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Home » Meals » dinner » Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

March 22, 2022 by Lora

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This easy Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Hamrecipe is so juicy with crispy edges from the brown sugar glaze! This easy-to-make baked ham makes the perfect centerpiece for Easter or Christmas.

This spiral ham recipe is made with brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, mustard and spices is just dripping with flavor and only takes a few minutes of hands-on prep! An elegant and easy to make main dish that is perfect for Easter, Christmas and any big friend or family gathering.

If it’s your first time baking a spiral ham, fear not! I explain how to make the ham with step-by-step directions in the recipe card below…it’s truly very easy!

baked spiral ham on serving platter with clementines and fresh herbs

In my mind, there is nothing that is quite as tempting as a juicy and delicious spiral-cut ham on the holiday table. There better be leftovers for my kids so we always buy a bigger ham. This baked spiral ham goes so well with our No-Knead Dinner Rolls and our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.

They have spiral cut hams available all year, so you could make it a special dinner any time of the year. We happened to enjoy this rosemary ham for an Easter dinner with friends.

Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

Originally published March 2020 and republished March 2022.

Spiral cut hams are usually between 8 and 11 pounds (and some are smaller, around 5 pounds) and already come fully cooked (check the package out that it says pre-cooked). You’re basically heating up the ham on a lower temperature to make sure the outside doesn’t dry out.

Lamb is the meat that is enjoyed on Easter all over Italy. But a baked spiral ham is what my father preferred for Christmas and even Easter. My sister-in-law just reminded me that we better make our baked ham for Thanksgiving!

My dad would decorate his platter with fresh rosemary and slices of star fruit all from his garden. Dad would also add orange slices and it was a plate that looked very Sicilian. This rosemary ham is something he would totally love! When I baked this ham, it brought me so many memories of dad’s special ham.

overhead image of rosemary brown sugar spiral sliced ham

What’s Needed for This Spiral Ham Recipe?

This baked spiral ham requires very few ingredients to achieve lots of flavor! Here’s what I used in for the rosemary ham:

Spiral ham (pre-cooked)

  • Orange
  • Garlic cloves
  • Fresh rosemary and thyme

And to make the spiral ham glaze recipe, I used the following:

  • Brown sugar
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Orange juice
  • Dijon mustard
  • Mild paprika

How Much Ham Per Person?

The way to calculate how many servings you’ll get is it’s about 6 ounces per person, so you could figure an 8-pound ham will give you about 20 servings. Impossible to eat just one slice, so maybe get a larger ham if you’re dreaming of those leftovers the next day! This spiral ham recipe also makes the best sandwiches!

What Are the Best Herbs for Spiral Ham?

For this Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham, we used fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic and orange slices in our ham. You could use just rosemary or just thyme. We like the combo of the fresh rosemary and thyme. When you are serving the ham, you could remove the garlic slivers, fresh herbs, and orange slices.

overhead image of rosemary brown sugar glazed spiral ham

How to Bake a Spiral Ham

Since spiral hams come fully cooked, you’re really just heating it up before serving. You could make this brown sugar glazed spiral ham any time for a special occasion!

Here are the basic steps for cooking a spiral ham in the oven:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
  2. Whisk together the spiral ham glaze.
  3. Remove spiral ham from the package, but reserve the liquid.
  4. Place the spiral ham in a pan with a rack (you want the fat side UP).
  5. Gently pry apart the sliced ham and stuff insert the thinly sliced orange, garlic clove slivers, and sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme.
  6. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil around the bottom of the pan to avoid drying it out.
  7. Cover the spiral ham tightly with foil (this makes sure no steam escapes).
  8. Place the baking pan in the center of the oven and bake.
  9. For the last 20 minutes of the cooking, uncover the ham and spoon the brown sugar glaze on top.

How Long to Bake a Spiral Ham

Your spiral ham’s cooking time will depend on its size. However, a good rule of thumb is to bake your spiral ham for 13-16 minutes per pound at 250°F uncovered. Use a meat thermometer and check that the glazed spiral ham registers 140°F before serving it.

Keep the ham covered with foil to keep it warm until you’re ready to serve it. If you check the ham and remove it at around 135°F it shouldn’t be dry.

overhead image of sliced ham on foil paper

How to Cut a Spiral Ham

Spiral hams are cut from one end to the other, which makes it very easy to carve and serve. Spiral hams are wonderful served the next day warm or even cold.

How to Reheat Spiral Ham

You have a few options when it comes to reheating this glazed spiral ham. You can either cover the ham with foil and bake it at 325ºF for 10 minutes per pound OR you can reheat individual slices in the microwave or in a skillet. Your choice!

overhead image of spiral sliced ham and oranges on colored plate

overhead image of baked ham with rosemary and oranges

Pin itto your EASTER, HOLIDAY, MEAT or DINNER Board to SAVE for later! Find me on Pinterestfor more great recipes! I am always pinning :)!

