Bourbon Glazed Ham

There is not much, in my opinion, that can be done to improve ham.

I think that ham, like bacon, is pretty much perfect just as is.

However, when the occasion arrises for a holiday dinner, perhaps you want to gussy things up.

I tend to do my gussy-ing with bourbon.

Bourbon Glazed Ham…with honey, molasses, and mustard for good measure.

Easy and oh so tasty.

Here’s what you need:

Bone-in Half Ham*, Bourbon, Molasses, Honey, Whole Grain Mustard

Click here for a Bourbon Glazed Ham Shopping List

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

To make the glaze combine 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 cup molasses in a medium bowl.

Add 1/2 cup of good bourbon,

and 1/4 cup of whole grain mustard and whisk it to combine.

A word of caution: the molasses is very thick so whisk slowly at first to avoid a mess.

*Look for a bone-in half ham sometimes also called a semi-boned ham weighing 5-6 pounds. I think meat always roasts and tastes better on the bone so I would avoid those little composite or boneless hams if possible.

My ham came smoked, fully cooked, and nicely trimmed. You can eat it just as it comes in the package, hot or cold, and it will taste great. But there is always room for a little creativity (and bourbon).

If your ham has a thick layer of fat on it, cut most of it away until only about 1/4 inch remains. Mine came already trimmed so I didn’t have to do that step. With a sharp knife, cut a crisscross pattern in the top of the ham only cutting about 1/4 inch into the meat.

Place the ham in a roasting pan or large shallow dish. If you do not have a non-stick pan, I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE you to line your pan with foil or to use one of those disposable foil pans.

Liberally brush the top and the front of the ham with the glaze.

(Ignore that little piece that I had to tack on to the back with toothpicks. I was covering the back of the bone and kept falling off. I ended up just removing it about halfway through cooking anyway. Snack!)

Bake the ham at 350 degrees for 60-90 minutes depending on size. Baste the ham with the glaze every 15-20 minutes to get a good crusty coating all over the outside of the ham.

You can see in the photo above why I recommend lining your pan with foil.

Since the ham is already fully cooked, we are only baking it to get the flavor of the glaze into the meat, to heat the ham through, and to form the nice crusty glaze on the outside.

Remove the glazed ham from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes to make slicing easier.

Serve hot, cold, or room temperature.

A 6 pound ham serves 6-8 people.You definitely want leftovers for sandwiches because this tasted even better the next day.

And don’t even think about throwing away that ham bone! You can use that to make soup!

Here’s the recipe:

Bourbon Glazed Ham