Baked Ham is my kids’ all time favorite meal! They’d pass up a turkey dinner any day of the week (or any holiday) for ham.
This easy baked ham is moist, tender and delicious inside while the outside is brushed with a brown sugar glaze and caramelized for a hint of sweetness. We serve this baked ham for special occasions (like Easter and Christmas) but it’s simple enough to make any time of year!
I’m not going to lie, I love turkey dinner (mostly I just love stuffing) but I’m kind of outnumbered around here because everyone else votes ham. While I make Crock Pot Ham quite frequently since it’s so easy, I have to admit I truly love the roasted flavor that comes from making a deliciously glazed baked ham!
Baking a ham is not hard, you just need to watch the temperature to make sure it heats through without over cooking. Adding a brown sugar glaze to baked ham takes it to the next level without being overly sweet.
How to Bake a Ham
Most of the time when you purchase ham, it’s been smoked which means it’s cooked. Be sure to check the package of your ham to see if it says fully cooked (and it should let you know the temperature to cook your ham to).
A fully cooked ham needs to be cooked to 140°F (basically just to heat it) where as a “cook before eating” ham needs to be cooked to 160°F.
When cooking ham, you’ll want to preheat your oven and place the ham cut side down.
Cover the ham in foil and crimp the foil around your roasting pan (I use a 9×13 pan) to seal it. Brush with the brown sugar ham glaze before it finishes baking.
Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Glaze
Baked ham is moist, tender and delicious inside while the outside is brushed with a brown sugar glaze and caramelized for a hint of sweetness.
ingredients
- ▢1 spiral cut ham with bone-in approx 7-9 pounds
- ▢2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ▢¼ cup pineapple juice or orange juice
brown sugar glaze
- ▢½ cup pineapple juice or orange juice
- ▢½ cup brown sugar
- ▢2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- ▢¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ▢2 teaspoons cornstarch
instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Combine dijon mustard and pineapple juice. Brush over ham.
- If your ham has a plastic disk on the bone, this should be removed and discarded. Place the ham, flat side down in a roasting pan, and cover tightly with foil. Roast 12-15 minutes per pound (or according to package directions).
- Meanwhile, combine glaze ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer 2-3 minutes. Cool.
- 15 minutes before ham is done, remove from the oven and turn the oven up to 425°F.
- Brush with glaze and return to the oven until the glaze is caramelized and the ham has reached the safe cook temperature.
notes
If you purchase a smoked ham, it has been cooked, be sure to check the package to ensure it says it is “fully cooked”. If your ham is fully cooked on the package (as most spiral hams are), it will need to cook to 140°F (basically just to heat it).
5 from 459 votes
nutrition information
Calories: 690 | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 164mg | Sodium: 3200mg | Potassium: 795mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.5mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.