Honey-Glazed Ham (Easter Spiral-Cut Ham with Honey Mustard Glaze)
Honey-glazed ham is the centerpiece of the American Easter table — a fully cooked spiral-cut bone-in ham, slow-warmed under foil and brushed with a sticky lacquer of honey, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard. The bone keeps the meat moist, the spiral cut lets the glaze seep into every slice, and a final blast under the broiler gives the signature caramel crust. Serves twelve, makes great sandwiches the next day, and the leftover bone goes into split pea soup. The technique is forgiving: low oven, foil tent, glaze in the last 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 kgbone-in spiral-cut ham
- 250 mlapple cider
- 320 glight brown sugar
- 240 ghoney
- 75 gDijon mustard
- 30 gunsalted butter
- 30 mlapple cider vinegar
- 1 pinchground cloves
- ½ tspground cinnamon
Method
- Take the ham out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking to take the chill off — a cold ham heats unevenly. Heat the oven to 160°C (325°F) with the rack in the lower-middle position. Line a large roasting pan with two long sheets of foil that overhang on every side. Place the ham flat-side down in the pan and pour the apple cider into the pan around it. The cider creates steam that keeps the meat moist.
- Wrap the foil up and over the ham, sealing the seams tightly. Bake covered for 1 hour 30 minutes — about 12 minutes per 450 g. The ham is already fully cooked, so you are only warming it through to 60°C (140°F) internal. The foil tent is critical: without it the surface dries out before the centre warms up.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard, butter, apple cider vinegar, ground cloves, and cinnamon in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is smooth and glossy — about 3 to 4 minutes. Do not boil hard or simmer long: oversimmering turns the glaze into a hard caramel that will not spread. Pull off the heat at the consistency of warm honey.
- After 1 hour 30 minutes, take the ham out and carefully open the foil — watch the steam. Brush about one third of the warm glaze over the ham, working it into the cuts between the spiral slices with a pastry brush. Leave the foil open and return the ham to the oven uncovered.
- After 15 minutes, brush on another third of the glaze, again pushing it into the spirals. The surface should look glossy and amber. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part, away from the bone — you are aiming for 60°C (140°F).
- Brush on the remaining glaze 15 minutes later. Continue baking until the internal temperature hits 60°C — usually 30 to 35 minutes total uncovered for a 4 kg ham. The glaze should look deep mahogany and slightly bubbly at the edges.
- For the signature lacquered crust, switch the oven to broil/grill and watch closely for 2 to 3 minutes — the sugar burns fast. Turn the pan halfway if your broiler heats unevenly. Pull as soon as deep caramel patches form on the high points of the slices.
- Transfer the ham to a board and rest 15 minutes loosely tented with foil. Skip this and the juices run out at the first cut. To carve, slide a long knife around the bone to release the spiral slices — they fan out naturally. Spoon the pan juices, mixed with any remaining glaze, over the slices to serve.
FAQ
The main culprit is too high an oven temperature or roasting uncovered from the start. A spiral-cut ham is already fully cooked at the store — you are only warming it through to 60°C (140°F) internal. Bake at 160°C (325°F), tightly wrapped in foil, and only open the foil for the final 30 minutes when you apply the glaze. Pour a cup of apple cider or water into the pan to create steam. If the ham has already dried out, slice it and serve with warmed pan juices and glaze poured over — the sauce rescues the texture.
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Comments (1)
I've tested six glaze recipes over the years and this one wins because of the vinegar — it cuts through the sweetness and keeps the glaze from becoming candy. Baste every 15 minutes during the last hour, no shortcuts. The pan juices mixed with the drippings make a sauce that's almost better than the ham itself.