Receta Orange and Brown Sugar-Glazed Ham
I have an obligatory relationship with turkey. Even though our turkey recipe is one of the most popular recipes on our site, it’s not my favorite recipe on the site. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the turkey’s fault. It’s not him, it’s me. Not only are they a ton of work (and not just the turkey, but the accompanying stuffing and the obligatory gravy, which leads to mashed potatoes, all of which lead to avalanches of dishes). Plus, I think I’ve developed a mild turkey allergy as I’ve gotten older (my brother was severely allergic until…well…it’s a long and complicated and way-too-medical-for-a-food-blog story) and I always feel icky afterwards.
Due to my brother’s aforementioned poultry allergy, we always had turkey and ham at Thanksgiving and Christmas. So for me, having a ham isn’t such a big deal, but my husband thinks I’m an abomination.
For Thanksgiving this year, it was just our little family, so we had this orange and brown sugar-glazed ham instead of of turkey. And since lots and lots of people do ham for Christmas, I wanted to share it now because it is a.maz.ing. You know that glaze packet that comes with your ham? Just toss it. It will never compare. Your ham-eating experiences will never be the same.
The ham part is super easy. Actually, the whole thing is easy, which appeals to me in so many ways. Preheat oven to 325. Line a heavy-duty roasting pan (if you don’t have one, this is the one we’ve consistently recommended. It is clearly not the one I have, but it is the one I wish I had.) with aluminum foil
and place the rack inside of the foil.
Place the ham, fatty side up, on the rack (but also make sure the slices are vertical and the flat end isn’t face-down–you want that fat to melt and run between the slices to keep things moist. Sorry. I had to use the m-word.)
Insert a roasting thermometer into the thickest part of the ham that has not been sliced.
Place the ham in the heated oven and roast for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the thermometer reaches 140-145.
While the ham is roasting, combine the brown sugar, cloves, juice, zest, mustard, and vinegar. I also add some of our bacon olive oil, which really kind of takes it over the top of Amazingness Mountain, but you could always use regular bacon drippings if you have some lying around.
Whisk it all together. When the ham has about 30 minutes to go, remove the ham and brush the glaze on the outside of the ham, all the way down into the slices. Place the ham back in the oven and cook until done.
While the ham is finishing off, whisk together the BEST part of ham at my house growing up. It’s a simple sauce made from mayonnaise, mustard, and a little apple cider vinegar, but it was seriously my favorite part of ham as a kid–we couldn’t have ham without it. You can use regular yellow mustard, but I love the deeper flavor of the ground mustard.
When done, remove from the oven and serve with ham dipping stuff (yep, that’s what it’s called. My favorite part of ham dinners as a kid.)
And there you have it–the BEST ham and the EASIEST holiday dinner in all the land. Promise. This will make a lot–6 pounds will serve in the 20 people range. You can also freeze the leftovers for 3-4 months.
If you’re looking for side dishes, I went old-school OBB and served them with these Stuffed Blue Cheese Potatoes (although Funeral Potatoes are always an excellent choice), Bacon-Wrapped Green Beans, and this Sweet Cornbread.
Orange and Brown Sugar-Glazed Spiral-Cut Ham
Recipe heavily adapted from Betty Crocker
Ingredients:
- 1 5-7-pound spiral-cut ham (fully cooked; discard the glaze packet.)
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- grated zest of 1 small or medium orange
- 1 tablespoon mild ground mustard or Creole mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is the best!)
- 1 tablespoon bacon drippings or bacon olive oil
- HAM DIPPING STUFF:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (light mayo is fine)
- 1/4 cup mild ground mustard or Creole mustard
- 1-2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place the rack inside of the foil. Place the ham, fatty side up, on the rack. Insert a roasting thermometer into the thickest part of the ham that has not been sliced. Place the ham in the heated oven and roast for 1 1/2-2 hours or until the thermometer reaches 140-145.
While the ham is roasting, whisk together the brown sugar, cloves, juice, zest, mustard, vinegar, and oil or bacon drippings. When the ham has about 30 minutes to go, remove the hame and brush the glaze on the outside of the ham, all the way down into the slices. Place the ham back in the oven and cook until done.
When done, remove from the oven and serve with ham dipping stuff (yep, that’s what it’s called. My favorite part of ham dinners as a kid.)
ALSO. It’s not too late to order olive oils and get them before Christmas! We’re running low on a few items, so hurry and get them before we’re out! And if you’re looking for these adorable tags from Little Umbrella, you can customize them here for free!