A baked bone in ham with a sweet honey glaze is the perfect show-stopping main course for your next holiday gathering. It's easy to prep and feeds a lot of people at once with minimal prep. This recipe is light on the spices with just a touch of cinnamon, and some orange juice to balance out the honey and brown sugar. After scoring the ham and glazing it twice, you'll be sure to get that delicious caramelized crust that everyone loves!
For the holidays, we usually have our go to recipes like our spatchcocked dry brined turkey, my prime rib 500 rule, and roasted leg of lamb. The easiest to make by far is this baked ham. Most store-bought hams are fully cooked, so you're really just reheating it and adding a simple glaze!
I prefer to use a bone-in ham, which has not been spiral-cut because it retains more of its juices when reheating in the oven. For this recipe, if you have a good meat thermometer, and a little patience, it will help you deliver a fantastic, juicy ham!
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Ingredients & Notes
Ham – Use a non-spiral-cut bone-in ham, butt or shank portion.
Honey and Brown Sugar – Blended together, they create a sweet and balanced glaze.
Orange Juice – Adds a hint of acidity and helps to dissolve the sugar.
Cinnamon – Adds a touch of spice and complexity.
Dijon Mustard – For added depth in flavor.
Instructions
1). Set ham out at room temp for at least 1 hour. Score the ham ½ inch deep, in a crisscross pattern.
2). Place the flat side down on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, and bake in the oven for one hour.
3). Make the glaze, add all ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until mixed and smooth.
4). Remove ham from oven, brush on half of the glaze, making sure to get into the cracks in between each cut, and bake for 30 minutes. Glaze again, and bake for another 30 minutes.
When done, let it rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing! Serve this with a side of delicious and easy rice cooker garlic rice or rice cooker rice pilaf!
Pro Tips
- Line the baking pan with foil to make cleanup easier.
- Make sure to let your ham rest at room temperature for at least an hour, which will help your ham bake more evenly and avoid cold spots inside.
- If your glaze gets too thick in between the first and second glazing, add a tablespoon or two of the ham juices and whisk until smooth.
- Baking the ham at 325 Fahrenheit might take a little longer, but it'll bake the ham more evenly at a more gentle temperature.
- Don't throw away the ham bone! Use it to make a delicious ham bone soup, with white beans and veggies!
Frequently Asked Questions
For bone-in hams, they retain much more of their juices and don't dry out as much as spiral cut hams. Plus, you can use the leftover ham bone for broth and soup!
If your ham has rested at room temperature for an hour, you should cook a bone-in ham for 15-18 minutes per pound at 325 Fahrenheit, to reach an internal temperature of 125 Fahrenheit.
An 8 pound ham will take about 2 hours to 2 hours and 24 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 125 Fahrenheit, depending on your oven.
Bake your packaged, fully cooked ham until it reaches 125 Fahrenheit in the deepest part of the ham, not touching the bone. Most store-bought, prepackaged bone-in hams are already fully cooked, so you're really just warming the ham up. Hillshire Farms recommends to bake a fully cooked ham to at least 120 Fahrenheit.
Figure about ¾ pound per person for a bone-in ham, which will give people leftovers to take home. So a 10 pound bone-in ham will serve about 13-14 people. An 8 pound bone-in ham will serve 10-11 people.
Don't put the glaze on until the last hour and a half of cooking. If you put it on at the beginning, it will likely burn before the internal temperature reaches 125 Fahrenheit.
Scoring the ham before baking helps open up the skin and fat, allowing the glaze to better penetrate the surface and get into the cracks, baking into a sweet and crispy glaze that will have you coming back for more!
More Main Entree Recipes for the Holidays
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Oven Baked Bone In Ham with Honey Glaze
Equipment
- 1 Roasting pan with rack
Ingredients
- 8-10 pound Bone-In Ham (butt or shank portion)
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Set ham out at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 Fahrenheit.
- Score the ham ½ inch deep, in a crisscross pattern. Then place the flat side down on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, and bake in the oven for one hour.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze, add all ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk until mixed and smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Remove ham from oven, brush on half of the glaze, making sure to get into the cracks in between each cut, and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove ham from oven, glaze again, and bake for another 30 minutes.
- At the 2 hour mark, take the ham out and check the temperature – you're looking for at least 125 Fahrenheit in the center of the ham, and make sure the sensor is not touching the bone.
- Once the ham reaches 125 Fahrenheit, remove ham and cover loosely with foil, letting it rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Notes
- If your glaze gets too thick in between the first and second glazing, add a tablespoon or two of the ham juices and whisk until smooth.
- Baking the ham at 325 F might take a little longer, but it'll bake the ham more evenly at a more gentle temperature.
April
So I don't put aluminum foil over the ham before baking?
Kaylie
Nope, no need to.