Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham is the perfect juicy centrepiece for your Christmas dinner table! You will love this GLAZE!
The most perfect sticky glaze is slathered all over this juicy, tender, baked Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham, with crisp edges and an incredible flavour.
Don’t even be intimidated by a ham this season with all of the tips and tricks you need right here!
BAKED HAM
More often than not, most times we as a people try baking a ham for Christmas, they end up dried out on the inside without any flavour and a cause for major anxiety before guests arrive. This would have to be the WORST kind of ham.
Take out all the guess work out and find out how to bake a juicy ham with charred crispy edges and a beautiful sticky glaze… right here!
HAM GLAZE
The best glaze for a baked ham contain either honey, brown sugar or maple syrup. The saltiness from the ham and the sweetness for the glaze complement each other so well, that either of those ingredients make for a pretty special glaze.
The glaze I went for is a combination of butter, brown sugar, honey, Dijon mustard (adding a nice tang to the ham) and crushed garlic cloves.
From here you can add in spices like the traditional ground cinnamon and ground cloves, or leave them out. Most recipes call for decorating the ham with whole cloves between each cut. Personally, I didn’t appreciate chewing on the cloves that were wedged in and hidden from sight. However, you can add them if you wish!
HOW TO COOK A HAM
You only need 3 steps to make the perfect, heavenly ham recipe!
- Remove rind –- so easy, you can peel it off!
- Baste ham with a super easy Brown Sugar Ham Glaze
- Bake, basting every 15 minutes!
WHAT IS THE BEST HAM TO BUY?
For ultimate flavour and a juicy result, aim for a fully cooked bone-in ham. The best ham we baked during testing is the half leg pictured (shank end of the leg).
The other type of ‘half leg’ which is the butt end (shaped like a dome) contains part of the hip bone and is harder to carve. It has less meat, although it’s very tender and flavourful.
If you want value for your money, go for the type I have pictured here.
Spiral cut hams seem to be gaining in popularity over in the United States, but unfortunately I can’t comment on them since we don’t have them.
TAKE THE RIND ON OR OFF?
For some reason, this is the most controversial step — taking the rind off. In testing with the rind still on, I found the rind became chewy and gummy as the ham cooled and tough to eat.
Also, the flavours of the glaze stopped at the rind with no flavours seeping into the fleshy part of the ham.
For this reason, I suggest trimming the rind off. Fully cooked ham rind DOES NOT crisp. We tried broiling, baking at high heat and deep frying.
HOW TO REMOVE HAM RIND
When you buy your ham, you’ll notice right underneath the rind there is a gorgeous layer off fat. DON’T trim this away. This fat turns into a beautiful crispy and sticky coating for your glaze and is DIVINE.
To show you, I’ve put together the following EASY steps OR CHECK OUT THE VIDEO BELOW:
- Cut a line through the skin all around the shank end.
- Insert a sharp knife between the rind and fat and run it along to detach both layers.
- Using your fingers, gently separate the rind from the fat. You can insert your hand deeper into the ham to keep detaching it so it’s easier to peel the rind off in Step 4.
- Peel off and discard the rind.
- Run knife cutting into the fat layer about 1/4-inch deep to lightly score diamond pattern all over the surface.
Once your ham is in the oven, get started on your glaze.
TIPS FOR THE BEST HAM GLAZE
My biggest piece of advice is not to simmer the glaze for too long, as you will end up with a hard caramel once it begins to cool, and it’s extremely difficult to slather onto the outside of the ham when glazing. You want to bring it to a gentle simmer and take it off the heat quickly.
I added the pan juices from the ham into the glaze once there were pan juices to use, and WOW! Amazing flavours! My ham wasn’t salty though, so make sure you do some taste testing before adding the juices and add the amount you need to alter the flavour even more.
BASTE
Glaze and baste and baste and glaze and GO NUTS with it. The more the merrier, and ’tis the season, right?
I wish there was smell-ernet happening right about now, because juicy, tender Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham smells just as good as it looks.
The BEST part is slicing through it like butter, and seeing the juices burst out and run down behind each slice. NO DRY HAM OVER HERE!
