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This irresistible, mouthwatering ham glaze recipe couldn’t be easier if we tried! Nothing makes a ham more succulent than a good old fashioned sticky and sweet ham glaze to go on top. All it takes is five little ingredients and one simple step to make my Grandma’s traditional ham glaze.
Psst, if you’re serving this for Easter, you should also bake this Easter bunny cake for the perfect finish to your holiday meal!
SIDE DISH IDEAS
Green Bean Casserole | Cheesy Potato Casserole
Ingredients for This Ham Glaze Recipe
- 1/2 cup apricot jam
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
ADDITIONS + SUBSTITUTIONS
You could also add Dijon mustard and garlic if you’d like to give this a little tangier of a flavor.
You could add pineapple and brown sugar to this recipe instead of apricot jam and honey if you’d like another sweet option.
How to Make an Easy Ham Glaze
STEP ONE: Mix all ingredients until well incorporated and bring to a boil.
PRO TIP: Once it’s boiling, you’re ready for the next step. Don’t overboil or your glaze will become more like a caramel instead of glaze!
STEP TWO: Pour over ham and cook until it’s bubbling.
OPTIONAL: You can also make a double batch of this glaze so guests can add more to their serving.
How to Cook a Ham
Before you can cook your ham, you will need to soak it. This is to remove excess salt from the meat. If you’re buying your ham from a butcher, check with them for how long to soak the ham for, as it will depend on how the ham was cured.
As a rule of thumb, soak a very small joint of ham for 8 hours and up to 24 hours for a large one. Make sure the ham is kept cold during the soaking and the water needs to be changed every 6-8 hours.
Place the soaked ham in a large pan on the stovetop, cover with water and bring to the boil. Skim away any impurities and leave the ham to simmer. You should allow 20 minutes per pound.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Once the ham has boiled, remove it from the pan and leave it to stand for 10-15 minutes before peeling away the skin.
The fat on the ham can be left as it is or scored to create a diamond pattern. Brush the ham with your choice of mustard, demerara sugar or ham glaze.
Bake the ham for 30-40 minutes taking care to baste the ham with juices and the caramelized sugar. When the ham is golden, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 15-30 minutes before carving and serving.
PRO TIP: You can also make slow cooker ham by using a crockpot and use this ham glaze recipe.
How Long to Cook
When cooking ham, the time largely depends on the size of the ham. You don’t want a dry piece of overcooked ham so knowing exactly how long to bake it for is crucial. The following is a guide for ham joints with the whole bone-in weighing 10 – 14 pounds.
- Smoked ham, uncooked – 18 to 20 minutes per pound
- Smoked ham, cooked – 15 to 18 minutes per pound
- Fresh ham, uncooked – 22 to 26 minutes per pound
How to Cut
Meat carving can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before.
To cut your ham, begin by creating a flat surface on the ham. This means cutting off some of the ham from the widest part of the meat. When you rest the ham on its now flat side, you have a more stable piece of meat to cut.
Stick a large fork into the meat as far as you can to stabilize the ham on your chopping board. Use your sharp knife to start cutting the shank end (more pointed than the butt end). Cut thin, vertical slices across the ham all the way down to the bone. When you have cut all your slices, make one horizontal cut that is parallel to the bone to release the slices you’ve made.
Can You Freeze Ham?
If you have leftovers of your ham, you can safely store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you have a whole cooked ham left untouched (unlikely with that delicious ham glaze!), you can store it in the freezer for longer.
- Freezing any meat can affect the texture but it means that you and your family enjoy your glazed ham weeks later.
- Depending on how you intend to eat the ham later, you can cut it up into small portions for soups or casseroles.
- Put the sliced ham in airtight freezer bags with suitable portions of the ham.
Make sure that you label the bags with the date you put them in the freezer. If you want, you can also put the bags in an airtight container for further protection from freezer burn.
Sweet, delicious and so easy to make, this simple, homemade, five-ingredient ham glaze recipe will become a family favorite for years to come!
MORE RECIPES TO TRY…
Corn Casserole | Classic Coleslaw | Glazed Carrots
Ham Glaze Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup apricot jam
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients until well incorporated and bring to a boil.TIP: Once it’s boiling, you’re ready for the next step. Don’t overboil or your glaze will become more like a caramel instead of a glaze!
- Pour over ham and cook until it's bubbling.TIP: You can also make a double batch of this glaze so guests can add more to their serving.
This is my favorite glaze, my husband loves the way it tastes.