Glazed Honey Baked Ham

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This is the last blog of 2023. What a year this has been. We have had a fair amount of adversity in our lives this year, but also mixed with many joyous moments, happy occasions, and fun festivities. My new blog website is about to turn 1 year old and I could not be more pleased with the work Kirk VandenBerghe and Darlene Grace Pador did to put this site together. I loved working with you both and thank you for your hard work and creative ideas!

My husband, Jerry, about to dig in!

I usually make lamb for Christmas dinner, but this year I went with my dear husband’s request of ham. That is always what we had growing up in Alstead, NH for Christmas so it was very nostalgic. Ham is not my favorite, but by adding this glaze I think I will rethink the pig!

Glazed Honey Baked Ham is very easy to make and elevates ham to a new level. The glaze mixture I used this time was honey, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, Key Lime juice, Pineapple juice, ground cloves, ginger and a little cinnamon. I also scored and studded the ham with whole cloves.

TO MAKE THE GLAZE:

Mix all of the ingredients in small saucepan and heat over medium heat until well mixed. The glaze will be quite thick, but if it seems too thick, loosen it with a little more pineapple juice.

To score the ham, gently cut through the outer layer of skin being careful not to cut into the meat. Make diagonal cuts in opposite directions to form a diamond pattern. This helps the glaze work itself into the meat making it both tender and tasty.

One half of Honey Glaze going on to the uncooked ham.

Once you have scored the ham, place the ham on its side and pour about 1/2 of the glaze mixture over the uncooked ham. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour in a 325 degree oven. Baste the ham about every 15 minutes.

Last half of glaze going on to the ham after 1 hour of baking.

Using a brush, make sure you get the glaze into every nook and cranny.

Remove the foil. Brush on the remaining glaze. Bake for about 45 minutes more, uncovered, again basting every 15 minutes or so. Serve with the pan drippings.

When the ham comes out, baste one final time.

Jerry is about to carve the beast.

With the ham I made Hasselback Potatoes which are simply potatoes cut through every 1/4 inch and then filled with butter and roasted for about 1 hour 15 minutes at high temp with lots of salt. The butter browns and the potatoes are nutty delicious. We also had some roasted asparagus.

Make sure you don’t cut the potatoes all the way through or they will fall apart when baking. Use butter at room temperature so with your fingers you can gently press the butter all the way to the bottom of each cut. This is a lot of butter, but it is a special occasion!

As you can see on the bottom right potato I cut a little too deeply. But look at that beautiful brown butter!

And for dessert, the traditional Christmas Peppermint Stick Ice Cream with a couple Spiral Butter cookies that I made for my lady friends.

Please do not buy one of those expensive Honey Baked spiral cut hams. The glaze is filled with artificial ingredients, it tastes lousy, and the ham often dries out since it is pre-sliced. You don’t have to wait until next Christmas to try this recipe. It would be perfect for any family Sunday dinner!

WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST FOR A

HAPPY, HEALTHY, FABULOUS 2024!

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Glazed Honey Baked Ham

Easy, elegant and delicious. This glaze takes ham to a whole new level!

Ingredients

• 1 7 1/2 lb. Ham
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. Key Lime juice Or use freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.
• 2 Tbsp. Pineapple Juice
• 1 tsp. Ground cloves
• 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• Whole cloves for studding the ham.

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Score exterior of ham by slicing through the skin being careful not to cut into the meat. Make diagonal slices in opposite directions to create a diamond pattern. Using about 15 whole cloves, push the cloves into the cuts you have just made.
• Mix all glaze ingredients together in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until well combined. If the sauce seems too thick, lighten it with a bit more Pineapple juice.
• Brush 1/2 of the glaze over the uncooked ham. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Baste the ham every 15 minutes with the pan drippings.
• Remove the foil and pour the last half of the Honey Glaze over the ham. Using a pastry brush, push the glaze into every nook and cranny of the ham.
• Bake for another 45 minutes.
• Remove ham from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Serve with the pan drippings.