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Bourbon Ham Glaze

March 20, 2024 by Susie Weinrich 4 Comments

This Bourbon Maple Ham Glaze is the kind of recipe that can completely transform a smoked ham into something that feels special for the Holidays. After years of testing glazes for holiday dinners and family gatherings, this combination has become a go-to because it consistently gets rave reviews.

ham slices glazed with bourbon maple glaze

This Bourbon Maple Ham Glaze cooks down into a sticky and delicious sauce that caramelizes perfectly on a smoked ham. It is made with a good bourbon whiskey, pure maple syrup, a little brown sugar, mustard, garlic, ginger and spices. They all simmer together and then can be brushed onto a smoked ham for extra flavor. You can even make this sauce 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge.

Bourbon Maple Glazed Ham is excellent served with cheesy potatoes, asparagus or green beans, and deviled eggs. Add some rolls and butter and you have a fantastic dinner.

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Maple Bourbon Glaze Ingredients

Bourbon Whiskey: all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. I will 100% forget that in 10 minutes. For this recipe I used a Bulleit Bourbon Whiskey and it worked great. Just use a bourbon whiskey that you would want to drink on the rocks.

Woodford Reserve
Maker’s Mark
Knob Creek

If you don’t have bourbon whiskey in your house or you don’t want to buy a huge bottle for the recipe you can always buy the smaller flask sized bottle or buy a couple airplane sized bottles.

If you don’t want to use alcohol in your ham glaze I will point you to one of these other ham glaze recipes, as this one was specifically tested to use bourbon.

Pure Maple Syrup: what you want to buy is pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup. It will be a lot more expensive than something like Log Cabin Syrup, probably around $9 for a 12 oz bottle. But it is a whole different flavor and texture than pancake syrup. If there is a choice at the store opt for a dark or amber syrup as it will have more flavor than the lighter colored syrups.

bourbon maple glaze ingredients on a table

Brown Sugar: we use a little brown sugar in this recipe so that the maple syrup flavor doesn’t take over the whole sauce. We wanted this to be balanced, not taste like pancakes.

Dijon Mustards: is a VERY common ingredients in ham glazes. It adds a vinegary bite to the glaze and balances the sweetness of the maple syrup and brown sugar.

Garlic: you will be using 3 garlic cloves for this ham glaze. It has a strong garlic flavor that is so delicious.

Ginger: adds an amazing flavor to the glaze. You can add ½ teaspoon or up to 1 teaspoon if you like a little extra ginger kick. You can buy a fresh ginger knob and grate it into a fine zest. Or one of our favorite products are the frozen grated fresh ginger cubes that are in the freezer section of the grocery store. A common brand is Dorot Gardens.

All Spice and Clove: these are two spices we use in just about all our ham glazes. The flavors are absolutely perfect with ham.

Maple Ham Glaze Step by Step Instructions

To make the Bourbon Maple Ham Glaze place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for 1 minute. The reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. It will thicken as it boils. It can be used right away or you can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

You will have a little over 1 cup of glaze, which will be perfect for a 7-10 lb ham. If you have a ham 10 lbs. or more you may want to double the recipe. In the recipe card below simply hover over the servings and move the +/- to 2 servings.

Also, if you want to have extra glaze to serve at the table you will want to double the recipe.

spiral cut smoked ham with glaze cooked in a baking dish

How To Cook A Spiral Cut Ham to use with your Maple Ham Glaze

In depth instruction for cooking, glazing, cutting and serving a 7-10 lb. Spiral Cut Smoked Ham.

Get the Recipe

Start your ham by preheating your oven to 300°F. Place your spiral cut ham, cut side down, in a baking pan. Brush all sides of the ham with ⅓ of your Bourbon Maple Glaze. Add ½ cup water or juice to the bottom of the pan.

Then cover the pan and ham tightly with foil, this ensures your ham doesn’t dry out. Bake at 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.

Remove the foil from the pan. Increase the oven to 400°F. Brush with all of the remaining glaze. Return to the oven, uncovered, for another 20 minutes to caramelize on the outside of the ham.

