Baked Honey Glazed Ham

What Kind of Ham Should I Buy for a Honey Baked Ham?

It's essential to buy a bone-in spiral cut ham to create the most succulently delicious and flavorful baked ham. Bone in ham will help to keep the ham moist and succulent as it cooks and prevents it from drying out, while the thin slices of spiral sliced ham allow for the honey glaze and flavorings to sink right down and absorb into the meat. Bone in spiral ham is preferred to boneless ham for this recipe.

The precut slices on the ham also make carving and serving easy! Carve lengthwise close to the bone, and the deliciously glazed ham slices will easily come off for serving. 

Another great reason to use a spiral but ham is that they are most often found in stores pre-cooked, so all you have to do is flavor it and heat it! Easy and delicious!

How Much Ham Should I Buy?

An 8 lb ham should be enough for about 8-10 servings. It would be best if you estimated that each person would have roughly 3/4 lb each.

I always recommend having extra, though, just in case… but also for the delicious leftovers! 😋

Do you glaze ham before or after cooking?

The answer is both! You first glaze ham before cooking, and then again after cooking. This provides a deep, rich flavor and a beautifully caramelized crust.

How Long Should I Cook or Heat a Precooked Ham?

A precooked 8-10 lb ham should be cooked for about 2 hours 30 minutes in a 350°F oven – this is long enough to allow the meat to soak up the flavors of the glaze, to be heated through and become extra yummy!

How do you make honey glaze thicker?

If you want to thicken your honey glaze, you can add a little cornstarch to it. Just mix together a teaspoon of cornstarch with an equal amount of water and stir it into the glaze. This will help to thicken it up so that it clings better to the ham.

Another optional way to thicken your honey glaze is to cook the glaze separately on the stovetop until it reduces and becomes more concentrated. This will take some time, so keep checking by eye to see if it reaches the thickness that you prefer. Stir it occasionally (not constantly) and cook the glaze over low heat until the glaze thickens and reaches the desired consistency.

Once you have your honey glaze thickened up, simply brush it all over the ham. Be sure to evenly coat the ham so that every bite is full of sweet, sticky goodness! You can then either bake the ham immediately or let it sit for a bit so that the glaze has a chance to set.

How do you cook a ham so it doesn't dry out?

There are a few methods you can use to prevent your ham from drying out while cooking it. The easiest thing is to use a bone in ham as it'll produce moister results than using a boneless ham.

In addition, you can brine the ham in salt water for two hours before cooking it. You can also keep the meat moist and tender by brining the ham in apple cider or pineapple juice. This option is more work and not necessary to the core recipe in this post, but if you want to you can try it.

A less time consuming option is to wrap the ham in foil before baking it and keep it covered while cooking which will help keep the moisture inside. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, remove the ham from the oven and take off the foil covering. Coat the ham with the remaining glaze and cook uncovered for the last 20 minutes.

These further steps to prevent the ham from drying out shouldn't really be necessary as the honey glaze used in the recipe will help stop the ham from becoming super dry.

How to use Leftover Ham

How Long is Leftover Ham Good for?

Can I freeze Honey Glazed Ham leftovers?

Yes, leftover ham stores well in the freezer! 👍
Please be sure to place any leftover ham in a well-sealed and airtight container or baggie for best results before freezing. When properly stored, cooked frozen ham should keep for 3 – 4 months. 

Honey Glazed Ham Recipe Variations

There are so many ways you can change up this recipe to suit your own personal tastes. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Spicier Version – Add cayenne pepper or black pepper to the glaze. You could also try using hot honey instead of regular honey. Topping it all off with spicy mustard will give a hot tang too.

More Savory Ham – Lower the amount of honey and brown sugar from the glaze and mix in a little more Dijon or stone ground mustard. Add some soy sauce, and a little bit of rosemary, sage, and thyme for a more savory ham glaze.

Sweeter Ham – Add a quarter cup or more of maple syrup to the honey glaze if you want to make your ham even sweeter. Add some chopped pineapple or cherries for a fruity sweet glaze. The additional sweetness of the maple syrup will compliment the flavorings of the brown sugar very well. For a different flavor, you can substitute maple syrup for honey or use both!

Pecans – Pecans go super well with both cinnamon and honey which are base ingredients for the glaze. Adding some roughly chopped pecans to your glaze will also give an additional complex texture to your meal.

Pumpkin Pie Spice – You can replace the ginger, cloves and cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice if you like!

Different types of Honey in the Glaze – You can use any variety of honey you like, but here are some tasty variations you can try: Clover Honey, Wildflower Honey, and Orange Blossom Honey.

Chopped Herbs – Rosemary, thyme and sage all would add an aromatic freshness.