Happy Holidays everyone!
What side dishes go with ham?
Whether you’re making this for dinner yourself or bringing it to a Holiday gathering, these side dishes will make your crowd even happier!
Garlic Parmesan Scalloped Potatoes
Honey Dijon Apple Bacon Cranberry Salad
Easy Soft Dinner Rolls
Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham Recipe Video
Try our Honey Baked Ham or our Maple Glazed Ham!
Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham
Ingredients
- 8-10 pound (4-5 kg) bone-in fully cooked ham,
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, reduce fat or full fat
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F | 150°C and arrange a rack in the lower third. Remove any plastic packaging or netting from the ham. Trim away the rind and discard. Set the ham aside to rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Line a baking tray or dish with several sheets of aluminium foil or parchment paper if you prefer (it will make cleanup a lot easier).
- Remove the rind or skin of the ham (refer to steps in post), ensuring you leave the fat on. Using a sharp knife score a 1-inch-wide diamond pattern (don’t cut more than 1/4 inch deep) over the entire ham. Place the ham in the baking tray; pour 1/3 cup of water into the base of the pan and cover the ham with two pieces of foil or parchment paper and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small pot or saucepan over medium heat until golden browned. Add in the brown sugar, honey, mustard, cinnamon and cloves, stirring to mix together well until the brown sugar has completely dissolved, (about 2 minutes).
- Reduce heat to low and add in the garlic. Allow it to become fragrant, cooking for a further minute or two until the glaze just begins to simmer, then set it aside and let cool to lukewarm (the glaze should be the consistency of room-temperature honey).
- After 30 minutes baking time, carefully remove the ham from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425°F | 220°C. Discard the foil or parchment paper and pour 1/3 of the glaze all over the ham, brushing in between the cuts to evenly cover. Return to the oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, brush with another third of the glaze and some of the pan juices, and repeat again after 15 minutes more minutes of baking until a dark golden-brown crust has formed, (about 30 minutes total). For added depth of flavour, mix some of the ham pan juices together with the glaze in the pot which will help keep it runny enough for brushing. If your crust is still pink after there suggested baking time, turn on your broiler (or oven grill), and allow it to broil for 2-5 minutes, while keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn from the sugar.
- Let the ham rest 10-20 minutes before slicing.
Emily T. says
This recipe SAVED my Christmas. My first time ever making a ham this year for my fiance and little brothers while our mom was in the hospital through the holidays, and this recipe was on point. I have a little more faith in my cooking abilities now 😉 This ham truly was fantastic. I was looking for something a little more special than those basic pineapple & brown sugar hams I’d had growing up, and this was just what I was looking for. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Mary Lynn says
Made this for Christmas dinner. I have eaten plenty of ham, but only made one once before in a slow cooker. It was dry and flavorless. This ham was easy to make and tasted amazing. The glaze was delicious. The garlic added an unexpected depth of flavor and when it baked, a nice crispy texture. Will definitely do it again!
Hungry Hippo says
Instead of water I use a can of regular coke and add a tablespoon of soy. The final result is an amazing ham.
Jeannie says
Hi Karina,
OMGoodness! I tried the “Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham” recipe and it is by far the best ham I have ever made. It looks very nice (wish I could attach pics) and it did turn out to be tender and juicy. Oh my! The taste is remarkable! I do have a couple of comments. 1) Under ingredients, it said “1/2 cup water,” but in #3 under instructions, it said 1/3 cup of water. I used 1/2 cup. 2) #7 instructions were a little confusing. It appears that I was supposed to do 3 glazings and baking 15 minutes each at 425 Degrees Fahrenheit, especially since it stated to pour 1/3 of the glaze each time. But, then it says, “(about 30 minutes total), which would mean to bake 15 minutes twice instead of 3 times. I did glazed and baked 15 minutes 3 times using up the glaze I made. So, I believe baking with the glazing 3 times for a total of 45 minutes was the way I was supposed to do it.
Thank you for sharing the ingredients, steps, and pictures of your recipe. I’m so glad I came across it. Merry Christmas!
