Quick and Easy 3-Ingredient Ham Glaze!
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An effortless task that pays back BIG on flavor is my 3-Ingredient Ham Glaze; it’s ‘ham recipe goodness’ that comes together in 5 minutes.
I prepare a spiral ham holiday meal twice annually for both Christmas dinner and the Easter holiday. As much as I love the spiral bone-in ham I can pick up at my big box store, I am not in any way a fan of the included “instant glaze powder packet.”
My easy recipe is brown sugar, orange or pineapple juice, and prepared mustard. That’s it. Whisk ’em together and brush onto your cooked ham before placing it into the oven. I like to save some aside to brush the top of the ham right at the end to coax that sticky, crackly, sweet crust that forms.
So, for this brown sugar glaze ham recipe, grab light or dark brown sugar, orange juice (or pineapple juice), and your favorite prepared mustard such as spicy brown, yellow mustard, or Dijon mustard.
Place ham into a baking dish and observe the cook time and temperature recommendations on the instructions. Apply the brown sugar ham glaze all over the outside of the ham and if you’ve purchased a spiral cut ham, in between the spiral slices.
This is a delicious ham glaze that takes little effort, but the payoff is big in terms of taste. It’s honestly THE BEST glaze and one of my favorite things about a holiday ham.
Ingredients for a Simple Ham Glaze
- brown sugar, may be light or dark
- orange juice or pineapple juice
- prepared mustard, may be Dijon, yellow, spicy brown or other
How to Assemble My Three Ingredient Ham Glaze
This doesn’t get any more straightforward…add everything to a saucepan over medium-low heat and whisking it until the sugar dissolves. That’s it.
Now, this isn’t to say that you can’t whisk it in a bowl without heat before applying IF you wanted to. The heat is not a prerequisite by any means, however it does aid the sugar in dissolving a whole lot quicker.
And there are alterations which may be made in a pinch. If you don’t have orange juice on hand you can substitute pineapple juice, apple juice or apple cider.
Should you need to omit the brown sugar, consider using honey or maple syrup instead. I also like to experiment with mustards, Dijon and horseradish mustard being my faves!
Modifying the Norm to Make It Not Entirely Average
Add a fourth ingredient to modify taste or texture or heat. Consider adding:
- Zested garlic clove(s)
- Smoked paprika
- Rosemary
- Cinnamon
- Ground cloves (unless you’ve applies whole cloves directly to your ham)
- Crushed pineapple
3 Ingredient Ham Glaze with Brown Sugar
Equipment
- bowl
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ⅓ cup orange juice or pineapple juice
- 3 tablespoons prepared mustard
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F or temperature indicated on ham packaging. Add all glaze ingredients to a saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk until the brown sugar has largely dissolved, about 4 to 6 minutes.
- Place ham in a roasting pan or baking dish and use a pastry brush to apply 1/2 of the glaze over the outside of the ham. If you have a spiral cut ham, run the brush into the grooves and between some of the slices of ham. Reserve remaining glaze.
- Bake the ham for 30 minutes before removing and basting with 1/2 the reserved glaze. Place back into the oven for an additional 10 to 12 minutes or until an instant read thermometer displays an internal temperature of 140°F. NOTE: Refer to the package directions for heating the ham as the purveyor's heating instructions may vary.
- Remove from the oven and apply the remaining glaze to the ham and serve.
optional
- Once the ham has reached the proper temperature, initiate your ovens broil feature. Broil the glazed ham for 1 to 3 minutes until the glaze begins to crackle. Be careful not to allow this step to burn the ham. Apply the remaining glaze to the ham and serve.
Notes
-
- Zested garlic clove(s)
-
- Smoked paprika
-
- Rosemary
-
- Cinnamon
-
- Ground cloves (unless you’ve applies whole cloves directly to your ham)
-
- Crushed pineapple
The nutrition value can vary depending on what product(s) you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use a calorie counter you are familiar with.
Please note that table salt and iodized salt are NOT substitutions for Kosher salt. Do not deviate unless otherwise specified.
Nutrition
