Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

Brown sugar-glazed spiral ham is a delicious and easy main course that's perfect for holidays and gatherings. This recipe uses a precooked spiral ham that's topped with a simple homemade glaze of honey, brown sugar, coarse Dijon, orange, and cloves.

Spiral ham is one of the easiest main courses you can make for a holiday.  

It's already cooked and often comes with its own prepackaged glaze making it almost foolproof.

We think our brown sugar glazed spiral ham recipe is better though, since you make the glaze yourself, and homemade is always better!

This honey spiral ham is perfect for holidays and gatherings alongside your favorite sides, like roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots, maple-glazed carrots, and scalloped potatoes.

How to make brown sugar glazed spiral ham

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Preheat the oven to 325f and set the rack to the middle level.  Prepare a 7-10 pound precooked spiral ham by removing the plastic button or disc from the bottom and placing it flat-side down in a large baking dish or roasting pan.  Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the ham taking care to not place it touching the bone.  

2. Cover the spiral ham tightly with foil and bake for 12-15 minutes per pound, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 140f (about 90 minutes).
3. While the ham is baking, prepare the glaze.  To a saucepan add 3 tablespoons of coarse-grain Dijon mustard, ¾ cup of orange juice, 1 cup of packed brown sugar, ½ cup of honey, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon of ground cloves and bring the mixture to a boi.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer.  If the glaze is too thin, combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water to make a slurry and add to the glaze, stirring until thickened.  

4. Turn off the heat and allow the glaze to cool.  Pictured above is the thickened glaze. It will coat a spoon well and have a pretty thick consistency if you used cornstarch.  
5. Once the ham reaches 140f remove it from the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425f.  Remove the foil and use a brush to baste the ham with half of the glaze making sure you get the glaze between all the layers of ham. 

6. Return the glazed ham back to the oven and bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes longer or until the ham has browned and the glaze has caramelized.  Slice the ham and serve on a platter with more of the remaining glaze.  Enjoy!

Top tips

• Spiral ham. Precooked spiral hams usually include a plastic button or dish at the bottom of the ham.  Be sure to remove this before baking.
• The glaze.  The brown sugar honey glaze is easy to make and tastes fantastic.  Be sure to serve some extra on the side for folks to add more once served.  
• Hambone. Don't throw away the bone! The spiral ham bone can be used for soups and stews.  We always use our hambone to make split pea soup the next day.

More holiday roasts

Holidays are a great time for roasted meat.  Here are a few of our favorites!

• Dry-brined turkey breast - easy, juicy, and delicious!
• Stuffed pork loin - with orange, pignoli, garlic, and rosemary.
• Boneless leg of lamb - roasted with rosemary and garlic.

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