Jeannie
Tracy says
I literally was thinking the same thing you were And hoping to find someone else who was confused on those parts! I will follow what you did!! I got my ham in the fridge now and about to get things going! Merry Christmas!
gena scarbor says
Will make this for New Year’s.
My 81 year old Mother prepared a full Thanksgiving spread. We, at least 10 of us, will be dining at a local Thai restaurant for Christmas!
Emily Everson says
Are you kidding, your 81 yr old mother should be sitting back and relaxing. It is your turn to prepare dinner!
Rissie says
Maybe her mom wanted to do it! My mom is 85, and in great health, and she INSISTS on making the complete Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas dinners… sometimes she lets us do the desserts, and sometimes she does the pies….i think she’s proud of herself for the fact that she’s still able to do all of that, so we let her have her way…. we daughters do clean up duty, though, while she gets to sit back and rest after all of her much appreciated hard work!
Mel says
I will be making this ham for Christmas! Should it be put in the oven with the cut side down or does that not matter? I noticed that your video has it laying on its side. Thanks!
Mighty Quinn says
This recipe looks amazing. I plan to try it later this week with a whole bone-in ham, approximately 17 lbs. Any recommendations for how I should adjust cooking times and temperatures for a larger ham? I was considering lowering the oven temperature for the first step to 300 °F and increasing the time to 60 minutes, but keeping the second step temperature and times the same. Thoughts?
Ariana says
I made this ham just the other day, my family couldn’t stop raving about the flavor and the tenderness of the ham. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Delrae says
I made this ham for our Family for Christmas this year; everyone loved it! I had 2 people tell me it was the best ham that they had ever had. I will use this as my “go-to” for ham moving forward, so delicious and tender, cannot say enough good things about this glaze.
LaLa says
I came across your recipe while searching for something different other than how I normally make my ham glaze and it looked to good to pass up. Which I’m glad I didn’t because my ham came out marvelous! Very yummy… Thank you for sharing your recipe, it will definitely be used from here on out whenever I decide to bake a ham 😉
Rachel says
“Spiral cut hams seem to be gaining in popularity over in the United States, but unfortunately I can’t comment on them since we don’t have them.”
This works beautifully with a spiral cut ham! Follow all directions except for the rind removal and the scoring. Comes out perfect and wonderful!
ALAN M BROWN says
Just prepared this recipe. It is everything you said. Excellent, tender and juicy.
You make cooking look so easy it gives people like me hope.
Jennifer Delacruz says
Hi Karina! I wanted to comment on this soloecofic post bc I wanna day that before I learned about your website I was so over cooking. I hated it! I think it’s because I was never taught *how to* cook therefore I didn’t knot anything and it aggravated me go have to cook. Being married and having a 3 year old (and expecting baby #2 in a few weeks) I knew I wanted to change that. I wanted to be able to feed my family some make them something in my own kitchen from love to them.
I found your website and I was like omg this breaks it down to the T! What ingredients I would need, step by step instructions, pictures, videos, etc. I no longer felt intimidated in the kitchen. Your website has allowed me to become confident with cooking and hence feed my family. My husband is so happy! Lol!!
So yes, I would love to win the amazing giveaway you’re so generously hosting. But I’ve been wanting to tell you this for a while! Thank you!!! You do an amazing job with your website and just wanna let you know that you’ve really helped people like me who barely knew how to even navigate around a kitchen, now I’m a lot more confident with my cooking and it’s honestly because of this website!
I spent my Christmas with my family at home, snuggled up watching Christmas movies. Our tradition is to stay up until midnight to open presents so we did that for my little one. I’m 3 weeks away from my due date with baby #2 so I wasn’t sure I was going to be up for cooking Christmas dinner, but I did! I made roasted chicken with garlic roasted baby potostoes and an avocado salad I found on your website. It was a smash hit!!!!
Margaret Sears says
It was fabulous! My entire family ate an ENTIRE 11 pound ham and couldn’t stop raving about the glaze!!! I haven’t had a ham this good with this glaze ever! Thank you so very much for your kind comments.
Terri says
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe. I hosted Christmas eve this year for my in-laws, they loved it as did I. I will never look for another glazed ham recipe again since this has to be the best. One question though, what is the best way to warm up the leftovers?
