This honey and brown sugar glazed ham recipe is so good. Honestly, when I asked Ryan what I should name it, he said, “Best ham ever!” It is really that good. It’s got the perfect blend of sweet and savory. When it finished cooking we were doling out small pieces to the kids as we were getting ready for dinner.
Our one-year-old did a happy dance when he put that first piece of ham in his mouth. He was not the only one doing a happy dance. Our dog did a lot of begging too. She was all too happy when we gave her the ham bone.
And that, my friends is how this ham became the $600 ham. Did you know that bones can become stuck in your dog’s digestive tract, even if they are chewed into a million bits? After an overnight vet stay and a lot of money, our miserable dog is doing a lot better. And now we know. No more bones for the dog!
All that being said, that ham might be worth the $600. It is that good. Whether you are making it for a holiday dinner, or simply craving ham on a Sunday afternoon, this is the recipe you need. Thankfully, it’s not that hard to make. We make ours in the crock pot slow cooker, but you could adapt this recipe to the oven too.
Honey and brown sugar glazed ham recipe
Gather your ingredients. It’s ham time!
In the bottom of the crock pot, place whole cloves, white vinegar, and 2 slices (or 1/4 tsp powdered) ginger into the bottom of your slow cooker. Next, place a metal rack in the bottom of the crock pot for your ham to sit on. If you have an Instant pot, you could use the rack that came with it in your crock pot. You just want to get your ham up and out of the water. Add enough water to fill the pan half way up the rack (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water). This will help keep the ham moist as it cooks.
Next prepare the ham itself. Remove the ham from the wrapper. Pat it dry with a paper towel. Score the ham in a criss-cross pattern about 1/4 inch deep, with the lines running about 1 inch apart. Remember, 1/4 inch isn’t very deep. You are just scoring the outside. Place ham in slow cooker on top of the wire rack. Turn the crock pot on high while preparing the glaze.
Prepare your glaze. Mix brown sugar, molasses, honey, Dijon mustard, black pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and 1/4 tsp ground ginger, until well-combined. Add enough vinegar (usually 1-2 tsp) to turn mixture into a thin paste (thin enough you can “paint” it on with a baking brush). Once the ham has cooked for 20-30 minutes, use a pastry brush to paint the honey glaze over the top of the ham.
Glaze ham every 30 minutes, or until you run out of glaze. Go ahead and really smother that ham every time you do it. This is the fun part. Every time you open up that crock pot it’s going to smell amazing. Cook the ham for approximately 3 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees.
Cut it up into slices and get ready for a happy dance from your entire family. I suggest slicing it up right before dinner because you’ll have everyone wanting to snatch a piece. It’s ham night!
Looking for a side dish for your holiday dinner? Try: Garlic roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
- 12-15 whole cloves
- ~1 cup water
- a splash of white vinegar
- 2 slices of fresh ginger, or 1/4 tsp powdered ginger
- Ham
- 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1 Tbs molasses
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tbs Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground ginger
- white vinegar
Instructions
- Place whole cloves, white vinegar, and 2 slices (or 1/4 tsp powdered) ginger into the bottom of your slow cooker, then place a metal rack for your ham to sit on. Add enough water to fill the pan half way up the rack (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of water).
- Take ham and pat dry, then score the ham in a criss-cross pattern about 1/4 inch deep, with the lines running about 1 inch apart. Place ham in slow cooker on high while preparing the glaze.
- Mix brown sugar, molasses, honey, Dijon mustard, black pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and 1/4 tsp ground ginger, until well-mixed.
- Mix in enough vinegar (usually 1-2 tsp) to turn mixture into a thin paste (thin enough you can “paint” it on with a baking brush). Once the ham has cooked for 20-30 minutes, use a pastry brush to paint the honey glaze over the top of the ham.
- Glaze ham every 30 minutes, or until you run out of glaze. Cook ham for approximately 3 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees.