Maple Glazed Ham | Swanky Recipes (2024)

This year, I’m planning the holiday menu and plan on keeping it simple with all our favorite sides, like strawberry shortcake fluff, an asparagus almondine, bacon green bean bundles, classic cheesy hash brown casserole, glazed carrots, broccoli casserole, oven-roasted lamb, and this maple glazed ham recipe.

Holiday Hams

One of the best parts about making a candied ham, especially for the holidays, are the leftovers all week. It doesn’t take much creativity to come up a few good recipe which I’ve covered more on below in the post along with recipes. There are so many recipes to make to use up this succulent meat. In the Mid-west selling hot shaved ham on a Sunday after church was and still is a huge part of culture. Many grocery stores and delis were trying to make themselves stand out and selling a pound of hot ham with 6 free crusty-top rolls on a Sunday and it soared in popularity and still is very trendy today.

Buying a Ham for your Holiday Table

Today, pork hams in the supermarket are fully cooked. From ham steaks, cubes, to spiral hams, to boneless hams, bone-in hams, and partially boned. All varieties of hams come from the leg hind of a hog or pig. You’d be hard pressed to find a ham that’s not precooked because in order for it to become ham, it must go through a process from it’s roast cut. Before it hits the grocery shelves, the pork is aged, and cured, then smoked or cooked.

Rest assured that the ham you’re buying from your general grocery store is already (most likely) cooked and ready to eat, whether it gets heated in the oven, toasted, or microwaved. If a ham is not cooked and sold fresh, it will say it directly on the package. Typically, fresh pork ham is harder to find but if you’re looking for it, try calling your local butcher shop.

Be sure to read the package for directions. Check the label to ensure what you’re buying whether it’s partially cooked, fully cooked, or uncooked. TIP: The shank end of a ham is fattier while the butt end is leaner and easier to slice.

How to Make Maple Glazed Ham Homemade

1. Whisk together maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, orange juice, mustard, and pepper.
2. Brush coating glaze over the top of the ham.
3. Bake in 300°F oven for 2½ hours on a roasting pan with a rack.
4. Continue to baste the ham with the wet glaze throughout baking.
5. Boil remaining glaze on medium heat.
6. Brush syrup over top.
7. Serve immediately.

Styles of Ham

• Black Forest Ham: This type of ham is salted and seasoned with juniper berries, coriander, pepper, and garlic. It’s then cured and cold smoked.
• Country Ham: Popular is the southern United States, this type of pork roast ham must be cured, aged, and dried for 70 days but typically are for 6-12 months. Most country hams are uncooked and dry cured with salt and must be cooked before eating, unless noted that it is a fully cooked ham. Country hams have their own special category with a variety of styles and flavors. Whether baked, smoked, or fried, they are delicious and full of flavor. In addition, they are known for being salty as well as more expensive compared to other hams. Country hams can be purchased uncooked or cooked online at Edwards Virginia Smokehouse or Smithfield Marketplace.
• Honey Ham: The ham is wet cured in a honey mixture that must contain at least half honey as the main sweetener. Typically pre-cooked, they are best reheated before serving.
• Maple Ham: Just like the honey ham, this ham roast is wet-cured in a maple syrup mixture containing 50% maple syrup as the main sweetener. Also traditionally pre-cooked, it just needs heating before serving. This sweet and savory ham is among one of my favorites.
• Smithfield Ham: Smithfield is a brand label but don’t get that confused with Smithfield style hams because these country hams must be cured within the city of Smithfield, VA. Notably, this style ham is salty with a pungent flavor. In addition, they are usually cooked long and slow before serving.
• Virginia Ham: A type of country ham known for it’s delicious taste. This type of ham comes from razorback hogs raised in Virginia. Virginia hams come from peanut and peach fed hogs. It comes cured and may be sold cooked (smoked or baked), uncooked, and pre-sliced. Virginia ham is saltier and known for being eaten in smaller quantities. It is among my favorite.

Maple Glazed Ham Ingredients

Ham: I am using a boneless ham. Usually, hams come with a packet of seasoning in liquid form. Toss the packet out and make your own maple glaze. You’ll cut out the preservatives, excess salt, and different forms of sugar including corn syrup.

Maple Syrup: I like to use natural or pure maple syrup. It has the best flavor. The darker the syrup, the deeper the flavor.

Sugar: Light brown sugar caramelizes, candies and adds a deep molasses flavor. For even more of a molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar. Since the ham is warmed in the oven for a couple hours, the sugars in brown sugar will melt and adhere to the top of the ham with a crunchy topping. Tip: Broil the ham for just a few minutes to get a crunchy topping.

Orange juice: The acidity cuts through the sweetness and adds a wonderful flavor of it’s own profile. Use freshly squeezed orange juice for the best results. I used about 1 navel orange.

Spices: a good mustard like Dijon will add the right amount of tang and a little salt will help to balance the sweetness in the sauce mixture.

Flavorful Variations

• bourbon
• ground cinnamon
• ground cloves or whole cloves
• pineapple juice
• hickory smoke
• nutmeg

Ham Serving Sizes

When it comes to what size ham you should get, you need to calculate boneless and bone-in (spiral cut) hams differently. Figure approximately 1/3 to 1/2 of a pound for boneless ham. A lot of people forget that when they buy a bone-in or spiral ham, they need to account for the weight of the bone so figure your total ham weight higher at 3/4 to 1 pound per person when buying it from the grocery store

What to Do with Leftover Ham

DO NOT throw those protein leftovers in the trashcan where they do not belong. After eating leftovers in their original form for days on end, it’s nice to add a little variation to your meals. I highly suggest making a pasta with cream, peas, broccoli, and bow tie pasta with ham pieces. Also, a cheesy quiche recipe is perfect for breakfast. Here are a few more recipes to make using leftover ham after Easter. With a little creative inspiration, any one of these dishes make a great choice to pair with ham.

• Ham Mozzarella Spring Pasta
• Ham Pinwheels
• Ham Salad Wraps
• Cheesy Ham Egg Bake
• French Dip Sliders with Ham
• Hash Brown and Egg Breakfast Muffins
• Jalapeno Cheddar Ham Cornbread
• Korean Soup
• Ham and Cheese Pasta

Reader Tips and Questions

Baked ham is one of the go to meals for big family celebrations and the holidays. You’ll love this sweet, salty, and savory glazed maple ham at your next party.