Description
This Baked Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glaze is a classic, crowd-pleasing holiday dish featuring a juicy, fully cooked spiral-cut ham glazed with a sweet and spiced pineapple-honey mixture. The glaze combines brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and cloves, thickened with cornstarch for the perfect sticky coating, then baked to caramelized perfection. Pineapple slices and maraschino cherries add a lovely decorative touch and extra sweetness.
Ingredients
Scale
Ham and Garnish
- 10-12 pound fully cooked bone-in spiral-cut ham
- 20 oz canned pineapple slices (retain juice)
- Maraschino cherries (optional)
- Toothpicks
- Foil
Glaze
- ¼ cup honey
- ½ cup brown sugar (dark or light)
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Prepare Ham: Remove the ham from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature for about 1 hour to ensure even baking and avoid temperature shock.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the ham.
- Score Ham: If necessary, score the surface of the ham to allow the glaze to penetrate well. This may not be needed if your ham is spiral-sliced.
- Make Glaze Base: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the brown sugar, honey, all of the pineapple juice from the can, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Stir the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes until the sugar has melted completely.
- Thicken Glaze: In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with water to create a slurry. Slowly add this mixture to the saucepan while stirring continuously. Cook until the glaze thickens.
- Glaze Ham: Place the ham on a foil-lined sheet pan or roasting pan. Drizzle the thickened glaze over the ham, using a brush to work the glaze into any cuts or crevices.
- Decorate Ham: Secure pineapple slices and maraschino cherries on the ham's surface using toothpicks for a festive presentation. Tent the ham loosely with foil so the glaze doesn’t stick to it but the ham remains insulated.
- Bake Covered: Bake the ham covered with foil for 1 hour and 30 minutes to heat through and allow flavors to meld.
- Baste and Bake Uncovered: Remove the foil, baste the ham with the remaining glaze, and return it to the oven uncovered. Bake for an additional 30 minutes to caramelize the glaze.
- Rest and Serve: Let the ham rest for at least 20 minutes after baking before slicing. This helps retain juices and makes slicing easier.
Notes
- Bake pre-cooked spiral-sliced bone-in hams for 10 minutes per pound at 325°F.
- For smoked whole bone-in hams (10-14 pounds), bake for 15-18 minutes per pound.
- Fresh whole bone-in uncooked hams (12-16 pounds) require 22-26 minutes per pound.
- Boneless hams should be baked for 10-15 minutes per pound.
- Discard any glaze packet included with pre-cooked hams; the homemade glaze is preferred.
- Scoring spiral-sliced hams is generally unnecessary.
- Do not substitute flour for cornstarch as it tends to form clumps in this glaze.
- Whole cloves can be used for garnish by inserting into the ham with toothpicks if desired.
- Allowing the ham to reach room temperature before baking helps prevent temperature shock and promotes even cooking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 6 oz)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 20 g
- Sodium: 900 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