Terri says
Thank you Karina for replying so quickly .
Karina says
You’re welcome Terri 😊
LSL says
Thank you for this amazing and easy to follow recipe. The ham turned out moist, tender, and super tasty! It received rave reviews from our guests. I had a lot of requests for this recipe, and I will be directing them to your page!
Heather says
I cooked this amazing ham for our “chosen” family get together on Saturday, was marvellous. Doing a turkey tomorrow at my Sons with all of my family, he lives on a farm, it will be wonderful. Merry Christmas and thanks for all the wonderful receipes
Bryant Ross says
Made this ham right before Christmas (we couldn’t wait). Delicious!
We’ll be spending this Christmas with out of town family and cooking lots of great food.
Shannon says
My daughter says this is the best ham and she had it as left over ham; her and her boyfriend shared Thanksgiving leftovers with friends. This ham was at the top of her Christmas dinner menu. So of course when your only daughter comes home for college, you grant her wishes. Can’t wait to try the ham. It looks amazing.
Paris says
This is definitely on the menu now! This recipe is easy to follow! Super excited to host my first Christmas dinner, some of the family has arrive and the rest will be in tomorrow, wish me luck!
IcePonyGirl says
wow…..This looks delicious. I’m glad you used a cooked ham, so much easier to cook with. The glaze sounds sweet, just the way I like it. Thank you!
Bill Ward says
Beautiful! For varity substitute orange marmalade for the honey, and bourbon for the water!
Laura L. says
I love a good ham recipe!! I need to try this. Your pictures make it so easy to follow.
Kae Arrington says
Used your recipe as a guide for our Christmas ham today with the addition of maple syrup. Everyone came back for seconds.
Dana Fulwider says
This came out perfectly last year! I’ll be featuring this again this year!
Greg Johnstone says
Another perfect recipe.
Will share will friends and family .
Happy Hiolidays!
Lena says
Hi Karina,
I am from Germany and want to make my very first glazed ham for christmas this year, which is not really known here. My butcher only had an uncooked ham – how will I proceed with that? Can I just adjust the time in the oven? Should I put it in brine or rub with salt before? Thank you so much for the advice and this mouth-watering recipe, I’m so excited!
Much live from Germany,
Lena
Andy B. says
Hi. Love the recipe. I have a 13 lb. ham that isn’t fully cooked. It’s partially cooked. Should I follow the same cooking guidelines in your recipe? Thanks!
Karina says
Hi Andy! Bake a partially cooked ham for 20 minutes per pound all together. Cover it will foil and bake for an hour. Uncover, then glaze every 15 minutes until the internal temperature is 155°F to 160°F degrees. I hope that helps!
Denise K says
Seriously the best ham I’ve ever made. The key was removing the entire rind (even the parts that looked cooked and edible).
The sauce was amazing. I added some grainy mustard too, very easy adaptable!
Angela says
Outstanding glaze! I was tempted to eat this by the spoonfuls before the ham was done baking. I’ve used the same apricot-pineapple glaze for years and am glad I tried something new. This will likely be our new go-to. Thanks for sharing it!
jason bant says
so there is no marinading? How does the ham flavor change other than having a glaze on the outside?
Karina says
You are welcome to marinade it but it is delicious without the extra time! You will enjoy this ham recipe! XO
Jeff says
Wow! We just finished dinner, and it was unanimous…best ham ever. Great recipe! Thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.
Nancy says
How long should you cook a fully cooked bone in 14 pound ham before you start the glaze ?
Karina says
As you are cooking the ham you will start to make the glaze. Once the glaze is cooked and ready to cover the ham then add it to the ham at that time and finish baking. Hope your ham turns out moist and juicy! Sounds delicious!!
Ginny says
Definitely on my “must bake” list
Warren says
Kick ass all the way. Easiest ham I have done and the best.
Do exactly as described! Writing clear recipes is an at and this one nailed it! Thank you.
