Looking for the perfect pork recipe to serve this holiday season? Then, you’ll love this Spiral Ham! All you need is a spiral-sliced ham and a few simple ingredients to make this your favorite holiday ham!
Want to make the perfect spiral ham for your next holiday meal?
Our easy recipe shows you exactly how to bake a brown sugar-glazed ham that becomes the star of the table. A gorgeous spiral-cut ham roasted in the oven with a sweet and salty maple glaze is a stunning centerpiece dish no holiday spread should be without.
We share pro tips on selecting a quality spiral ham and provide a simple brown sugar glaze loaded with maple flavor. Then we give easy-to-follow instructions for baking your ham so it turns out juicy, tender, and caramelized to absolute perfection.
Our guide details every step from prepping and glazing your ham all the way to slicing it for serving – but don’t stress there’s not many steps to this easy recipe. Follow our simple recipe, and you’ll impress guests with the most mouthwatering maple spiral ham this holiday season!
Table of Contents
- Want to make the perfect spiral ham for your next holiday meal?
- What Is A Baked Spiral Ham?
- Glazed Spiral Ham Ingredients
- How to Cook a Spiral Ham
- Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
- What to Serve With A Baked Glazed Ham
- Leftovers & Reheating
- MORE HOLIDAY RECIPES
- Spiral Ham Recipe with Brown Sugar Glaze Recipe
- Recipe FAQs
What’s a holiday dinner without a spiral cut ham? Everyone knows that the meat is the centerpiece of a holiday feast, whether you’re making a Spiced Smoked Duck or this Prime Rib Roast Recipe! Now, we’re introducing our Spiral Ham recipe. This holiday ham is perfect for any special occasion, especially Christmas dinner!
What Is A Baked Spiral Ham?
Spiral hams are popular holiday centerpieces because they are simple to prepare and feed a ton of people. They are sold already smoked and pre-sliced, so all you really have to do is reheat it at home. It’s way easier than roasting a turkey or cooking a standing rib roast to medium-rare.
When buying, we look for spiral hams that are just that aren’t packed with preservatives for the best flavor. Because they are already cooked, they will last about a month in the fridge (depending on the best buy date), so you can grab them when they are on sale or even freeze them for later. We love the spiral hams from Costco. They are applewood-smoked for a mild smoke flavor and sold under the Kirkland brand name.
Our Baked Spiral Ham recipe involves grabbing a spiral-cut ham from the store and slathering it in butter in bourbon. Then, we make a sweet glaze out of maple syrup, brown sugar, bourbon, and sage to give it the best flavor. Then, we pop it into the oven, making this recipe the perfect easy method for making a delicious holiday meal.
Glazed Spiral Ham Ingredients
- Spiral Sliced Ham – Look for pre-cooked, pre-cut, bone-in ham. You can usually find these in the meat section of your grocery store, especially around the holidays.
- Butter
- Bourbon – Use your favorite bourbon.
Bourbon Glaze for Spiral Ham
- Maple Syrup
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Bourbon – Use your favorite bourbon.
- Sage Leaves
How to Cook a Spiral Ham
- First off, unwrap the ham and dry it off with paper towels. Let it rest at room temperature for about 45 minutes. Throw away the glaze packet that comes with the ham; you’re going to whip up your own homemade brown sugar glaze.
- Next, preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Grab a baking sheet or roasting pan and line it with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place the ham in the center and fold the foil around it tightly.
- Before completely wrapping the ham, add the butter and bourbon into the foil before folding it up over the top of the ham to wrap it completely. Slide it into the oven for a good 2 to 2.5 hours or until the internal temperature reads at least 140 degrees F with a meat thermometer.
- When it’s out, watch out for steam – it’s hot! Let the ham cool for 15 minutes. While it chills, preheat your oven to broil. In a saucepan, mix up maple syrup, brown sugar, and bourbon. Simmer it down with a sage leaf until it’s reduced by half or the glaze thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.
- Now, brush the brown sugar glaze all over, then toss it back in the oven to broil until it gets that perfect tacky, browned look. Be careful when you take it out.
- Grab a sharp knife, cut through the ham slices, and arrange them on a platter for easy access. Set the bone aside for later. Enjoy!
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
Spiral ham is already cooked so you don’t need to worry about the internal temperature in the same way you would for a rack of pork. However, it’s nice to have the whole ham warmed through when serving, so we suggest using a digital meat thermometer to make sure it’s reached 140°F at the center. Don’t take it much past this temp as it can dry out.
- We cover the bone with foil when broiling to set the homemade glaze. This helps prevent the exposed end from burning while the delicious glaze gets caramelized and tacky.
- Save the ham bone for collard greens, beans, or split pea soup.