What to Serve with Spiral Ham

This spiral ham recipe pairs nicely with almost any side dish! A few of our favorite sides to enjoy alongside this glazed spiral ham include:

Sicilian Fennel and Orange Salad
Honey Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Best Ever Italian Sausage Stuffing
Sweet Corn Spoonbread
No-Knead Dinner Rolls
Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes

Just a quick request: if you enjoyed this Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham as much as we did, would you kindly leave me a 5-star rating and a short (or long!)comment–the ratings are what helps get my recipes and hard work discovered, so I can keep leaving you more delish recipes!

Your comments mean the world to me….and I really SMILE when I read them. Thank you so much! XX

overhead spiral ham
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
5 from 7 votes

Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

This Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham is so juicy with crispy edges from the brown sugar glaze. The perfect centerpiece for Easter or Christmas!
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time2 hrs
Total Time2 hrs 5 mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: ham, holiday
Servings: 1 ham
Author: Lora

Ingredients

HAM

  • 1 spiral ham (8-10 lbs)
  • 1/2 orange , thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves , slivered
  • 6 sprigs fresh rosemary and thyme , cut up

GLAZE

  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon mild paprika

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 250°F.
  • In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients and stir together well; set aside.
  • Remove packaging and if your ham has a small plastic disk on the underside of the bone, remove and discard the disk.
  • Place ham in a shallow roasting pan lined with foil (or a Silpat mat), cut side down.
  • Between the slices all around the ham insert the thinly sliced orange, garlic clove slivers, and sprigs of fresh rosemary and/or thyme. Cover tightly with foil paper.
  • Bake for 13-16 minutes per pound until ham reaches 140°F. The ham doesn't need any attention or checking until at least 1 1/2 hours have passed.
  • For the last 20 minutes of the cooking, uncover and spoon the glaze over the ham.
  • Transfer to a platter using two large, wide spatulas. Remove the ham from the oven and rest at least 15 minutes before cutting. Spoon any glaze from the pan over the ham before serving if desired.

Notes

All images and text  ©Savoring Italy.  Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
 

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Comments

  1. Kimberly says

    April 22, 2019 at 6:20 pm

    Absolute perfection, that looks and sounds fabulous!

    Reply
    • Lora says

      April 23, 2019 at 6:34 am

      Thank you, Kimberly!! I’m happy we had some leftovers;)

  2. Katerina @ diethood .com says

    April 23, 2019 at 7:10 am

    5 stars
    WOW!! This ham looks and sounds absolutely amazing!!

    Reply
  3. Sara Welch says

    April 23, 2019 at 1:12 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious recipe for a holiday ham! I will make this for Mother’s Day in a few weeks!

    Reply
    • Lora says

      April 24, 2019 at 6:25 am

      Thank you, Sara. Great idea for the special moms!!

  4. Beth Pierce says

    April 23, 2019 at 1:24 pm

    5 stars
    Love this great looking ham! Great for holidays and a nice weeknight dinner with family; yum!

    Reply
    • Lora says

      April 24, 2019 at 6:26 am

      Thank you, Beth!

  5. Jackie says

    April 23, 2019 at 5:31 pm

    5 stars
    What a great way to enjoy Easter ham. I have this pinned to my Thanksgiving board, so I don’t miss out!

    Reply
    • Lora says

      April 24, 2019 at 6:26 am

      Thank you, Jackie! It would be great also for Thanksgiving!

  6. Deseree says

    April 23, 2019 at 5:58 pm

    5 stars
    What a great Easter ham recipe. I love that you have added rosemary. That is a great springtime herb.

    Reply
    • Lora says

      April 24, 2019 at 6:26 am

      It is! I add it to so many dishes. Thank you. 🙂

  7. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

    April 25, 2019 at 8:09 am

    5 stars
    This couldn’t look any more perfect! I’m drooling this is everything I love!

    Reply
  8. Mimi says

    March 13, 2020 at 6:11 pm

    Now I’m craving ham! This looks really lovely.

    Reply
  9. Leticia says

    December 17, 2020 at 3:11 pm

    5 stars
    Normally we are not the ones to make Thanksgiving ham, but since we didn’t get together with family this was our first time making it. This recipe is now our favorite and will be our regular ham going forward. Delish!

    Reply
    • Lora says

      December 17, 2020 at 4:55 pm

      Hi Leticia-awwww…I know, this year is so difficult to be apart from our families. This makes me so happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for letting me know. Happy Holidays! XX

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Welcome to our Italian kitchen! We are Lora and Gabriella, the mother-daughter team behind Savoring Italy. We work hard to create recipes that are inclusive of many sorts of diets, but do not follow one diet. Read More

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