Take out of the oven and tent the ham with foil for about 10 minutes. Then cut and serve.

VARIATIONS:

Spicy Maple-Bourbon Glaze Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or a small dash of hot sauce
Citrus & Herb Twist Brighten the glaze with fresh orange zest and a little chopped rosemary or thyme.
Smoky BBQ Version Stir in a bit of smoked paprika. This variation is incredible brushed over grilled pork chops or a pork tenderloin.
Maple-Bourbon Chicken Use the glaze on bone-in chicken thighs or legs. Brush it on during the last 10-15 minutes of baking so it caramelizes without burning. For the grill, brush it on over indirect heat after the chicken is cooked through.
Glazed Pork Loin or Chops Swap the ham for a pork loin roast or thick-cut chops.
Bourbon-Maple Salmon Lighten the glaze slightly (use a little less bourbon) and brush it over salmon during the last few minutes of broiling or grilling.
Maple-Bourbon Shrimp Toss large shrimp in a small amount of the glaze and sauté quickly over high heat. It makes an excellent appetizer or quick weeknight dinner.

More Ham Recipes

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Mango Chutney Ham Glaze

March 19, 2024 by Susie Weinrich 2 Comments

This recipe for Mango Chutney Ham Glaze is based on Ina Garten’s Virginia Ham. Her ham recipe serves around 35 people, we wanted a smaller recipe that would be appropriate for a Spiral Cut Ham that is between 7-10 lbs. This Mango Ham Glaze is a delicious balance of tangy mango chutney and sweet brown sugar with a nice amount of garlic and fresh orange. It glazes your ham perfectly and smells amazing while it cooks!

mango chutney ham glaze in a glass measuring cup

Ingredients

Besides the Mango Chutney, this ham glaze is full of simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen:

Mango Chutney, Major Grey Style- it is a slightly sweet, slightly tangy mango style jam or sauce. There are a few places that you may find mango chutney in the grocery store. Possibly in the international foods aisle, or with the condiments. It may also be called Major Grey’s Chutney. If you are having trouble finding it you can also look on Amazon. Some popular brands are Brooklyn Delhi, Patak and Stonewall Kitchen.

Garlic- you will be using 3 garlic cloves for this ham glaze. It has a strong garlic flavor that is so delicious.

Dijon Mustard- is a VERY common ingredients in ham glazes. It adds a vinegary bite to the glaze and balances the sweetness of the brown sugar.

Brown Sugar- adds a sweetness and balances the bite of the mustard and chutney.

ingredients for mango chutney ham glaze on a table

Fresh Orange- you will use the zest and juice of the orange. Make sure you zest the orange first, then squeeze the juice. The orange flavor pairs perfectly with the mango chutney and the smoky saltiness of the ham.

Clove and All Spice- these are two spices we use in just about all our ham glazes. The flavors are absolutely perfect with ham.

Glazing A Spiral Ham

To make the Mango Chutney Ham Glaze place the garlic in a blender or food processor. Blend until minced. Then add all the additional ingredients and puree until smooth. It is ready to use!

How To Cook A Spiral Cut Ham

In depth instruction for cooking, glazing, cutting and serving a 7-10 lb. Spiral Cut Smoked Ham.

Get the recipe →

Make sure you take note of the weight of your ham. This will determine your cooking time; 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.

Start your ham by preheating your oven to 300°F. Place your spiral cut ham, cut side down, in a baking pan. Brush all sides of the ham with ⅓ of your glaze. Add ½ cup water or juice to the bottom of the pan.

Then cover the pan and ham tightly with foil. Bake at 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.

Remove the foil from the pan. Increase the oven to 400°F. Brush with all of the remaining glaze. Return to the oven, uncovered, for another 20-25 minutes to caramelize on the outside of the ham.

Take out of the oven and tent the ham with foil for about 10 minutes. Then cut and serve.

