Who thought making ham using honey would be so simple? It's a guaranteed holiday centerpiece as long as you have the timing, temperature, and this unbelievably delicious spiced, honey glaze right.
THE BEST COPYCAT HONEY-BAKED HAM FOR THE HOLIDAYS
I'll admit that I purchased a good amount of The Honey Baked Ham when I needed a major dish that would be absolutely gorgeous over the holidays. Yet, when I thought back to my Thanksgiving turkey, beef tenderloin, or prime rib recipes, I realized that I had yet to create a recipe for handmade ham. As usual, the process surprised me by being considerably simpler than I anticipated.
This imitation honey-baked ham is flawlessly cooked, sliced, and the sticky sweet glaze tastes just like a "chef's kiss." Hence, if you want to impress someone around Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, I'll teach you how to cook a ham perfectly.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HONEY GLAZE!
Let's first discuss the honey glaze before getting to the ham itself. As this is what will ultimately make or break your ham, let's be honest. But don't worry, there's just the appropriate amount of sticky sweetness in this mixture, along with a lovely mix of spices and even a tinge of citrus. Here is what you require.
- Honey: To properly coat the ham, you'll need a sizable quantity of honey. Also, you are welcome to substitute maple syrup in its place. Yet, then the ham wouldn't be baked in honey, would it?
- Sugar: You can use any granulated sugar in this recipe, including coconut sugar. As coconut sugar is unprocessed and has a faint caramel flavor, it is very delightful in my opinion.
- Orange Juice: Here, it's important to utilize freshly squeezed juice rather than packaged orange juice. This will contribute to the glaze's citrusy, fresh flavor.
- Dijon Mustard: A dash of Dijon mustard gives the dish a mild kick (though it won't taste mustardy) and goes incredibly well with the other components.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground ginger are the four spices I have on hand. spices that will give your kitchen a wonderful, festive aroma!
THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN BUYING HAM
Usually, ready-to-eat ham is preferred over frozen ham. However, if you managed to purchase it in advance, store it in the freezer! Then, one to two days before you intend to cook it, let it defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
When buying ham, keep an eye out for the following words on the packaging labels or ask the butcher.
- Completely prepared (Ready-To-Eat) Cured Ham: I'm all about efficiency when it comes to cooking, especially during the holidays. I'm utilizing pre-cooked ham as a result. Also, this is the variety that you will almost certainly discover in the supermarket!
- Ham with the spiral cut: In keeping with my earlier observation on effectiveness, choosing a spiral-cut ham is essential. It is considerably simpler to pull away absolutely even slices when serving because it has been pre-sliced. Then to let the meat soak up all that gooey, sweet goodness, fan out the pieces and brush the glaze in between.
- Ham with bones: Much like many other forms of meat, hams with bones typically have a better overall flavor and texture. This is because while the beef bakes in the oven, the collagen that surrounds the bone slowly seeps into the meat. Moreover, you can preserve the bone to make stock!
SO, HOW MUCH HAM DO I NEED?
This is the first question that always comes to mind as you're preparing your holiday menu. And as I've said before, having too much is preferable to having too little. Nonetheless, to give you a broad idea, each person will require about 1 over 2 pounds of ham.
I am using an 8 to 10-pound bone-in ham for this recipe. Therefore there will be plenty of leftovers and comfortably 12 servings from this. You know how much I enjoy leftovers!
LET’S MAKE THE BEST HONEY-BAKED HAM
The ham is fully cooked, so the only thing left to do is reheat it while brushing the honey glaze on top. But there are simply a few extra steps added to the procedure so that the ham can absorb the taste of the glaze while the edges caramelize.
Let's start by defrosting your frozen ham. It should be defrosted in the refrigerator over the course of one to two days. 2 hours before cooking, let it sit on the counter to reach room temperature.
- Get the roasting pan ready. Set the oven rack to the bottom position and preheat the oven to 300 °F (150 °C). Next, add 2 cups of water to the roasting pan so that it will cook with more moisture.
- honey, glaze together. The sugar, honey, orange juice, mustard, and spices are combined.
- Bake the ham after glazing it. Bake the ham for 10 to 12 minutes per pound after placing it on the baking sheet, glazing it with ¼ of the honey glaze, and covering it with aluminum foil. You will need to re-glaze every 30 minutes for the next 1 ½ hours.
- The glaze caramelizes. After that period of time is up, turn the oven up to 425°F (220°C), take off the foil, and brush the ham with the leftover glaze. Next, bake it uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it begins to turn somewhat caramelized.
- Chop the ham. After letting the ham rest for a few minutes, slice it into serving-sized pieces with a knife. The lovely spiral ham!
WAYS TO STORE AND USE LEFTOVER HAM
Leftover ham is even better than leftover turkey. The slices can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days when they are sealed in a container. If not, you can store it for up to three months in a freezer-safe container. Here are some fantastic ways to reinvent ham in these dishes once you're ready to dine!
- Breakfast should include meat. Use it in a Western omelet, an egg scramble, or even a breakfast hash after chopping it up into little pieces.
- Included in a salad. Replace the chicken in your next salad with diced ham bits. Make this ultimate ham salad or use it with salads like a Cobb salad for fantastic results!
- Prepare a quick stir fry. Don't overlook using leftover meat in stir-fries! Diced ham, greens, onions, and peas come together to form a quick yet unexpectedly delectable dinner. But, you can substitute any type of vegetable.
- Included in a soup. To prepare this delectable split pea soup, save the bone! But, you may also make lentil or cabbage soup with cubed ham.
SAVORY SIDES TO SERVE WITH HAM
Let's consider all the sides you're going to serve with the main centerpiece now that you have it down.
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Potato Salad
- Broccoli Salad
- Roasted Asparagus
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
HONEY BAKED HAM
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 pound bone-in ham, fully cooked
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ⅔ cup honey
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice (from about one orange)
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Thaw the ham. If the ham is frozen, allow it to thaw in the fridge for 1 to 2 days. Then, remove the ham from the fridge and let it rest on the counter for 2 hours before cooking, to come to room temperature.
- Prep the roasting pan. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Adjust oven rack to lowest position. Pour 2 cups of water into bottom of roasting pan.
- Mix the honey glaze. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, honey, orange juice, mustard, and spices.
- Brush on the glaze and bake the ham. Place the ham on the baking tray, brush ¼ of the honey glaze on top, then cover the ham with aluminum foil and bake for 10 to 12 minutes per pound (for a 9 pound ham, that's about 1 ½ hours). During this 1 ½ hours you'll re-glaze every 30 minutes.
- Caramelize the glaze. After 1 ½ hours, increase the oven temperature to 425°F (220°C), discard the aluminum foil, and brush the remaining ¼ of the glaze all over the ham. Return the ham to the oven and bake uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until shiny, glazed, and slightly caramelized.
- Slice the ham. Let the ham rest for a few minutes before serving, then slice it up by removing the spiral slices from the flat, wider end first.
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