Golden Glazed Ham

Golden glazed ham is a baked spiral-cut ham with a caramelized brown sugar and mustard glaze that forms a sticky, sweet-savory crust. The ham cooks gently in the oven while the glaze caramelizes, keeping the meat moist inside while the outside turns deep golden. The trick is basting often so the glaze sets in layers instead of sliding off.

Ingredients for Golden Glazed Ham

Spiral-cut ham is the base and needs gentle heat to stay juicy. Brown sugar and honey create the sticky glaze that browns and caramelizes. Dijon mustard brings tang and helps the glaze cling to the meat. Butter adds richness and helps the glaze coat evenly. Pineapple juice keeps the ham moist and adds subtle sweetness. Cloves give warmth and a classic ham flavor. Water thins the glaze to the right consistency for basting.

Why This Golden Glazed Ham Works

Spiral-cut ham is already cooked, so you are really heating it through and building flavor with the glaze. Low, gentle heat prevents the outside from drying out while you baste. Basting every 20 minutes or so keeps the glaze from hardening and adds layer after layer of caramelized coating.

The glaze itself matters: brown sugar and honey caramelize and darken as the ham bakes, turning sticky and deep gold. Mustard prevents the glaze from being one-note sweet and helps it grip the scored surface. Butter melts into the glaze and carries all the flavors into the meat where the knife cuts.

Pineapple juice keeps the interior moist because it penetrates the ham as it bakes, while the exterior gets the crispy, glazed crust you want. Cloves pushed into the scores add flavor from the inside out.

Mistakes To Avoid

Skipping the foil tent early on. If you bake the ham uncovered the whole time, the glaze burns before the inside heats through and the exterior dries out. You end with a dark, bitter crust instead of a glossy golden one.

Not basting often enough. The glaze dries out and hardens into a thin shell that flakes off when you slice. Frequent basting keeps it sticky and builds up that caramelized coating that sticks to the meat.

Using too much glaze at once. If you dump all the glaze on at the start, it pools in the pan instead of coating the ham. Baste in small amounts so it adheres to the surface and doesn’t run off.

Slicing before resting. If you carve right out of the oven, the juices run onto the platter instead of staying in the meat. Fifteen minutes of rest lets the fibers relax and hold the liquid in.

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Ingredients

• 1 spiral-cut ham, 8 to 10 pounds, skin removed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 20 to 24 whole cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325°F (163°C). Place ham skin-side down on a rack in a roasting pan.
2. Score the surface in a crosshatch pattern, cutting about 1/4 inch deep through the fat but not into the meat.
3. Insert one clove into the center of each diamond. Mix brown sugar, honey, mustard, butter, pineapple juice, water, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
4. Pour half the glaze over the ham. Cover the pan loosely with foil, tent-style so it does not touch the meat.
5. Bake 60 minutes covered. Remove foil and baste the ham with the pan drippings plus 2 tablespoons of the remaining glaze.
6. Continue baking uncovered, basting every 20 minutes with pan drippings and glaze, for 60 to 90 minutes, until the surface is deep golden and sticky and the thickest part of the ham reads 140°F (60°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
7. Remove the ham from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before carving.
8. Slice along the spiral cuts or carve into thick steaks. Serve warm with the pan drippings spooned over.