Easy Baked Ham (With Honey Dijon Glaze)

Let’s talk HAM! Juicy, tender, savory oven baked ham with a mouthwatering glaze! It’s that guilty pleasure you look forward to during all the holidays. With Easter coming up, it’s the perfect time to learn how to bake a ham. And I’m here to tell you it’s easier than you think. With a few simple rules, you’ll be able to have this Easy Baked Ham recipe as the centerpiece of your holiday table.

The good news is that most of the ham you find at local grocery stores are usually pre-cooked. So, it’s just a matter of heating it through properly in the oven. And adding some amazing glaze to give your ham that extra flavor and wow-factor. Since ham is extremely salty, your glaze should have some sweetness to it to offset the salty flavor. That’s where the honey and brown sugar come in.

MAKING THE HONEY DIJON GLAZE

I used to be intimidated at the idea of making my own ham glaze. I’d always make sure to buy hams that already had the glaze package included. But after a ton of research and experience I learned that ham glaze is actually really easy to make. And not only is it easy, but the ingredients can be super basic and all stuff you might already have at home.

For this honey Dijon glaze, ingredients needed are: butter, honey, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, garlic and salt. You’ll prepare the glaze on the stovetop in a saucepan. Basically, all you have to do is melt the butter on medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix until everything is smooth and simmering. It should take no longer than 5 minutes.

DON’T OVERCOOK THE GLAZE!

One important tip I must mention is to NOT overcook the glaze. And definitely don’t let it come to a boil. This will cause the glaze to thicken excessively which will make it a pain in the butt to try and spread it on the ham. So, it’s best to keep the glaze somewhat runny as you can see in the pictures.

BAKING THE HAM

Just before you put the ham in the oven, you will add a little water to the pan and brush the ham with the honey Dijon glaze you made. You’ll then cover the pan with aluminum foil before putting it in the oven to bake.

When it comes to actually baking the ham, there are a few key rules to keep in mind. I’ve outlined them for you below:

• Bake the ham for 20 minutes PER POUND. I had a 7-pound ham, so I baked it for a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes. Make sure to adjust the bake time depending on what size ham you have.

• Every 30 minutes, baste the ham with its surrounding juices. You can simply pull the aluminum foil off temporarily and use a spoon to scoop up some liquid, then pour it all over the ham. This will ensure the ham stays moist and tender. Just be sure to re-cover it with the foil when you return it to the oven.

• During the LAST 20 MINUTES OF BAKING, uncover the ham and mix about 2 tablespoons of the surrounding liquids with the remaining glaze you have. Re-brush the ham all over with the updated glaze. Then return it to the oven UNCOVERED this time for the remaining 20 minutes of baking. This will ensure a nice browned crust all over the ham.

• Once you remove the ham from the oven, let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing into it. This allows the ham to really soak up the glaze and liquids while it cools down, allowing for deeply tender ham slices and incredible flavor.

Once you get these simple steps down, you’ll be baking ham left and right for every holiday party! It really is an easy way to get something extraordinary on the dinner table.

WHAT TO MAKE WITH LEFTOVER HAM?

The great thing about baked ham is that it’s amazing leftover as well. You can fry it up the next morning for breakfast or try any of these ham filled recipes below:

• Baked Ham & Cheese Sliders
• Creamy Ham Pasta Salad
• Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice with Ham
• Split Pea Soup with Ham

Read on to see the full ingredient list and directions for this Easy Baked Ham Recipe (With Honey Dijon Glaze)!