5 Holiday Ham Glazes

Give your holiday ham some special treatment this year with a homemade holiday ham glaze! Slathering your spiral ham with something sweet is a traditional way of adding flavor and fun to a big holiday meal. Whether its a mixture of a hot sauce like sriracha with honey, or a rich American spirit like bourbon, adding that little extra something to your Niman Ranch baked ham makes all the difference.  These 5 holiday ham glaze recipes will elevate your usual holiday meal with spice, panache, and lots of sweet.

Holiday Ham Glaze Recipes

Brown Sugar and Orange Marmalade Glaze

This recipe is an absolute classic for baked ham. The rich sweetness and citrus zest balance the succulent pork flavor of a well baked Niman Ranch Spiral Ham.

Ingredients:

• 6 Garlic Cloves
• 8.5 oz orange marmalade
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 orange, zested
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed Orange Juice

 Directions

1. 1. Mince garlic in a food processor. Add marmalade, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice and process until smooth.
   2. Pour the glaze over the ham and bake for 1 hour, until the ham is fully heated and glaze is well browned.

Sriracha Honey Glaze

A super simple combination marries sweet and spicy to match the salty and fatty deliciousness of Niman Ranch’s humanely raised ham. Try it on a whole Spiral Ham or one of our Ham Steaks.

Ingredients:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup honey
• 2 Tbsp Sriracha sauce
• 4 tbsp brown sugar, packed

Directions

1. Mince garlic in food processor. Add honey, sriracha sauce, and brown sugar and process until smooth.
2. Pour the glaze over the ham and bake for 1 hour, until the ham is fully heated.

Spiced Bourbon Glaze

For a more complex and spiced glaze, this incredible recipe offers a unique take for your holiday ham and includes bourbon whiskey (don’t worry, the alcohol will cook off, but the flavor won’t).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp fennel seed
• 1 tbsp coriander seed
• 4 star anise pods
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 2 cups bourbon
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp honey

 Directions:

1. 1. Combine sugar with 2 tbsp of water in medium saucepan and cook over moderate heat. Swirl pan occasionally until lightly golden caramel forms, 8-10 minutes.
   2. Remove from heat and add fennel, coriander, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, and orange zest. Let sit for ~20 minutes until fragrant.
   3. Add bourbon, soy sauce and honey. Return glaze to a simmer and cook over moderate heat until slightly thickened, around 10 minutes.
   4. Brush glaze onto ham while continuing to roast. Repeat every 10 minutes while roasting until ham is lightly caramelized.

Southern Cola-Dijon Glaze

This approach to a ham glaze comes to us from the South. The caramel sweetness imparted by the cola is a great way to balance the natural smokiness of a Niman Ranch Spiral Ham.

Ingredients:

• ½ cups dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup cola soft drink of your choice
• ½ cup Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp salt

Directions:

1. 1. Combine all ingredients in mixing bowl and stir until smooth.
   2. Brush the glaze onto the ham and continue to bake.
   3. Optional: reserve some glaze to mix with baked ham drippings and dredge each slice of ham in glaze to absorb more flavor.

Dark Stout Beer Glaze

Try a unique, beer-based glaze to emphasize a malty, somewhat bittersweet flavor in your holiday ham.

Ingredients:

• • • 3 cups stout beer (such as Guinness)
    • 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed

Directions:

1. 1. 1. Stir together beer and brown sugar in a high-sided skillet.
      2. Add ham to skillet and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, turning ham to coat in glaze.
      3. Transfer skillet to 350° oven, roast 1-1 ½ hours, turning ham every 20 minutes.
      4. Continue roasting without turning, until thickest part of ham reads 145°. Continue to baste ham with beer mixture every 10 minutes.
      5. Rest ham in foil tent. Meanwhile, return beer glaze to stovetop to reduce. Skim excess fat if needed, until reduced to about 1 cup.
      6. Brush ham with thickened glaze and serve along remaining glaze.

Now it’s time to pick a recipe and get ready for the holidays. Purchase your Niman Ranch holiday ham today!