Karina says
You are awesome! I am so glad that you loved it! XOXO
Jill Shepherd says
OMG. Best. Ham. Ever. No joke. My family went NUTS over this ham! I followed your recipe to the letter using a 13 lb bone in picnic ham (I hate spiral hams since they are nowhere near as juicy) but I did mine on my Traeger electric smoker grill since it’s like having a true outdoor oven. Even though it’s April 1st, here in Phoenix it was 95 degrees outside so I didn’t have to heat up my kitchen! As my “kids” (24 and 28) we’re leaving they made me swear I would never loose the recipe! LOL Thanks so much for all your ham sacrifices to end up with perfection!
Lorie Stewart says
This ham smells amazing. However, I used a 13 pound turkey. I’m cooking it longer, but it doesn’t seem to get above 80 on the thermometer. What temp does this one get to?
Karina says
You will want your ham at 170* when done. I am not sure why it is not reaching that temperature.
Anna says
I followed this recipe exactly, and it turned out amazingly. The best ham I have ever made. The glaze really doctored up the inexpensive ham shank that I bought!
Kari says
Thank you for sharing this recipe! Made it in December and am making it again tonight. Very delicious!
Becca Whitham says
We made this for Christmas and it turned out perfectly. My husband said, “Yep. You can make this again.” That’s code for, Wow! This is incredible!! I have copied the recipe and added it to the Holiday Traditions section of my recipe box. Thanks for sharing all your tips and tricks.
Jovon says
My husband usually cooks the ham but this time I did and it was so amazingly juicy and flavorful! Everyone loved it! I wish I could pay a photo because out came out so pretty! Thanks for the recipe.
Jackie says
Hi Karina
Thank You so much for testing this ham recipe 3 times, you must really love your followers. I will be making this ham recipe for Easter!!!
Donno says
I made this for our NYE dinner, and it was very possibly the best ham I’ve ever had.
Karina says
That’s AWESOME Donno! So happy to hear that. And Happy New Year to you!
Rich says
Made the ham for Christmas dinner. It was awesome!! Great recipe. And easy. Thanks.
Karina says
You’re welcome Rich!
Leon says
Hi Karina,
I never leave messages on any website. However, I just has to come back and thank you for sharing this delicious recipe. I followed all of your instructions for prepping and cooking the ham. I made tHe glaze per the instructions but I omitted the cinnamon and cloves and substituted Gulden’s spicy mustard for the Dijon (I wanted a more savory glaze).
This was the best ham I have ever made or tasted. It looked beautiful. All of my friends and neighbors can’t stop talking about how juicy and flavorful it is. I planned to make sandwiches with the leftovers but there aren’t any! Next time I’ll have to make two. Thanks a million!!!
I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!!
Karina says
Leon that’s so wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing your feedback with me!i hope you had a wonderful Christmas!
Laura says
If I wanted to prep this a day or two ahead where in the steps would I stop?
Karina says
Hi Laura. You can actually cook it completely the day before and just warm it up the day of. You may need to make extra glaze (half the glaze recipe), just to serve it with.
Brett says
Hi there i’m going too give this a go this yr like in 2 days lol my first ever cooked ham looks way too nice but i dont understand the 1/2 cup of water does that going in the butter and honey mustard glaze or just in the bottom of the pan cause it says put a 1/3 in the pan Merry Christmas from Australia hope you have a wonderful Christmas
Karina says
Hi Brett! The water just goes straight into the bottom. of the pan, not the glaze )
Dolly says
What brand of ham did you use for your recipe? I really don’t like the salty hams !
Deb says
My mouth is watering! Your ham looks so moist & delicious! I wish I had a thick slice of it right now! Thanks for sharing your recipe, Karina!
Karina says
You’re welcome Deb!
Karina says
Oh Natasha. I’m so sorry for your loss. My heart goes out to you and your entire family. I can’t imagine the pain you must be feeling. Sending you lots of love these holidays ❤️ Have a wonderful Christmas Xx
Natasha Graham says
Woah your ham looks incredible. I never bake a ham at Christmas that’s always been my moms thing, but she passed away this year and it’s now up to me. I’m going to make this ham in her memory. Thank you karina. Your instructions are on point. I appreciate everything you do for us.