Ditch that packet of brown sugar glaze that came with your spiral ham, and make this super easy 2-ingredient glaze instead! I don’t think you’ll have any leftover ham, but just in case I’m also sharing 9 most delicious leftover ham recipes for you!
Just look at that beautiful glaze!
It’s no boring brown sugar glaze. And no, not honey pineapple glaze either! This year, let’s try something different, like amazing raspberry mustard glaze!
It’s not only delicious, but it’s SOOOO easy! Just mix 2 ingredients, and VOILA! Not overly sweet, a little bit tangy, perfectly sticky and beautiful!
So, before we get into nitty-gritty of the spiral cut ham recipe, let’s discuss how to choose the best ham to serve for holidays.
It turns out there’re 3 varieties of American ham:
- City hams – This’s the most common form of ham sold in the U.S. It’s wet-brined ham that’s usually sold fully-cooked. Spiral cut ham is precooked city ham, and it’s the easiest to prepare.
- Country hams – This’s dry-cured ham, that’s sold mostly raw. Due to the nature of curing (packed in salt), this type of ham is drier and has much more intense flavor.
- Fresh hams – This’s basically a raw pig’s leg.
As I mentioned above, spiral cut city ham is the easiest to cook, therefore it’s the way to go. BUT that’s not all. When you carefully read the labels, you’ll find another interesting information. Look out for “ham with natural juices” or “ham, water added”. That means ham contains 17-18.5% protein, and has 7-10% added water. I don’t recommend ham with a label “ham and water product”, because it means it can contain any amount of water. More water = less flavor! (You can read more about this here.)
So in conclusion, bone-in spiral cut ham with a label “ham with natural juices” or “ham, water added” is the best ham to buy for holidays.
Now, how much ham to buy to feed a crowd?
Typically, you want to plan for ½-¾lb per person, assuming you have a bone-in ham.
Ok, let’s talk about the recipe now. How to cook a spiral cut ham?
Well, it’s easy. Earlier I mentioned, spiral cut ham is precooked ham. So you don’t need to actually cook it again. By roasting it in the oven, we’re basically reheating it and applying some delicious glaze. And to prevent moisture loss during reheating, we’ll wrap the whole thing in a foil and roast low and slow. (In the video below, I’ll show you how to wrap your ham so that it’ll be easy to unwrap later on.) To finish it off, we’ll open the foil and roast further with a glaze!
This low and slow roasting (reheating) method is guaranteed to serve you a beautiful moist ham. You’ll actually see a pool of ham juices in the bottom of the foil packet. It keeps your ham moist, while steaming during roasting. Oh and save all that juice for another use, like ham and potato soup!
Scroll down past the recipe for 9 delicious leftover ham recipes.
Oven-Baked Spiral Ham with Raspberry Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in spiral cut ham 6-8lbs
- 1 cup seedless raspberry jelly
- ½ cup Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Layer 2 long sheets of aluminum foil on a baking sheet, as shown in the video above.
- Place the ham cut side down.
- Wrap the ham by bring all 4 ends of the foil up and around the ham.
- Roast for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together raspberry jelly and mustard until smooth. Reserve about 1 cup of glaze for serving.
- Remove the ham from oven and carefully open the wrap. You'll get a pool of juices in the bottom. You can baste it over the ham, if desired.
- Increase the oven to 375°F.
- Brush on the remaining glaze all over the ham. Roast without cover for 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes.
- Serve with the reserved raspberry mustard glaze on the side.
Nutrition Facts:
9 Delicious Leftover Ham Recipes:
Slow Cooker Ham, Potato and Corn Soup by Sweet & Savory
White Bean and Ham Soup by Simply Recipes
Slow Cooker Ham Bone Soup by Dinner at the Zoo
Monte Cristo Sandwich by She Wears Many Hats
Winter Blossom’s Often Requested Ham Salad by allrecipes.com
Instant Pot Scalloped Potatoes by I Wash You Dry
Ham and Cheese Spinach Puffs by The Chunky Chef
Ham and Cheese Sliders by A Turtle’s Life for Me
One Pot Ham & Penne Skillet by Julie’s Eats and Treats
Lil says
Glaze was simple & delicious. My family loved it.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you tried and loved my recipe. Thank you for your comment, Lil!
Carolyn says
This is perfect for Easter!
Shinee says
Yes, it is. Thanks, Carolyn!
Lauren says
This will be perfect for easter!
Shinee says
Yes, indeed. Thanks, Lauren!