Pineapple Cherry Honey Glazed Ham
This recipe is my probably my favorite part of Christmas.
Fully cooked spiraled ham is baked for MANY hours at 325, then the last 30min-1 hour at higher temp, glazing every 10 minutes. Do this until your desired darkness.
Our last 10 lb ham sat in the oven for almost 6 hours. And it was AMAZING. 3 hours was not enough the year before. Luckily, our ham was already pre-cooked, so we just needed some warmth to it, but we were shocked how long it took.
In terms of basting, just getting the ham into the oven under foil is the most important part. I would start this about 4 hours before you are ready to start being involved. We just rinse the ham in water, pat it down with paper towels, and rub it with half a lemon. It is already salted enough, but we add in the cloves (many recipes say 60-100 of them), and pour a full can of (sugar free) gingerale to keep it moist under foil for many hours.
You can add the pineapple rings and cherries in that last 1/2 hour or so, or even earlier if you want them SUPER melted down black and carmelized. It worked out well to wait to add until the last hour for us. We took MUCH longer getting everything else prepped, so our fruit had longer to carmelize under the higher heat for a nice long time. (1-2 hours even).
In the official directions, you start basting in the last half hour. (Ours may have been the last hour+). I would do this when you are ready to be up and prepping everything else Cook down the glaze over the stove, and pull the ham from the oven. Increase the heat to 425, take off the foil, add the pineapples and cherries with toothpicks.
There is also a great ham bone soup recipe to use the the day after this one is done, so dont throw those bones out yet!
The ham will last in your fridge for about 5 days, but any more than that you will want to freeze. To do that, cube or slice what is left, transfer in an airtight freezer-friendly container and freeze up to 2-3 months.
fully cooked ham - bone in (10 lb), 1/2 lb per person
20 oz can whole pineapple rings
60 whole cloves
10 maraschino cherries - stems removed
3/4 cups brown coconut sugar
1 tablepoon dijon mustard
2 cups sugar free lemon lime soda, or ginger ale
¼ cup orange juice
½ cup pineapple juice
½ cup honey
1 teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ - 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons rum, optional
1/2 fresh lemon, squeezed
20 oz can pineapple rings, (drained ½ cup juice, reserved)
tooth picks, to hold the cherries in place
Prepping the Ham
Score the outside of the ham: Using a super sharp knife, cut diagonal lines into the outside of the ham. Be careful not to cut too deep – you just want to score it.
Criss cross cuts: Score the ham in the opposite direction so that the cuts criss cross in a diamond pattern. These cuts will allow the luscious glaze to seep into the ham.
Sprinkle with about 1/2 cup brown sugar (optional).
Stud ham with whole cloves: Place whole cloves all over, directly into the ham.
Attach pineapple and cherries to the ham: Use toothpicks to attach the clove studded pineapple rings to the outside of the ham. Then, use toothpicks to affix a cherry in the center of each pineapple ring.
Bake the ham
Bake ham: Place ham in a roasting pan and add soda to the pan. Cover the ham with foil and bake. Set oven to 325 F, finished when internally reaches 140. (Def use a meat thermometer for this!)
fully cooked: bake for 12-15 minutes per pound
partially cooked: bake for about 20 minutes per pound
While the ham is baking, make the glaze (below), simmer 5 min
In the last 30 min, baste ham every 10 minutes during the last 30 minutes: Use a basting brush (this one is great because it cleans up easy) to coat the ham with the brown sugar ham glaze every time minutes.
Making the Glaze
Add mustard: Add dijon mustard.
Pour in reserved pineapple juice: Pour reserved pineapple juice over the mixture and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil over medium high heat: Cook the sauce until it starts to thicken.
Once finished baking, let the ham rest: When the ham is cooked through, allow it to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing into it.
Remove the pineapples and cherries before slicing: These make a great garnish for presentation.
Remove all of the toothpicks before serving: Don’t forget to carefully remove all of the toothpicks before serving your guests.
Sides and Leftover recipes
Sweet Potato Stacks