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Orange Marmalade Glaze For Ham

March 18, 2024 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

When you are cooking a Spiral Cut Ham or Whole Ham you can really ramp up the flavor by including a glaze over the outside and between the layers. This Orange Marmalade Glaze is one of our favorites for smoked ham. It starts with store bought marmalade that has those delicious candied orange pieces, mixed with a little orange juice, Dijon mustard, garlic, agave syrup for extra sweetness and spices like clove and all spice.

a marmalade glazed ham in a grey baking pan

This is a great glaze for an Easter Ham or Christmas Ham… or if you are just having a big Sunday Dinner!

Ingredients

Orange Marmalade- this is the main flavor in this ham glaze. It is a sweet orange flavor that pairs perfectly with the smoky, salty ham. Buy a good orange marmalade at the grocery store that has visible pieces of orange in the mixture.

For these photos we had a Whole Foods 365 Brand Orange Marmalade and it was excellent!

Dijon Mustard and Whole Grain Mustard- these are VERY common ingredients in ham glazes. It adds a vinegary bite to the glaze and balances the sweetness.

Ingredients for marmalade ham glaze on a table

Garlic- choose a fresh plump garlic clove for your Orange Marmalade Ham Glaze. The aroma of garlic when the ham is cooking will have your mouth watering! And it adds a perfect flavor with the orange and smokiness of the ham.

Agave Syrup- this is the sugar component we are using for this glaze. Pick a light agave syrup as it will have less flavor than the darker agave. It should say “light” on the packaging.

I usually have agave in my pantry for making tequila cocktails!

Orange Juice- just a store bought orange juice will work great… you can even buy a single serve bottle if you normally don’t drink OJ. The orange flavor pairs perfectly with the marmalade.

Step By Step

This glaze recipe makes a good amount. Enough so that you can:

Use ⅓ of the glaze in the beginning of the cook time.
Then use half of the remaining glaze for the last 20 minutes of the cook time.
Finally you can serve the remaining glaze on the side when serving at the table.

To make the Marmalade Ham Glaze place all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it boils turn the heat to low and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. It is ready to use!

Cooking and Glazing a Ham

If this is your first time making a ham, there is a whole article on Mom’s Dinner sharing how to cook, glaze, cut and serve a spiral cut ham if you want more in depth information.

How To Cook and Glaze a Spiral Cut Ham

Get the recipe →

Make sure you take note of the weight of your ham, this will determine your cook time; 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.

Then cover the pan and ham tightly with foil. Bake at 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.

Remove the foil from the pan. Increase the oven to 400°F. Brush HALF of the remaining glaze over the ham. Return to the oven, uncovered, for another 20-25 minutes.

Take out of the oven and tent the ham with foil for about 10 minutes. Then cut and serve with the remaining glaze on the side.

More Ham Recipes

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Orange Marmalade Ham Glaze Recipe

A really delicious Marmalade Ham Glaze that is perfect for your smoked spiral cut ham or whole ham. Flavors of orange, garlic, and Dijon pair perfectly with the smoky ham.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Servings: cups glaze

Author: Susie Weinrich

Ingredients

Ham

▢ 1 smoked ham - whole ham or spiral cut portion ham

Marmalade Glaze

Instructions

Marmalade Glaze

Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for approximately 20-25 minutes until the mixture is reduced to a syrupy consistency.
Can be made 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge in a covered container.

Glazing and Cooking Ham

PRO TIP: if you need more in depth instructions on cooking a spiral cut ham, pop over to this post.
Preheat your oven to 300°F. Place your spiral cut ham, cut side down, in a baking pan.
Brush all sides of the ham with ⅓ of your glaze. Add ½ cup water or juice to the bottom of the pan.
Cover the pan and ham tightly with foil. Bake at 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.
Remove the foil from the pan. Increase the oven to 400°F. Brush HALF of the remaining glaze over the ham.
Return to the oven, uncovered, for another 20-25 minutes.
Take out of the oven and tent the ham with foil for about 10 minutes.
Then cut and serve with the remaining glaze on the side. (if the glaze is cold, reheat slightly for serving)

Recipe Tips and Notes:

MORE HELPFUL ARTICLES:

How To Cook A Spiral Cut Ham

35+ Leftover Ham Recipes

Easter Menu for 10 People

20+ Easy Meals for House Guests

MORE HAM GLAZE RECIPES:

Mango Chutney Ham Glaze

Bourbon Maple Ham Glaze

Brown Sugar & Mustard Glaze

Did you make this recipe?Connect with me and let me know by commenting below!

