Easy Glazed Smoked Ham

Easy glazed smoked ham is the no-fuss approach to one of the great holiday centerpieces. A pre-cooked smoked ham does most of the work for you, your job is just to score, season, and warm it through to a glossy mahogany finish. The whole process is about an hour, leaving you time to focus on the sides.

The diamond scoring isn’t just for looks. The crosshatch cuts let the heat penetrate the meat evenly and give the sugar coating more surface area to caramelize against. A light dusting of granulated sugar rubbed into the scored surface melts and re-crystallizes into a thin candy-like glaze as the ham warms.

Trim the skin and most of the fat before scoring, leaving just a thin layer to keep the meat moist. Save those trimmings for cooking black-eyed peas or seasoning collards later, that smoked fat is liquid gold for Southern cooking.

The ham rests 5 to 10 minutes before carving. This is the difference between juicy slices and a dried-out plate. Use a long, thin slicing knife and cut against the grain in slices.

Pro Tips

• Bring the ham to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking, this ensures even warming throughout.
• Bake on a rack in a roasting pan, this lets the heat circulate evenly under the ham and prevents a soggy bottom.
• Save the ham bone for split pea soup or bean dishes, it’s one of the great rendered flavors in cooking.
• A meat thermometer is the foolproof check, the ham is ready when it reaches 140F (60C) internal temperature.

Variations

• Brush with maple syrup and Dijon mustard mixed with brown sugar for a richer, sweeter glaze.
• Stud the scored surface with whole cloves before baking for a classic spiced finish.
• Add a brown sugar and pineapple juice glaze in the last 15 minutes for the retro tropical version.