Easter Ham
intro
Juicy, tender bone-in ham coated in sweet-tangy brown sugar-mustard glaze, the timeless, showstopping centerpiece for warm Easter family gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat your oven to 165°C (325°F). Remove the 3kg bone-in fully cooked smoked ham from its packaging, pat it completely dry with paper towels, and trim any thick outer skin, leaving an even 6mm (1/4 inch) layer of fat across the surface. Set the ham flat-side down on a wire rack placed inside a large roasting pan, then pour 240ml (1 cup) of water into the bottom of the pan to prevent drippings from burning during baking.
Use a sharp paring knife to score the exposed fat layer in a 2.5cm (1 inch) crisscross diamond pattern, taking care to cut only through the fat and not into the meat below (to retain juiciness). Press one whole clove into the center of each diamond cut across the entire ham surface, then tightly cover the roasting pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimping the edges firmly to trap steam inside.
Place the sealed roasting pan in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 49°C (120°F) when checked with an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part, avoiding contact with the bone. Use this baking time to prepare the glaze.
While the ham bakes, combine 200g packed light brown sugar, 60ml Dijon mustard, 28g melted unsalted butter, 30ml apple cider vinegar, 120ml pineapple juice, and 1 tsp ground cinnamon in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until the sugar fully dissolves and the glaze comes to a gentle, low simmer, then reduce heat to the lowest setting to keep the glaze warm until needed.
After the initial 1 hour 15 minute bake, carefully remove the pan from the oven, peel off the aluminum foil, and increase the oven temperature to 220°C (425°F). Brush 1/3 of the warm glaze evenly over the entire ham surface, then return the pan to the oven uncovered. Bake for 30 additional minutes, brushing another 1/3 of the glaze over the ham every 10 minutes, until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 60°C (140°F) and the glaze is sticky, deep golden, and caramelized.
Transfer the finished ham to a sturdy cutting board, and tent it loosely with a fresh sheet of aluminum foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes to allow juices to redistribute through the meat, then pluck out and discard all the whole cloves from the surface. Carve the ham into 6mm (1/4 inch) thick slices, and drizzle with the remaining warm glaze before serving.
Tips
2.If the glaze begins to darken too quickly or burn during the high-heat final baking stage, cover the ham’s edges with small strips of aluminum foil to protect the caramelized surface without trapping excess steam.
3.Nearly all store-bought hams sold for Easter are pre-cooked and smoked, so you only need to heat them to a safe serving temperature of 60°C (140°F). Cooking past this temperature will dry out the meat, even when covered.
OMG this ham was the star of our Easter dinner last Sunday! The glaze is so perfectly sweet and sticky, not too cloying at all. My kids went back for seconds and even thirds, my mother-in-law asked for the recipe before she left! SO easy to throw together too, I was stressed about hosting but this came out perfect with zero fuss.
Game changer! I usually mess up holiday hams by either overcooking them or making a glaze that’s way too mustard-heavy, but this recipe was foolproof. Cook time was spot on for my 8lb bone-in ham, the glaze had that perfect balance of sweet and tangy. Brought the leftovers to my work potluck yesterday and people were begging for the link.
I was nervous to make ham for our extended family Easter since I usually stick to meal prep chicken and veggies, but the easy difficulty rating sold me. Y’all. This was SO good. I prepped the glaze the night before and it took 10 minutes to get it in the oven, no fancy ingredients needed. My only note is I basted every 20 minutes instead of 30 and got that perfect crispy caramelized edge everyone fights over.
Made this for our church Easter potluck and it was gone in 15 minutes flat! The glaze is so much better than the store-bought glaze packets that taste like straight corn syrup. I added a tiny pinch of cayenne like I do with all my sweet glazes and it gave it the best little subtle kick, no one could put their finger on what made it so good. Will absolutely be making this for Christmas too!
