A Honey Baked Ham with a touch of bourbon and fragrant spices that blows away anything you can buy but at a fraction of the price. An incredibly simple and delicious meal you can prepare for holidays, parties and gatherings, with little effort.
This is a great recipe to have for the holidays - Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. This bourbon honey baked ham is also a great recipe to have for parties or when you just want a great, inexpensive meal with lots of leftovers to make delicious sandwiches and/or soup.
It's also a simple recipe which is a plus. You can cook the ham ahead of your company coming and have it ready to go into the oven for glazing. You only have to keep it wrapped and warm. This is no fuss.
If you choose to make this in a slow cooker, make sure you know your slow cooker. Some of the newer models run hot as I found out when making this recipe using an expensive slow cooker. I cooked it on low for
Remember the old inexpensive ones that had the flowers on them? If you have one of those KEEP IT! Low meant you could cook things for hours without burning. That was my Dad’s slow cooker.
The second time I used a more expensive slow cooker - one that I paid way too much for just for the name. Well apparently low means high.
For that reason, I recommend using an oven unless you have a slow cooker you trust that works the way it’s supposed to work.
Remember, city hams are already cooked. All you have to do is heat them up. It should be easy. One more thing: Ham tastes good hot or cold so better to go under than over. If people complain about your food, tell them to leave. Maybe that’s why no one in my family said anything that day.
BEST HAM TO BUY:
Buy a good quality ham. One that is bone-in because that has more flavor and you can make a soup with it afterward.
Buy one that isn’t plumped up with a solution and looks like some celebrity’s lips that just had bad botox injections.
I like to buy a spiral cut because it’s easier.
If you buy a shank end, you'll notice it is shaped more like a cornucopia and displays nicely. You'll also find it's easier to cut because it has one long bone. I tend to buy the shank simply for the ease of slicing.
That's not to say I won't buy a butt end. It all depends on what's available.
The butt end is meatier and more tender but is also trickier to slice because of the bones. The butt end is rounder. When you think of butts, don't you think round and meaty? I do!
HOW TO MAKE THIS INCREDIBLE BOURBON HONEY BAKED HAM:
Lay out a long piece of heavy duty foil - big enough to cover the ham up the sides on a baking sheet.
Place two thick slices of onion on the bottom center with some cloves pushed in them. I usually use whatever is in my hand when I pour some out of the container. Sometimes it's 6, sometimes it's 10. Don't go overboard. Just poke some in the onions.
Place the ham on top of the onions flat/cut side down.
Bring up the sides of the foil a bit to contain the liquid and pour the honey bourbon mixture over the ham. Wrap the ham up.
Place it in the 275 degree oven and cook for about 15 minutes per pound. Remember it’s better to serve it warm and tasty instead of hot and leathery. It's already cooked.
If you're using a good reliable slow cooker, cook it on LOW for about 2 - 3 hours.
Keep the ham wrapped if not finishing right away. Save those juices because we're going to heat the juices and serve them alongside the ham like a loose gravy.
GLAZING THE BOURBON HONEY BAKED HAM
Mix the spices and sugar in a bowl. Once the ham is done cooking - (or whenever you're ready to continue) - sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the ham. Get it in there between the slices too. Just make sure you coat the entire top of the ham. Pat it down so it's stuck.
Now we're going to broil it to caramelize the sugar and spices. This is going to be amazing.
Broil it for a few minutes and make sure you keep an eye on it. We don't want to burn it. You will see the sugar mixture start to darken and crystalize. That's a delicious crust forming.
OR...YOU CAN TORCH IT
If you happen to have a kitchen torch, this is your lucky day. Go ahead and use it to caramelize the sugar. This way you have more control.
TOOLS YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THIS DELICIOUS HONEY BAKED HAM
PERFECT SIDES FOR BOURBON HONEY BAKED HAM
- 30 minute bourbon baked beans (ham and beans? Why not!)
- Roasted carrots with butter and dill
- Perfect mashed potatoes
- Rich and creamy garlic mashed potatoes
- Roasted spiced acorn squash
- Silky smooth carrot puree
- Peas and pancetta
- Perfect rice pilaf
- Perfect rice
- Big tall beautiful popovers
- Sour cream drop biscuits
- Soft and fluffy dinner rolls
Life is too short for mediocre food.
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BOURBON HONEY BAKED HAM
PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE SAVE RECIPEIngredients
- 7 - 10 pound spiral cut ham preferably shank end
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons (1 shot) bourbon
- 1 onion halved
- 8 - 10 whole cloves
SUGAR MIXTURE:
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Coleman’s dry mustard
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne optional
Instructions
- Remove ham from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Position the oven rack to lower third of oven.
- Preheat oven to 275℉.
- Mix the honey and bourbon together in a measuring cup.
- Lay out a long piece of heavy duty foil - big enough to cover the ham up the sides on a baking sheet.
- Place two thick slices of onion on the bottom center with the cloves pushed in them. I usually use 8 - 10 but if you like cloves, add more.
- Place the ham on top of the onions flat/cut side down.
- Bring up the sides of the foil around the ham and pour the honey bourbon mixture over the entire top of the ham. The foil will contain the liquid. Wrap the ham up and bake for about 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours depending on size - 12 to 15 minutes/pound. Remove the ham from the oven and keep it wrapped until ready to glaze.
WHEN READY TO GLAZE:
- Unwrap ham opening and spreading out the foil to cover the baking sheet and still contain juices so they don’t run out.
- Combine the sugar mixture ingredients and sprinkle all over the top of the ham. It may seem like a lot but use it all because it will mix with the ham/bourbon juices. Get it in between the slices. You can also sprinkle ½ of the mixture, broil it, then sprinkle remaining and broil.
- The rack should be in the lower third of the oven so the ham isn’t too close to the broiler. Broil the ham until the top is golden and crispy and the sugar mixture caramelizes. This should take 3 - 5 minutes. You may want to rotate the pan so every bit gets caramelized. Check and keep an eye on it until it’s golden and bubbling.
- Transfer ham onto a serving platter and pour juices into a small saucepan and heat until it starts to boil. Serve juices alongside ham.
Notes
Nutritional Information
I don't post the nutritional value because I don't trust the accuracy of the nutritional apps. I’m not a nutritionist and don't want to post misinformation.
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