Whether it is Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas or just because this bourbon and maple baked ham is an easy and tasty meal fit for the family. Baked to perfection and coated in a sugar and spice crust this is the perfect holiday or Sunday dinner.
Honey baked hams are normally quite popular during special occasions such as Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving. However, maple glazed hams are just as tasty and bring their own unique flavors. My favorite part about this recipe is how easy it is to make. There is less than 20 minutes of active time which is perfect for when you have 800 other things to do for your holiday cooking. Once it is ready to go watch it disappear and your friends and family come back for seconds.
Table of Contents
In this recipe
This recipe comes in three parts, the ham, the sugar crust, and the glaze. All of which don’t take much time to prepare.
Ham: the star of the show and spiral sliced will be better as you can get all of the flavors into the ham and between the slices.
Sugar: this is what gives that wonderful crust around the outside of the ham.
Maple syrup: you will want pure maple syrup, not anything with corn syrup
How long do I cook a spiral sliced ham?
The rule of them when cooking a spiral sliced ham at 350F is 15 minutes per pound. This rule only works when you are reheating a previously cooked ham. Luckily spiral sliced hams tend to already be cooked but it is important to check the ham before you buy it to make sure it has been previously cooked. If not you might find your mealtime ruined because you need your ham to come up to temperature.
Making the sugar crust
Once the ham has been heated and you are ready to add the sugar then transfer it to a sheet pan placing the cut side down again. Then pack half of the sugar onto the outside of the ham. The ham will still be hot so gloves will help you without worrying about burning your hands but you will want to work quickly. Some of the sugar will dissolve and that is what you want. Then it will go back under the broiler for only a couple of minutes. You don’t want the sugar to burn and ruin the flavors of the ham and spices.
How should I reheat leftovers?
I find that the best way to reheat is in the oven. Place the slices of ham on a sheet of aluminum foil and then top with a little of the remaining bourbon syrup. Fold the foil over to make a little packet and then bake at 350F (177C) for 10 minutes. While you can microwave the ham I find that the gentle heating gives a better texture. You can also pan fry the slices one at a time if you are only making a couple. Make sure that they are in one layer when they are in the pan.
Looking for other holiday main course recipes?
Bourbon and Maple Baked Ham
Equipment
- Roasting pan
- Sheet pan
- Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 8 pounds ham spiral sliced
- ½ cup water
Glaze
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons butter melted, unsalted
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Sugar crust
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- ½ teaspoon cumin ground
- ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, 177°C, or gas mark 4.
- In a mixing bowl combine the maple syrup, mustard, and butter. In another bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, ancho chile powder, ginger, and black pepper.½ cup maple syrup, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- In another bowl combine the sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cumin, ancho chile powder, ginger, and black pepper.1 cup sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon ancho chile powder, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ginger
- Place the ham in the roasting pan and pour the glaze over all of the ham making sure that it gets in between each slice. Place the ham cut side down, pour the water in the pan, and cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, roughly 15 minutes per pound.8 pounds ham, ½ cup water
- Once the ham is cooked place it on a sheet pan and pack the sides with half of the sugar mixture.
- Turn the oven to broil, and once hot broil for 2 minutes. Then remove it from the oven.
- Using the drippings from the pan pour it into a saucepan and add the remaining sugar mixture and bourbon. Bring to a boil, if you need more water add some ¼ cup at a time. Drizzle the sauce over the ham.2 tablespoons bourbon
Nutrition
