Baked Ham with Citrus Glaze

Baked Ham with Citrus Glaze

Why are hams only saved for the holidays?  Maybe because a ham is so big?  We like ham, but it does seem like an event we have to plan for.  A few weekends ago I baked a ham.  Of course that meant we had ham for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Maybe that’s another reason I don’t bake one very often.  I like that a ham provides leftovers, but I do have to get creative with how to use it up.

We raise our own pigs and process our own meat.  Rod also has a smoke house and cures and smokes hams and bacon.  Because hams are so huge he has begun to cut them down to more manageable sizes.  The ham for this recipe was just over 7 pounds.  Whatever size ham you have, this process will work.  My ham was a bone-in ham, but again, you can use one without.  The only difference will be the baking time.  You will know how long to cook based on the temperature of your ham.When you are baking a ham, you need to keep in mind that most are fully cooked (check the label to see if yours in fully cooked.)  With a fully cooked ham, all you are really trying to do is warm the ham, and add a tasty glaze.  The only true danger is a dry ham.

I cooked this ham in a 325 degree oven for 3 hours.  The ham was placed in a glass baking dish with the skin side up.  The skin needs to be scored.   I lightly tented the ham with foil.  You don’t want to seal the foil because then the ham just gets steamed.  For the first hour I did nothing.  Then I started checking it.  I was making certain the drippings on the bottom weren’t burning and that the ham was  looking good.  When the drippings are getting really dark with little moisture left it’s in danger of burning.  While the drippings won’t be used, it does stink and stink on the bottom can ruin the taste of the ham.  When dry, I add a cup of water, or just enough for a thin layer of water.  Be careful with adding water to a hot glass pan!  The pan can crack.  I try to add warm or hot water to avoid a cracked dish. 

With a 7 pound ham, I also start to take an internal temperature after two hours.  You are looking for a final internal temperature of 130 degrees. When the internal temperature reaches 110 degrees, remove the foil and add the glaze.  Keep a close eye on the ham.  You don’t want your glaze to burn.  Watch until it reaches 130 degrees and remove from the oven.

The glaze is made with orange juice.  I used fresh squeezed because that is what I had on hand.  Any kind of orange juice will work.  The glaze adds a wonderful caramelized color and a flavor that enhances the smokiness of the ham.

Print

Baked Ham with Glaze

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

Total Time

3 hrs 20 mins

 

Baked ham with a quick and easy glaze.

Course: Dinner

Calories: 433 kcal

Author: Kathy

Ingredients

• 7 pounds Fully Cooked Ham
• 1/2 cup orange juice.
• 1/4 Cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Put ham in baking dish and lightly tent with foil.
3. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
4. Mix orange juice, brown sugar, mustards and cloves together in a bowl to create a glaze.
5. Remove from oven and lightly Score top of ham with diagonal lines running across top of ham. Go in both directions creating a crisscross pattern with 2 inch squares. Cut just through the thick skin and fat, but not into the meat. Add glaze to top of ham.
6. Once you add the glaze, check on ham every 30-45 minutes. If the bottom of the pan is getting too dried out, add 1 cup of warm water to the pan.
7. Bake until ham reaches 130 degrees.
8. Remove from oven and add foil to keep warm.
9. Let ham rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Ham with Glaze

Amount Per Serving

Calories 433

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Other Great Recipes to Try

Green Bean Almondine

Twice Baked Potatoes