An delicious spin on a classic recipe – this Honey Baked Ham with Orange Glaze is the perfect dish to add to your rotation to impress guests and family.
I’ll never forget the first time I made this Honey Baked Ham with Orange Glaze Recipe. It was for a Christmas party J and I hosted for our friends about 6 years ago. We sat like 22 people for dinner in our little apartment and I can so clearly remember how proud we both were.
I also remember, while I was finishing the glaze on the ham, my friend popped into the kitchen and laughed when he saw me running around the kitchen. “You’re going to be that grandmother that quite literally never leaves the kitchen, aren’t you?” he said. I don’t think I’ve ever been paid a bigger compliment, honestly.
J and I both love to entertain. We both grew up in families where there could never be enough food, and another face at the table was always welcome during parties, and we plan to continue that trend in our home. We have learned that there is truly never enough food and we are pros at taking that to the next level!
Anyway, about the ham, less about me. It’s a bold flavor, kissed with orange and honey all throughout the dish. I used raw honey, maple syrup, and ghee, making the dish perfect for everyone no matter the occasion. Opt for the best quality ham (less preservatives the better) you can get and you’re in business. Let’s get cooking!
LET’S CHAT DIFFERENT TYPES OF HAM
- Cured Ham: This is the most common type of ham found in grocery stores. It is made by curing the hind leg or shoulder of a pig with a mixture of salt, sugar, and sometimes other seasonings. Cured ham can be further categorized based on the curing method.
- Smoked Ham: After curing, some hams are smoked to add flavor. The smoking process involves exposing the ham to smoke from burning wood chips or logs. This imparts a smoky flavor to the meat.
- Glazed Ham: Glazed ham is typically cured and/or smoked, then coated with a glaze made from ingredients like brown sugar, honey, mustard, marmalades (such as orange marmalade) or fruit juices. The glaze is often caramelized during cooking, adding sweetness and a shiny finish to the ham.
- Spiral Cut Ham: This type of ham is pre-sliced in a spiral pattern around the bone, making it easy to serve. Spiral hams are often glazed and can be cured or smoked.
- Fresh Ham: Unlike cured or smoked ham, fresh ham is uncured and uncooked. It is essentially a raw pork leg or shoulder roast. Fresh ham has a different flavor and texture compared to cured ham and requires cooking before consumption.
- City Ham: This term typically refers to hams that are brine-cured and often smoked. They are usually pink in color and are commonly found in supermarkets.
- Country Ham: Country ham is dry-cured and aged for an extended period, often several months or even up to a year. It has a dense, chewy texture and intense salty flavor.
These are just a few examples of the many types of ham available, each offering its own unique taste and culinary uses.
INGREDIENTS AND KITCHEN TOOLS | FOR THIS DELICIOUS HAM RECIPE
I know it is hard to believe that with these minimal amount of ingredients, you are able to make the most flavor packed baked ham. It is sure to impress all of your gamily and guests!
Spiral cut, bone-in ham (fully cooked)
Honey
Maple syrup
Orange
Ghee (or butter if you’d like and aren’t dairy-free)
Ground cloves
Paprika
Cayenne (optional)
Kitchen Tools:
Just as the ingredients, you need minimal kitchen equipment for this recipe. You’ll need a good roasting pan, a saucepan, and I like having a good silicone brush when basting the ham while it is baking. You can’t go wrong with a gorgeous serving dish.
STEP BY STEP
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Step 2: Place ham into a roasting pan (you can line with aluminum foil if needed) and into the oven for an hour.
Step 3: After about 45 minutes, add the honey, maple syrup, ghee, orange zest, orange juice, cloves, paprika, and cayenne in a medium saucepan and heat on medium heat. Allow this to come to a slow boil and reduce the heat to low.
Step 4: After an hour in the oven, begin brushing the ham with the glaze every 5-10 minutes until no glaze remains, for about a half hour. Let this sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
HOW TO SERVE
We love serving this ham for just about any occasion, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas (I know, not everyone is a fan of turkey, crazy right?!). It is even so easy to whip up, you can make it for a family dinner. Serve it alongside some roasted vegetables (we love these green beans), creamy mashed potatoes, or Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows And Pecans, and my Traeger corn bread is always on the menu with this oven baked ham. This would also pair well with a delicious Potato Soup. Got leftover ham? Make these delicious ham sliders or my Ham and Bean Soup the next day, they will feed a crowd and are sure to be a hit! P.S. Serve with a side on dijon mustard for the perfect dipping sauce.
STORING AND REHEATING | WHO DOESN’T LOVE LEFTOVER HAM
This ham stores great and makes even better leftovers ! You can store in an airtight container in the fridge and have for lunches (or even another dinner) throughout the week. We love reheating and serving as is or on sandwiches for the perfect meal!
OTHER RECIPES YOUR GUESTS WILL LOVE
When serving a large crowd, I love making dishes that are sure to disappear. You can never go wrong with my Venison Roast, made right in the crockpot, just throw everything in and let it cook, all day long! A few other recipes I love to make for guests are Venison Bourguignon, Venison Backstrap, Venison Ragú, and a classic twist to a crowd favorite, Venison Lasagna.
Original post published December 2018. Updated March 2024.
PrintHoney Baked Ham with Orange Glaze
An delicious spin on a classic recipe – this Honey Baked Ham with Orange Glaze is the perfect dish to add to your rotation to impress guests and family.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
- Yield: 10–12 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 (about 5–7 lbs.) bone-in, spiral sliced, fully cooked ham
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/4 maple syrup
- 1 orange, juice and zest
- 6 Tablespoons ghee (or butter if you’d like and aren’t dairy-free)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- 1 dash cayenne (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
- Place the ham into a roasting pan and into the oven for an hour.
- After about 45 minutes, add the honey, maple syrup, ghee, orange zest, orange juice, cloves, paprika, and cayenne in a medium saucepan and heat on medium-low. Allow this to come to a slow boil and reduce the heat to low.
- After an hour in the oven, begin brushing the ham with the glaze every 5-10 minutes until no glaze remains, for about a half hour. Let this sit for about 5 minutes before serving.
Pedro @ Easy Kitchen Appliances says
This looks awesome!
T says
Hi there, your ingredient list and instructions have vanished! I’ve this is the past with great success, but I don’t remember the proportions. I was planning on cooking a ham this weekend (not your typical August meal 😆). Please update 🙂
Miss AK says
I love it! Thank you so much for your comment, this is all fixed. Thank you!