Chef John’s Honey-Glazed Ham

Description

A great holiday ham glaze needs to have three things: wonderful flavor, gorgeous, shiny appearance, and a crispy, crackling crust you can hear across the room. I’m happy to report this easy-to-make glaze has all those things in abundance.

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup water, or as needed
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 12 whole cloves, or more to taste
  • 1 (7 pound) country-style ham
  • 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. Pour water
  3. star anise
  4. and cloves into the bottom of a roasting pan. Place a roasting rack into the pan over the water
  5. anise
  6. and cloves; place ham on rack. Cut 1/4-inch deep slashes 1/2-inch apart lengthwise and crosswise across the top of the entire ham.
  7. Bake ham in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Whisk brown sugar
  8. honey
  9. mustard
  10. vinegar
  11. black pepper
  12. Worcestershire sauce
  13. and cayenne pepper together in a bowl until glaze has a thick
  14. smooth consistency.
  15. Brush glaze all over ham. Continue baking ham
  16. brushing glaze on every 20 minutes
  17. until glaze is deep golden and ham is heated through
  18. about 2 hours 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C).
  19. Use a kitchen torch to heat the glaze on the ham until it is crispy and caramelized
  20. 2 to 5 minutes.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 2 hrs 35 mins

Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins

Servings: 16

Leave a Comment