Bourbon-Glazed Ham

Glazed with bourbon, brown sugar, and orange juice, this crispy, juicy ham is the crowd-pleasing centerpiece you want on your table when entertaining during the holidays or anytime you need to feed a crowd. Despite taking a bit of time in the oven, roasting a ham is a pretty hands-off affair. There’s no reason to be intimidated! I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step.

Ask for a smoked (aka fully cooked or ready-to-eat) half ham, which should weigh about 8 to 10 pounds (a whole ham is 15 pounds and up). Because you aren’t working with raw meat, you are basically reheating and glazing the ham, so it needs to be cooked to the food-safe temperature of 145ºF. Don’t go for a fresh ham, which hasn’t been smoked and cured, because it needs to be cooked and prepared in a different manner. 

Make sure to get the more tender shank end of the ham, rather than the butt end, which ends up looking prettier on your platter. Also, choose a ham with no added water or juices — it should be labeled “ham,” not “ham, water added” or “ham with natural juices.”

Another thing to look out for is whether the ham is spiral cut, meaning that the slices are already scored into the ham. For this recipe, you don’t want a spiral-cut ham, although it can be a lovely option for other recipes and would work just fine if it’s the only option you can get. If you do pick up a spiral-cut ham, it’s not necessary to score the skin.

When it comes to meat in general, one reason to opt for bone-in pieces is that the bone adds flavor as it cooks and keeps the meat moist. This holds true for ham as well; bone-in ham is much more flavorful! As a bonus, you can use the leftover bone to flavor soups, broths, or a big pot of beans — it makes everything incredibly delicious.

When you buy a ham, it will likely have a brown rind covering it. Use a paring knife to peel the rind back and discard it. Then, grab a sharp chef’s knife and trim the fat back to about one-quarter to one-half inch (it might not be even in every place, but that’s OK!). Lastly, score the ham, creating a diamond pattern all over. The scores should be just deep enough to reach the meat without cutting into it.

Wrap the ham in aluminum foil during the initial warming to keep all of the moisture in, then remove it when you’re ready to glaze and crisp the skin for the last 45 minutes.

For a bone-in ham, factor in one-half to three-quarters of a pound per person.

After baking, let the ham stand for 30 minutes before carving to seal in the juices. Use a sharp knife with a long blade to carve the ham. Position the knife at the top and slice downwards to the bone, letting the slices fall off the bone.

• Line the bottom of the roasting pan with aluminum foil. Doing so makes for a quick and easy cleanup.
• Score your ham. Preparing the ham by trimming the fat and scoring it helps the glaze absorb into the ham while crisping it up evenly. Plus, the crosshatch creates a pretty pattern. 
• Wrap the ham in aluminum foil. This will keep all the moisture in during the initial warming. When you’re ready to glaze, carefully open up the foil and peel it back. 
• Reduce the glaze until it’s thick and syrupy. Taking the time to reduce the glaze helps it cling nicely to the ham to create a beautiful crust on top with less dripping back into the pan. Don’t glaze the ham too early or the sugar will burn while cooking.
• Use a thermometer. The ham should register at least 120ºF, which takes between two to two-and-a-half hours.