Glazed Smoked Ham Three Ways

A glazed ham is the easy crowd-pleaser of holiday cooking, and the glaze is where you can play. This recipe gives you three classics: a bourbon-spiked honey mustard with grainy bite, a jewel-toned red currant and orange glaze brightened with fresh black pepper, and the old-school brown sugar and clove with melted butter and lemon juice.

The technique is the same across all three. Bring the ham to room temperature first, an hour of baking is wasted if the center is fridge-cold. Then bake naked for the first hour to render some fat, brush on the glaze, and baste every 15 minutes for the final stretch so it builds up in glossy, caramelized layers.

For the clove version, score the ham in a diamond pattern and push whole cloves into the intersections. Those little anchors of warm spice perfume every slice.

Rest 15 minutes before carving. The juices need that time to settle or they’ll all end up on your cutting board.

Pro Tips

• Score the fat cap in a shallow diamond pattern for any glaze, it helps the glaze grip and caramelize.
• The directions list 325 degrees Celsius, which is far too hot, bake at 325°F (163°C).
• Brush glaze in thin coats, not thick puddles, so each layer can set before the next goes on.
• A bone-in ham has more flavor than boneless and rests better.

Variations

• Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the honey-mustard glaze for a sharper edge.
• Swap red currant for fig jam and orange for sherry in the second glaze for a richer fall version.
• Stir a tablespoon of Dijon mustard into the brown sugar glaze to balance the sweetness.