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How To Cook A Spiral Cut Ham

March 18, 2024 by Susie Weinrich Leave a Comment

I've made countless bone-in spiral cut hams over the years, especially for Easter and Christmas, and I've perfected the process. From cooking the ham so it stays juicy and full of flavor, to nailing the perfect glaze (I've got 4 great options linked below), this post has everything you need. I am going to share with you how to cook and glaze your Spiral Cut Ham so it comes out perfectly delicious. Plus how to cut the spiral cut ham for serving.

Spiral Cut Ham cooked with a glaze and in a baking pan

One of our favorite spiral cut hams to purchase is the Kirkland Applewood Smoked Spiral Sliced Ham from Costco. If you have a Costco membership, look for the one that comes wrapped in gold foil and is available at Easter and Christmas… possibly Thanksgiving too. (There is a picture further down)

When you buy a Bone-In Spiral Ham at the grocery store or butcher, it comes smoked which means it is fully cooked, and cut around the bone into serving slices. They are generally 7-10 lbs. and will serve anywhere from 10-20 people.

Spiral Cut Smoked Ham is an economical choice over some other popular holiday entrees like prime rib or beef tenderloin. You will pay around $2-$4 per pound for your ham, where as a prime rib or beef tenderloin will be closer to $15-$30 per pound, or more!

How Long To Cook A Spiral Ham

A spiral sliced ham is generally smoked and therefore comes fully cooked when you buy it at the grocery store or butcher. So when we talk about “cooking a smoked ham”, you are really just reheating it for serving.

The very first thing you want to do is take note of the weight of your ham. This will help you determine exactly how long you are going to cook it for.

a gold foil wrapped spiral cut smoked ham from Costco

You will achieve the best outcome for your ham if you cook it “low and slow”. This means that you will cook at a lower temp, 300°F, for about 12 minutes per pound. The ham pictured was 7.92 lbs. So I just multiplied 7.92 x 12 minutes = 95 minutes.

The 95 minutes does not include the time for caramelizing the glaze. That will take an additional 20 minutes at 400°F… you can find all of those directions in the recipe card below.

Cook Temperature for Spiral Cut Ham

It is NOT necessary to reheat a smoked ham to 140°F, as even described on the USDA web site. It would be safe to serve a spiral ham cold! The longer you cook it the more you risk having a very dry ham. Therefore it is our recommendation that you only cook the ham to 110°F-115°F.

How To Cook A Spiral Ham

This is a quick overview of how to cook your spiral ham, for all the detailed instructions and measurements, pop down to the recipe card.

Step 1

Take note of the weight of your ham so you can calculate the cooking time.

Step 2

Unwrap the ham in a roasting pan that can collect any juices. Make sure to remove the plastic disc that covers the bone on the cut side of the ham.

brushing glaze on a ham in a baking dish

Step 3

Place it cut side down and glaze it with about ⅓ of the glaze you are using.

covering a bone in spiral cut smoked ham with foil

Step 4

Cover the whole pan with foil, very tightly. Bake at 300°F for 12 minutes per pound.

Step 5

Then crank up the heat to 400°F, remove the foil from the ham, glaze with about ½ of the remaining glaze. Bake for another 20 minutes.

a pile of spiral cut ham with bourbon maple ham glaze

Step 6

Let the ham cool and then slice and serve!

