your own honey-baked ham is all about?
Last but not least: keep your ham drippings—they’re packed with flavor!
Definitely keep the pan drippings from the glaze after you’ve baked your ham–they are delicious to drizzle over the slices before you serve them!
Mary’s Honey Mustard Glazed Ham Recipe
Ingredients
- One 8 to 10 pound ham, rind on, bone-in, and fully cooked
- Whole cloves, optional
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon bourbon, optional
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Arrange the racks so you have room to put the ham in without it touching the top of the oven. Depending on your oven, you may need to remove a rack or two so you have enough room. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Prepare the ham by removing the rind (sometimes referred to as the skin). The goal is to remove the rind but keep all that lovely fat. It’s the fat, combined with the honey glaze, that transforms a simple ham into something extraordinary. Using a sharp knife (preferably a filet knife if you have one), carefully remove the rind, leaving as much fat as possible on the ham.
- Once the rind is trimmed off and the fat is exposed, use your knife to cross-cut a diamond pattern into the fat layer. When you’re scoring the ham, aim for the diamonds to be about one square inch in size. You want to go about ¼ inch deep into the fat cap when scoring. If you’re using whole cloves, now is the time to insert one at each diamond intersection.
- Line a 1-inch deep baking pan or large, 1-inch deep baking dish with heavy duty aluminum foil. It’s important that the pan is at least an inch deep so you can catch the ham drippings as it bakes. Place the ham on the prepared pan. Pour ⅓ cup of water around the base of the ham. Now, cover the entire pan with a piece of heavy-duty foil. Bake for 30 minutes. While the ham is baking, prepare the glaze.
- To start preparing the glaze, heat the butter in a medium-sized pot. Cook on medium-low until it turns golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the brown sugar, honey, mustard, cinnamon, ground cloves, and bourbon, if using. Using a heat proof spatula, stir the mixture until combined. Cook over medium heat for approximately 2 minutes or until the brown sugar has dissolved.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the minced garlic. Simmer for approximately 2 minutes to combine flavors and reduce the glaze. The glaze should have the consistency of honey.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the glaze cool to lukewarm. It’s easier to use if it’s still slightly warm when you put it on the ham. You can always pop the pan back on low heat before you glaze if you need to.
- After the initial 30 minute bake, remove the ham from the oven. Discard the foil and increase the heat to 425 degrees. Using a silicone basting brush, brush the ham with about ⅓ of the glaze, making sure to get into all those diamond cuts. When the oven reaches 425 degrees, place the ham back in the oven. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Remove the ham from the oven. By now there will be some juices in the bottom of the pan. Using the silicone brush, brush some of the drippings back over the ham. Next, brush the ham with another ⅓ of the glaze. Place the ham back in the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the ham from the oven. If the glaze is getting thick, add some of the drippings to thin it out. Brush the remaining glaze over the ham. The fat should now have a golden colored crust.
- Bake the ham for 15 more minutes to set the final glaze. If the ham crust isn’t as golden or as crisp as you’d like, turn on the broiler. Be VERY CAREFUL if you are broiling the ham to brown up the crust. All that sugar can burn pretty fast. Just a couple minutes under the broiler should do the trick. I highly recommend watching the ham the entire time it’s broiling.
- Remove the ham from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.