Apple Cider Glazed Ham

Once you make this, you’ll never want to make anything else for a holiday dinner because it’s just so easy. We’re taking a pre-cooked, precut spiral ham, ditching the packet, and making our own glaze out of apple cider, brown sugar, and honey. It bakes up perfectly: caramelized, sweet, and beautiful. I want you to enjoy your holidays, not be stressed out hovering over your oven. We make this every Christmas and Easter and I hope you will too.

Because we’re starting with an 8-pound ham, you are practically guaranteed to have leftovers, which is the best gift you can give your future self. I love slicing up the extras for quick sandwiches, dicing it into breakfast casseroles, or saving it for ham and bean soup.

what You’ll Need

I really recommend using actual heavy duty foil for the best seal.

Ingredients

• 8-pound spiral-sliced, fully cooked ham: Look for “ready to eat” on the label. You can use a bone-in or boneless ham, but spiral-sliced makes serving much easier.
• 1 ½ cups apple cider: Use sweet drinking cider or unfiltered apple juice for the best flavor. Do not use apple cider vinegar.
• ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed: Light or dark brown sugar both work fine here.
• ⅓ cup whole grain mustard: If you prefer a smoother glaze without seeds, you can substitute this with Dijon mustard.
• 1/3 cup honey

Instructions

Mix the Glaze

This is the easiest part, but it makes all the difference. In a medium bowl, you are going to whisk together the apple cider, brown sugar, honey, and that grainy mustard.

You want to keep whisking until the brown sugar has dissolved and the mixture looks relatively smooth.

Position the Ham

Take your ham out of the packaging and discard the glaze packet it came with. (Trust me, ours is better!) Place the ham flat-side down (cut-side down) in your roasting pan. I like doing it this way because it keeps the meat from drying out during the long bake time. Pour that beautiful glaze all over the top.

Use your fingers or a brush to gently separate the spiral slices a little bit as you pour. You want that cider mixture to get between the layers, not just sit on top.

The “Steam” Bake

Now, cover the entire pan tightly with heavy-duty foil. You want a really good seal here because we are essentially steaming the ham to keep it juicy while it warms through. Pop it in the oven.

Since the ham is already fully cooked, we are just bringing it up to temperature gently so it doesn’t get tough.

Glaze and Caramelize

After the initial bake, take the pan out and remove the foil. Be careful of the steam! Carefully tip the ham onto its side. This exposes more surface area to the heat. Put it back in the oven uncovered.

Every 10 minutes or so, open the oven and spoon the liquid from the bottom of the pan over the ham. This is what builds that sticky, golden, caramelized crust that looks so impressive on a platter.

Rest and Serve

Once the ham is golden and heated through, pull it out. This is the hardest part: let it rest for at least 10 minutes. If you cut into it immediately, all those juices will run out onto the cutting board instead of staying in the meat.

Once it has rested, move it to your platter, drizzle it with whatever syrup is left in the pan, and serve.

Storage Instructions

Leftovers are the best part of this meal. Store the carved slices in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. If you used a bone-in ham, that bone is liquid gold. Wrap it in foil or toss it in a zip-top bag and keep it in the fridge (or freezer). It is the perfect base for a pot of split pea or potato soup later in the week.

Freezing: Ham freezes beautifully and is a great way to “bank” easy meals for later. It keeps very well for 3-4 months .I like to portion the slices into meal-sized batches (enough for one family dinner or a few sandwiches) and place them in freezer-safe bags. Squeeze as much air out as possible. You can also dice it ahead of time and later mix into ham mac and cheese or ham and potato casserole.

Serving Ideas

simple Variations

Because this glaze is so simple, it is actually very easy to tweak with a single ingredient without losing the magic.

• If you want a brighter, tangier flavor (or just can’t find good apple cider), swap the apple cider for 100% orange juice.
• If your family likes a “sweet heat” combination, add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes to the glaze mixture.

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