Baked ham is an impressive main dish for pretty much any holiday feast—Christmas, Easter, even Thanksgiving. It may look intimidating (mainly due its massive size), but it’s actually insanely easy to make: First and foremost, because it’s already cooked, all you’re doing at home is doctoring it to make it better.
Here’s how:
Make an amazing glaze.
Brown sugar + Dijon + apple cider is classic and our go-to combo. Everything gets thrown together in a small saucepan and simmered until reduced by about half.
Baste often.
The sticker and more caramelized it is, the better. To achieve such glossy results, you’ll need to glaze the ham every 10 minutes or so during the last half hour of cooking.
Keep it covered while baking.
You’ll want to throw some foil over the big guy to avoid drying out the meat.
[recipe-video]
Christmas Baked Ham With Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 (10lb) fully cooked whole ham (boneless or bone-in)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups apple cider
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325ºF. Place ham on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan and score diagonally. Cover with foil and bake until warmed throughout, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- During the last 45 minutes of cooking, make glaze: In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together brown sugar, mustard, apple cider vinegar, and apple cider. Simmer until reduced by half, then brush glaze on ham every 10 minutes or so. It's important to do brush more than once just so you achieve the perfect crust.
- Remove ham from oven and let rest 15 minutes, then transfer to a serving platter.