Glaze Recipes for Spiral Cut Ham

Glazes can be super simple to make. Generally they contain some kind of sugar like brown sugar or agave, a flavor component like fruit, jams, liqueurs, herbs or chutneys, and a savory ingredient like garlic, soy sauce, or Dijon mustard.

Sometimes your ham will also come with a glaze packet that you reconstitute with water or juice. These are definitely okay to use, we just find that they are overly sweet.

Here are a few glaze recipes that would be amazing for your Spiral Cut Ham:

Tips for Cooking a Spiral Ham Perfectly

Take note of the weight of the ham, this will determine your cook time.
Retain the ham juices from the packaging and pour into the roasting pan. Helps keep things moist!
Remove the plastic bone cover from the cut side of the ham before cooking.
Cover the pan tightly with foil to keep your ham from drying out.
The ham is already fully cooked. You are just warming it low and slow.
Totally acceptable to cook the ham to 110°F internal temp.
Don’t over-cook and dry out the ham, 12 minutes per pound at 300°F.
Use a homemade glaze to give your spiral cut smoked ham really delicious flavor.
Plan on ½ pound of bone-in ham per person.

How to Cut and Serve Spiral Cut Ham

The nice thing about a bone-in spiral cut smoked ham is that it is already sliced in serving slices. However they are still attached to the ham as a whole via the bone in the center.

Here is how to cut the ham into serving slices:

Set the ham on it’s side so that the bone is visible. Two large forks will make easy work of moving or turning your ham.
Run a long sharp knife around the bone. This will loosen all the slices.
You can now pull the slices off of the ham, actually they may fall off as you cut.
The ham slices will have natural seams or fat lines, so don’t be alarmed if the slices fall into 2 or 3 pieces each. That actually makes them a more manageable size for serving. (FYI-the really dark pieces on the bottom are the most tender and juicy)
You can leave the slices on the cutting board for people to serve themselves, or plate the slices on a serving platter and take to the table.
Serve additional glaze on the side.

Cooking Spiral Ham: How Much Do I Need?

When you are planning on serving a crowd it can be hard to estimate how much ham you are going to need. With a bone-in spiral sliced ham, take into account the weight of the bone, it is a good idea to plan on ½ lb. per person.

7-8 lb. should serve around 10-16 people.

8-9 lb. should serve around 16-18 people

9-10 lb. should serve around 18-20 people

a spiral ham on a table, garnished with oranges and rosemary

What To Serve with Spiral Cut Smoked Ham

If you are making a whole Spiral Country Ham you will want some comfort food side dishes to enjoy! Our very favorite combo are these Cheesy Potatoes, Green Beans and Deviled Eggs. Add some really good dinner rolls and butter and you are SET!

If you are planning an Easter Dinner, then we have a GREAT post that shares a complete Easter Dinner Menu for 10 People:

Easter Dinner Table with white flowers and candles

Easter Dinner Menu

A complete menu for Easter, from deviled eggs to ham to carrot cake, everything you need with recipes included.

Menu & Recipes

If you are planning on making ham for Christmas Dinner you will want classic Holiday side dishes like:

Storing Leftover Ham

Generally when you are serving ham, you will have leftovers. They make great ham sandwiches or we have plenty of leftover ham recipes available on Mom’s Dinner.

Keep leftover ham in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 5 days. You can reheat to eat or just snack on the cold ham!

You can also freeze leftover ham. It will be good in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight to use.

Also plan to use the ham bone in recipes. It has a TON of flavor and can be used in things like ham and bean soup or green beans with ham. The ham bone can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Leftover Ham Recipes

Most likely you will have some ham leftover after your feast. If anything, you will definitely have a ham bone leftover (don’t toss it!!!). We have a whole post including 35 recipes to use up your leftover ham. Here are some of our faves:

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How To Cook Spiral Ham

EVERYTHING you need to know to make a flavorful and juicy bone-in spiral cut smoked ham. From reheating to cutting and serving, plus a video for 3 ham glazes!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate Save

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Cook time depends on the weight of your ham: 30

Servings: spiral ham

Author: Susie Weinrich