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Christmas Ham is scored in a diamond pattern and topped with a honey Dijon mustard glaze. It will look stunning on your Christmas dinner table but it’s very simple to make.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
I have been making ham for over 15 years. From Crockpot Spiral Ham Recipe, Slow Cooker Christmas Ham to our Honey Baked Ham Recipe, we love a good ham. This classic holiday ham is no different.
It is one of the easiest and tastiest bone-in ham recipes without much work. Plus we give you easy tips to help the best Christmas Ham Recipe look gorgeous making it the perfect Christmas Recipe.
What is the best type of Ham to use for this?
There are two cuts of ham. You can choose from the shank or the butt.
We used the ham butt but either option is fine to use. The butt typically has more meat and less fat. Whereas the shank is easier to slice because it has only one bone.
Ingredients
- Bone In Ham Butt half- approximately 8-10 pounds
- Butter
- Brown Sugar – try homemade brown sugar
- Honey
- Dijon Mustard
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Cloves
- Minced Garlic
How to cook Christmas Ham:
Step 1. Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the ham rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours to come to temperature before baking.
Step 2. Prepare the ham. Remove the ham from its package and pat it dry with paper towels. Score the ham with a sharp knife.
Cut into the rind of the ham in a diamond pattern. Make sure that the cuts are approximately 1/4-½ deep.
Step 3. Get out the roasting pan. Place the ham on a roasting pan and pour approximately ¼ cup of water all over the top of it.
Step 4 – Cover with Foil and Bake. Loosely cover the ham with foil to keep it from drying out.
Bake for 2 – 2 ½ hours. The time will vary. Typically bake for 20 minutes per pound.
Step 5 – Check Internal Temperature. Use a meat thermometer and bake until the ham reaches 125 degrees F in the thickest part of the ham.
How to make the Ham Glaze
Step 6. Make the glaze. While the ham is baking, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat until the butter is browned.
Step 7. Combine the brown sugar and mustard. Then whisk in the brown sugar, honey, dijon mustard, cinnamon and ground cloves. Cook and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Step 8. Add the garlic. Then stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the glaze from the heat and let it cool slightly.
Step 9. Continue to cook the ham and increase the temperature. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Remove the foil from the ham.
Step 10. Baste the ham with the basting mixture.
Cook it for an additional 20 minutes. Baste the ham 2 more times during this cooking time until the ham reaches an interval temperature of 135 degrees F.
Step 11. Allow the ham to rest and slice. Remove the ham and let the ham rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes (tented loosely with foil).
Then carefully move the fully cooked ham to a large cutting board. Then carve the ham into large slices and enjoy! The sticky glaze is delicious.
Tips for Success:
- Meat Thermometer. We used an instant-read meat thermometer to make sure that the ham was fully heated through. Make sure to insert the thermometer into the thickest part of the ham.
- Score the ham. This just means to cut the ham but not very deeply. This will make the diamond marks on the ham.
It is important to not cut too deeply, or it will lose its shape. It’s optional but you can also place whole cloves into each diamond mark.
Christmas Ham Dinner Sides:
- Green Beans. This is one of the best side dishes and so easy to prepare.
- Cranberry Sauce. This tangy cranberry sauce compliments glazed ham perfectly.
- Mashed Potatoes. Creamy potatoes taste amazing with your holiday ham. This slow cooker recipe makes it even easier.
- Crockpot Green Bean Casserole. Using the crockpot to make a classic recipe saves oven space and the slow cooker does all the work.
- See more of our Best Side Dishes for Ham
Variations:
- Substitute for Brown Sugar. You can substitute this type of sugar with maple syrup, raw sugar or turbinado sugar.
- Mustard substitutions. Change the flavor and use honey mustard, Dijon mustard or brown mustard.
- Skip the spices. Feel free to omit the spices in this ham. It will still taste delicious with the butter brown sugar honey mixture.
- Orange Juice. Add a splash of orange juice for a delightful blend of citrus flavor in the brown sugar ham glaze.
- Add Fruit or Jam. You can add fruit or fruit jam to your glaze. Apricot, orange marmalade, pineapple, and cherries work great.
How to store and reheat:
Place the leftover ham inside a storage container to keep it fresh. It will keep up to 3 to 4 days.
Reheat leftovers in the oven at 350 degrees until heated through. You can also reheat the ham and brown sugar glaze in the microwave.
More Easy Ham Recipes:
More Easy Christmas Recipes to Try
After you make this recipe, please leave a comment and a star rating. I love hearing from you!
Christmas Ham
Ingredients
- 1 Bone In Ham Butt half- approximately 8-10 pounds
- ½ cup Butter
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- ½ cup Honey
- 2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Minced Garlic
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the ham rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours to come to temperature before baking.
- Remove the ham from its package and pat it dry with paper towels. Score the ham by cutting into the rind of the ham in a diamond pattern making sure that the cuts are approximately 1/4-½ inch deep.
- Place the ham on a roasting pan and pour approximately ¼ cup of water all over the top of it. Loosely cover the ham with foil to keep it from drying out.
- Bake for 2 – 2 ½ hours until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 125 degrees F in the thickest part of the ham.
- While the ham is baking, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat until the butter is browned.
- Then whisk in the brown sugar, honey, dijon mustard, cinnamon and ground cloves. Cook and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Then stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Remove the glaze from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Remove the foil from the ham and baste the ham with approximately ⅓ of the basting mixture. Cook it for an additional 20 minutes and baste the ham 2 more times during this cooking time until the ham reaches an interval temperature of 135 degrees F.
- Remove the ham and let the ham rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes (tented loosely with foil). Then carefully move the ham to a large cutting board. Then carve the ham into large slices and enjoy!
