Recipe video above. It's truly incredible how such a simple Brown Sugar Ham Glaze can transform into the most incredibly sticky, caramelised ham! See Notes for handy make ahead tips.New to glazed ham? Start here -> How to Make Glazed Ham. Want to try my signature clove studded Maple Glazed Ham?Here it is!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr30 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr45 minutesmins
Course: Christmas, Mains
Keyword: Christmas Ham, Ham Glaze
Servings: 20- 20 people
Calories: 503cal
Author: Nagi
Ingredients
4-6 kg / 8-12 lb bone in ham, rind and fat on(Note 1)
Preheat oven to 160C / 320F (standard) or 140C / 285F (fan). Arrange shelf in lower third so the ham will be sitting in the centre of the oven (not right at the top of the oven, this causes more uneven cooking on surface).
Remove rind & scoring:
Remove the rind (skin) of the ham, ensuring you leave the fat on (Note 5 for steps, photos in post and video above)
Scoring - Cut 2.5cm / 1" diamonds into the fat (don't cut into flesh).
Brown Sugar Ham Glaze:
Place brown sugar, honey, mustard, cider vinegar, pepper and Spices into saucepan over medium high heat. Simmer and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Baste & Cook:
Place rack in a baking pan and place ham on rack.
Baste all over with the glaze (except the handle), including underside and the cut face. Reserve remaining glaze for basting.
Bake for 1.5 hours, basting every 20 minutes with reserved glaze (Note 6) and pan juices, until caramelised and the internal temperature is 60C/140F. (Note 7)
Stick bits of foil on parts that are browning too quickly, and you can even lower the oven temp. (Note 8)
Rest ham for 15 to 30 minutes+, basting generously with the pan drippings - use it like paint to make your ham beautifully bronzed all over with a thick glaze. (Note 9)
Sauce (Note 10):
Whisk water into pan juices until it's a thick honey-like pouring consistency.
Presentation & Serving:
Wrap handle with baking paper, secure in place with ribbon. Stick in rosemary sprigs.
Place ham on table as centrepiece with Sauce on the side. Lovely served warm or at room temp!
Once everyone has oohed and aahed over it, nominate someone to be the Ham Carver! Slice thinly and serve with sauce.
Leftover Ham:
Leftovers: See list in post for recipe using leftover ham and ham bone!
Storing: Will keep for at least a week in the fridge if properly stored using a water-vinegar soaked ham bag or pillowcase. Otherwise freeze - don't forget the bone! See How to Store Glazed Ham for directions.
Notes
1. Ham - Read in post for my recommendations for ham type. Most important is that it's ready to eat (ie do not use raw ham eg gammon) and has the skin and fat on. Bone in is strongly recommended for juicier ham.Scale recipe - Recipe will work for whole ham leg as well - click on Servings and slide to scale up ingredients. Should be about the same cook time (go by colour). There is plenty of glaze.2. Water - can sub with dry white wine or even OJ, cranberry juice or apple juice. I usually use water.3. Vinegar - can be substituted with white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, rice vinegar, or other vinegar that's not quite as harsh as normal white vinegar. If using normal white vinegar - use 2 tbsp.4. Spices - feel free to sub with flavourings of choice. Just add and taste until it's the flavour you want! All Spice can be switched with nutmeg, mustard powder can be skipped. Ginger is also a nice holiday flavour.5. Remove rind - Video and photos in post are helpful! a) Cut through skin at the top of the bone handle and down each side of the ham. b) Run tip of small knife between the ham rind and fat. c) Slip fingers under rind, then run fingers back and forth while pulling skin back. Keep on as much fat as you can! Once halfway through, should be able to pull rind off. d) Flip ham and remove rind from underside.Also read in post about option to trim back the fat a bit. Minimum fat requirement is 0.5cm / 1/5" in order to achieve that beautiful glazed look!6. Basting - As the brown sugar ham glaze cools, it thickens so it sticks better to the ham as you baste during the cook time. Be generous and slather it on thickly - aim to use it all by the end of the cook time.7. Internal temp - Ham is already cooked and ready for eating, so glazed hams are really about extra flavour + glazing. But it is best practice to ensure the internal temp of the ham is 60C/140F as this is the temperature at which any bacteria inside is killed. 8. Foil patches - Use bits of foil to cover bits browning too quickly. It will stick to the glaze. Peel off carefully. If you accidentally strip off the caramelised surface, don't worry - just "paint" over it with the pan juices!9. Basting while resting - pan juices thicken which allows you to glaze the ham generously. I use it like paint - to get an even colour all over and a thick glaze!10. Sauce: It thickens as it cools so get the consistency right at the temperature you are serving it (both warm and room temp is lovely). Flavour is super intense so don't fret about losing flavour by adding water.11. Servings - Allow for 200 - 300g / 7 - 10 oz bone-in ham weight per person. So a 5 kg / 10 lb bone in ham will serve 15 - 20 people. The bone + decent amount of meat (for leftover ham bone recipe) is about 1 - 1.25 kg / 2 - 2.5 lb in a 5 kg / 10 lb ham. Of course, if you have TONS of other dishes, one ham will go further! If I have a turkey as well, then I use 1 x 5 kg / 10 lb ham for 25 - 30 people. Quick links:Garlic Herb Slow Cooker Turkey Breast,Roast Turkey Breast with Garlic Butter, Juicy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy. 12. Make Ahead - Two ways: a) Prep ahead - Prep the ham and make the glaze up to 2 days ahead. Then baste and cook on the day (glaze may need reheating to loosen); OR b) Bake the ham ahead. Then on the day of, reheat the ham either in your slow cooker followed by oven to resurrect the glaze or loosely covered with foil in the oven. Baste loads with preserved juices - this is the most important part. It will look as good as new - I've done this plenty of times, also I gift cooked hams and give jars of the pan juices for basting / serving!13. Nutrition assumes all sauce is consumed which it probably won't be.