Honey: Use light-colored and mild-tasting honey such as clover honey. Sugar: Works with the honey to sweeten the glaze. Use granulated sugar so the honey flavor can shine. Apricot preserves: Adds multi-dimensional sweetness that compliments the floral honey. I have seen apricot preserves at almost every grocery store so they should be easy to track down. Apple cider vinegar: Cuts through the sweetness with fruity tanginess. Please do NOT substitute with any other vinegar. Dijon mustard: Boasts a tangy, sharp, strong flavor to cut through the sweet glaze. Use more or less to taste. I don’t suggest using yellow deli mustard because it tastes flat but you could use spicy brown mustard or stone ground mustard. Spices: Honey plays well with a number of spices, so I added a hint of ground cinnamon, onion powder, garlic powder, garlic powder, ground sage, dried parsley, ground nutmeg ground ginger, ground cloves, paprika, pepper and ancho chili powder. It’s a lot of seasonings but they do not overwhelm the honey ham glaze – rather they create a mesmerizing tapestry of flavor.
Tools needed for Honey Bake Ham
Seasonings: mix up the flavor profile by mixing up the seasonings! Add more or less of your favorite seasonings or go bold with Cajun seasonings, Jerk seasoning,, Mexican inspired seasonings, etc. Glaze: mix up the flavor profile by swapping the apricot preserves with a different flavor such as pineapple, apple, blackberry, jalapeno etc. You can also try swapping the apple cider vinegar for orange juice or pineapple juice.
Sugar glaze for the Best Ham Recipe
You can just use the honey glaze for your honey glazed ham – and it will be satisfyingly sweet and salty, OR you can also coat the ham in sugar the last few minutes and broil. This extra sugar shell makes the ham, well – sweeter, and creates an even more tantalizing caramelized crust.
I like to use half granulated sugar and half brown sugar for a balanced flavor, but you can use more or less of whatever sugar you prefer.
Both Patrick and I love the Honey Baked Ham both ways – just with glaze – and with glaze and sugar coating – but in the end, the sugar crusted ham is our FAV. Just be aware that the sugar coated ham is on the sweeter side – which we love. If you don’t want it as sweet, you can certainly use less sugar or omit this step completely.
how to make Honey Glaze For Ham
Bring ham to room temperature: Plan on removing your ham from the refrigerator 2-3 hours ahead of time so it can come to room temperature and cook evenly. Don’t make glaze too thick: The glaze is ready when it is the consistency of syrup, just thick enough to stick to the ham. To thin the glaze after it thickens for the second glazing, you can heat over low heat in the same saucepan or microwave it for 30 seconds or until it returns to the consistency of syrup. You can add splash of water to help thin if needed. Don’t overcook: Because the ham is already cooked, it can dry out easily if overcooked. Use your meat thermometer and check your ham right at 10 minutes per pound then as needed to achieve the correct temperature. Better yet, use a digital probe thermometer, and set the desired temperature. Let the ham rest: Do NOT skip the resting period once the spiral ham is pulled from the oven. Letting the pineapple ham rest makes the ham ultra juicy!
What sides are best with this Honey Baked Ham Recipe?
This Honey Baked Ham recipe pairs beautiful with all your favorite sides! It goes with:
Pasta Salads: Creamy Bacon Pea Pasta Salad, BLT Pasta Salad with Lemon Chive Dressing,Strawberry Avocado Pasta Salad, Greek Pasta Salad Green Salads: a big green salad, Spinach Berry Salad,Strawberry Avocado Broccoli Salad, Wedge Salad, Apple Cranberry Salad, Cucumber Tomato Salad, Corn Salad, Strawberry Salad Fruit Salads: Perfect Fruit Salad, Creamy Grape Salad, Pina Colada Fruit Salad, Berry Salad in Honey Mascarpone Dressing, Winter Fruit Salad Breads: Cheesy Pull Apart Pesto Bread, Award Winning Cornbread, Perfect Dinner Rolls, Buttery Breadsticks Potatoes: Company Mashed Potatoes, Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes, Smashed Potatoes, Twice Baked Potatoes, Au Gratin Potatoes, Scalloped Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Pesto Potatoes Classics: Million Dollar Macaroni and Cheese, Slow Cooker Creamed Corn Veggies: Roasted Broccoli, Roasted Broccolini, Roasted Cauliflower, Roasted Carrots, Sauteed Brussels Spouts, Glazed Carrots
sandwiches (Cubano), Monte Cristo or ham and cheese sliders breakfast croissants Cubano quesadillas salad grilled cheese soups breakfast enchiladas breakfast casseroles pasta pasta casseroles like macaroni and cheese cold pasta salad ham and rice casserole rice (like Hawaiian fried rice) scrambled eggs omelettes frittata, quiche or strata potato hash hashbrowns scalloped potatoes Hawaiian pizza or Stromboli substitute ham for ANY RECIPE with chicken!
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