- Feel free to garnish with orange slices if you’re feeling fancy.
How do you cut a spiral ham?
- Grab a long, thin meat carving knife.
- Put your spiral ham on a solid cutting board, with the large exposed edge down. If it wobbles, chop a bit off the bottom for a flat base.
- Spot the bone in the middle. It’s your cutting guide.
- Slice from the ham’s smaller edge towards the bottom, run your knife along the edge of the bone down. The bone isn’t a straight line, so you will have to maneuver around it with the blade of your knife.
- Cut along the pre-carved slices, making clean slices along the bone.
- Go all the way around the ham, following those pre-cut lines.
- Once you’re done, gently slice through the meat still attached to the bone.
- Move those slices to a serving platter, arranging them to show off the swirls and your skills.
What to Serve With A Baked Glazed Ham
Serve this delicious ham with your favorite side dishes for the perfect holiday dinner. Some great options include BBQ Glazed Smoked Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Domino Potatoes! We’re a sucker for the combo of classic creamy mac and cheese with ham. You can also start with this Smoked Brie as an appetizer to complement the ham.
Leftovers & Reheating
Store leftover ham in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
Before reheating, make sure your ham comes to room temperature so it cooks evenly if reheating the whole ham. We recommend only reheating as much as you need to avoid overcooking the ham.
To reheat, you have two options:
Oven Method:
- Spread the ham slices on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Add a splash of water or apple juice, then cover the ham with aluminum foil. This traps in the moisture.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F and warm the ham for 10-15 minutes until heated through.
Microwave Method:
- Place the ham slices in a microwave-safe dish.
- Add a splash of water or apple juice, or cover with a damp paper towel.
- Microwave in short bursts, checking in between until it’s warmed through.
- Aim for an internal temperature of about 140 degrees F.
Don’t know what to do with leftover ham? Make an overnight strata for Christmas brunch or Leftover Ham and Gnocchi Skillet! You can also fry up the individual slices for thin ham steaks and grilled ham steaks. Just keep in mind these slices of ham are thinner than ham steaks, so they will dry out and cook faster.
MORE HOLIDAY RECIPES
Poultry Recipes
How to Cook a Turkey in the Oven
Beef Recipes
Prime Rib Roast Recipe
Pork Recipes
Pork Belly Porchetta Roast
Lamb Recipes
Perfect Grilled Rack of Lamb
Perfect for your holiday celebrations, this Spiral Ham is sure to make an entrance. With a luscious brown sugar bourbon glaze and baked to perfection, this delicious ham will become one of your favorite recipes.
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Spiral Ham Recipe with Brown Sugar Glaze
Ingredients
For the Ham
- 8 lbs Spiral sliced ham
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp bourbon
For the Brown Sugar Glaze
- 1/2 cup Maple Syrup
- 2 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbps Bourbon
- 2 Sage leaves
Instructions
Cook the Ham
- Remove the ham from the package and pat dry with paper towels.
- Let the ham sit at room temperature for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
- Arrange 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil on a baking sheet or roasting pan.
- Place the ham in the center of the sheets and fold the foil up around the edges.
- Add the butter and bourbon into the foil before folding it up over the top of the ham to wrap it completely.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake the spiral ham for 2 hours to 2 and a half hours or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the ham from the oven and carefully unwrap it from the foil, being cautious as the steam will be hot.
- Let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to broil.
Make the Glaze
- In a small saucepan, whisk the maple syrup, brown sugar, and bourbon in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Add the sage leaf and let simmer to reduce by half or is thick enough to coat the back of of a spoon.
Baste and Broil
- Brush the sauce all over the surface of the ham.
- Return the unwrapped ham to the oven to broil it under high heat to set the sauce until it’s just tacky and browned.
- Carefully remove from oven.
Carve and Serve
- Carve the ham by slicing down through the spiral slices with a sharp knife on all sides.
- Arrange the spices onto a serving platter.
Notes
- We cover the bone with foil when broiling to set the homemade glaze. This helps prevent the exposed end from burning while the delicious glaze gets caramelized and tacky.
- Save the ham bone for collard greens, beans, or split pea soup.
- Feel free to garnish with orange slices if you’re feeling fancy.
Nutrition
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Save Recipe BookmarkRecipe FAQs
Yes! If your crockpot is large enough, just toss all the ingredients into a crockpot and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or until the internal temperature hits at least 140 degrees F.
Absolutely! We prefer a bone-in ham as we like to save the bone for split pea soup, but you can use boneless if you prefer.
When guessing how much ham you need, a general rule of thumb is a 1/2 pound of ham per guest for bone-in and 1/3 pound for boneless. So, if you’re serving 10 people, you’d choose a 5-pound bone-in ham or a 3-4-pound boneless ham.
