Maple-Glazed Ham Recipe: How to Make Maple-Glazed Ham

Maple-glazed ham is a substantially sized cut of ham adorned with a sticky-sweet glaze and smoked, baked, or roasted until crisped and crackling. Baked ham with a brown sugar glaze is a classic main dish for holidays like Christmas and Easter. Swapping the brown sugar in the ham glaze for maple syrup contributes a milder, more mineral sweetness.

Ham is a natural centerpiece. Capitalize on its deep, familiar flavor with these serving suggestions:

1. 1. Enjoy a traditional meal. Serve thick-cut slices of glazed ham with green beans almondine, cheddar mashed potatoes, polenta, roasted broccoli, carrot purée, cranberry sauce, or minted peas for a classic holiday supper.
2. 2. Get smoky. Order a smoked ham if you’re a fan of that deep flavor, which brings out the maple syrup’s natural woodiness. Use this double-smoked ham recipe as a guide.
3. 3. Gussy up your glaze. Add warm spices like ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and nutmeg to the recipe to create a spiced glaze perfect for fall or winter. Try different sweeteners (agave, dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, syrups) or juices (orange juice or apple juice) to create new flavor profiles.
4. 4. Make sandwiches. Using leftover ham is one of the best parts of making a whole glazed ham. Layer thinly sliced ham on rye bread slathered with copious amounts of yellow mustard. Enjoy as-is, or add cheeses, sauerkraut, mayonnaise, pickles, lettuce, or cabbage.

Prepare the glaze while the ham is cooking, so you can glaze your ham while it is still warm. About thirty minutes before your ham finishes cooking, remove it from the oven and brush or baste on the glaze with a pastry brush or baster. Applying the glaze to the ham any earlier in the cooking process can result in a bitter, burnt glaze. When ready, the glaze on the ham should be thick, golden brown, and slightly crispy with a rich, caramelized flavor. Here’s what else to know:

1. 1. Choose the right ham. When purchasing a ham from the butcher or grocery store, ask for at least three-quarters of a pound of ham meat per person. The total cooking time will vary depending on the size of the ham. Choose bone-in rather than boneless ham: The bone insulates the meat, which prevents it from drying out during the slow cooking process.
2. 2. Take the temperature. It can be tricky to tell when your ham has finished cooking, especially with a deep, dark, sticky glaze. Use a thermometer to know when you can safely stop cooking your ham: It should reach 145 degrees Fahrenheit. Learn how to use a meat thermometer to cook food properly.
3. 3. Use the broiler. If you’d prefer a thicker, more coagulated glaze on the outside of your ham, place the smoked ham under a preheated oven broiler after applying the glaze. The glaze should thicken up nicely in two to three minutes.