If you're looking for that perfect ham for holidays, weeknight meals or just because this Honey Baked Ham is just what you need. Simple, flavorful and easy!
Place the oven rack to the bottom position. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place a roasting rack in the bottom of a roasting pan. If you do not have a roasting rack you can make one by taking a large piece of foil, condensing it down into a long rope, then securing the ends together to form a circle. Place the ham cut side down onto the rack.
If desired, cut the skin off of the ham.
Gently score through the fat in a diamond shape all over the ham, do not cut too deep into the meat. Pour the beer into the bottom of the roasting pan and 1/2 cup of the apple juice. Set aside.
In a small saucepan, add the remaining apple juice, honey, grainy mustard, dijon, brown sugar, vinegar, and ground cloves. Whisk the ingredients together and bring it to a simmer until smooth, whisking constantly for about 3-5 minutes. Brush half the glaze all over the ham.
Cover the ham with foil, you may need to overlap two pieces of foil to fit, and bake at 325ºF for an hour and a half to two hours or until the internal temp reaches 110°F.
Remove the foil, turn the oven up to 375°F, and brush with half of the remaining glaze. Return the ham to the oven and continue to bake for another 20-30 minutes, until an internal temperature reaches 130°F.
Turn the broiler on low. Brush with the remaining glaze, place the oven until bubbly, golden brown with a slight char. Keep an eye on it the whole time as it can burn quickly.
Transfer the ham to a cutting board and rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Notes
I love to save the cooking liquid and I serve it along with the ham as a thin gravy. It is so flavorful and I don’t want to waste it.
After your large event (or Tuesday night dinner) and you want to heat the ham up again for another time to serve, I suggest carving the ham off the bone. Placing the cooking liquid in a large pot or skillet on the stove and adding the ham slices right into the cooking liquid to heat up. This prevents the ham from drying out. So do not throw out those drippings!! You can also use it as a base for soup.
The ham is tender and juicy with a fantastic sweet glaze. This is a fantastic ham!! This glaze will also work on spiral hams, I suggest when brushing the glaze on the ham to try and get some of the glaze between the slices.
If you don’t want to use a beer, you can use more apple juice in its place. Other options are hard apple cider, wine, chicken stock, or a lemon-lime soda.