Wait this is way easier than my grandma’s old ham recipe that required like 10 ingredients and constant babysitting. Tried it for our small family dinner this past weekend and even my grandma (who never likes anyone else’s cooking) said it was “pretty darn good”. High praise from her, trust me. The only change I made was using maple syrup instead of honey because I ran out, still turned out amazing.
I’ve made a lot of hams in my 72 years, and this one is top 3 for sure. Cook time was perfect, no dry spots at all even with the cut I got from the local butcher. The glaze is simple but doesn’t skimp on flavor. I served it with scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus, just a classic Easter spread. My grandkids kept dipping their ham pieces in the extra glaze that pooled on the platter, lol.
Made this for my roommates’ Easter potluck since I was the only one who knew how to turn on the oven, lmao. Turned out way better than I thought it would! I used a pre-spiral cut ham from the grocery store and followed the recipe exactly, everyone thought I spent hours on it. 10/10, will make again for next year.
My kids loved it! They usually turn their noses up at ham unless it’s covered in cheese, but they ate every bite of this and asked if we could have it for their birthday dinners too. The only tiny issue was my glaze got a little burnt on the bottom of the pan, but that was my fault for not checking the oven temp sooner. Still tasted amazing!
I was looking for a holiday ham recipe that wasn’t loaded with a million grams of added sugar, and this one was perfect! I cut the brown sugar by a third and used a sugar-free honey substitute, and it still had that great glazed flavor without being overly sweet. Fit perfectly into my family’s lower-sugar meal plan, no one even noticed the swaps.
Wait why did I ever buy those expensive honey glazed hams from the fancy butcher shop? This tastes exactly the same if not better for a fraction of the cost. Total game changer for holiday cooking on a budget. I made this for 10 people and spent less than $25 total on the ham and glaze ingredients, can’t beat that.
Made this after our annual Easter hike with a group of friends, it was the perfect post-hike feast. We cooked it on our pellet grill instead of the oven (325 degrees, same cook time) and it had that amazing subtle smoky flavor that paired so well with the sweet glaze. Will be making this on all our future group camping trips too!
This was the first ham I’ve made since moving down to Florida full time, and it didn’t disappoint! I was worried the humidity would mess with the glaze setting, but it got nice and sticky just like the photos. Served it with pineapple coleslaw and coconut rolls for a little tropical twist on Easter dinner, everyone loved it.
Full transparency: I burned the first batch of glaze because I got distracted watching the March Madness games, lol. Made a second batch, kept a closer eye on it, and the ham still turned out incredible. Super forgiving recipe even for people like me who get easily distracted during holiday cooking. Total lifesaver for a casual holiday.
SO good! I didn’t even save this for Easter, I made it for a random Sunday family dinner because we were all craving comfort food. The leftovers lasted us 3 days for sandwiches, omelets, and even a quick ham and potato soup. Way too easy to only make once a year, this is going into our regular dinner rotation.
First holiday meal we made as a married couple! We were so nervous to cook for our parents for Easter, but this recipe made us look like total pros. The ham was juicy, the glaze was perfectly balanced, and both sets of parents were raving. Already bookmarked this for next year, 10/10.
I bring a protein to every neighborhood potluck, and this ham got more compliments than the brisket I smoked for 12 hours last summer. Insane. Everyone was asking if I ordered it from a fancy catering company, I didn’t have the heart to tell them it was a super easy recipe I found online. 😂
So happy this recipe is naturally gluten free! I’ve had so many holiday ham recipes that call for weird fillers or soy sauce with wheat in the glaze, but this one uses simple, GF ingredients without any modifications needed. Safe for my whole family with celiac to eat, no cross-contamination stress. Perfect!
This was a really solid glazed ham, don’t get me wrong, but I wish the glaze had a little more mustard kick to it. I added an extra tablespoon of dijon when I made it and that fixed it for me, but as written it’s a little too sweet for my taste. Still, super easy to make and the ham came out juicy with zero dry spots, I’ll definitely make it again just with extra mustard next time.