Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

This easy Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham recipe is so juicy with crispy edges from the best brown sugar glaze! This easy to make baked ham makes the perfect centerpiece for Easter and Christmas!

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 ham goes so well with our No-Knead Dinner Rolls and our Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.

Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

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 Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham for an Easter dinner with friends.

This Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham made with brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, mustard and spices is just dripping with flavor and only takes a few minutes to 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 ham, fear not! I explain how to make the ham with step-by-step directions…it’s truly very easy!

Spiral hams are popular at Easter and Christmas dinner and as I mentioned, the best part is you can buy find them any time of the year!  Since spiral ham comes fully cooked,  you’re just heating them up before serving. Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham is something you could make any time for a special party!

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. A baked 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 Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham is something he would totally love! When I baked this ham, it brought me so many memories of dad’s special ham.

How Much Ham Should I Buy?

The way to calculate how many servings you’ll get is it’s about 6 ounces per person, so you could figure an 8 lb 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 ham make the best sandwiches!

How long to cook a Spiral Ham?

How long to cook a Spiral Ham will depend on the size it should be 13-16 minutes per pound at 250°F uncovered. Use a meat thermometer and check that the ham is 140°F .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 dry it.

Glazing Spiral Ham

The glaze should be added at the end of the cooking so that it doesn’t burn. We don’t use the glaze that comes with the  ham as it’s so easy to make a simple glaze! The glaze we use is a super easy glaze to put together.

The glaze gets brushed on during the last 20 minutes.

A very easy glaze:

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons dijon mustard

How to Cut a Spiral Ham

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

What fresh herbs should I use for spiral cut 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.

How to cook a spiral cut ham without it drying out?

1. Preheat 350 F.
2. Remove spiral ham from package, reserve the liquid. Put spiral ham in pan with rack with fat side UP.
3. Drizzle on extra-virgin olive oil around bottom of pan avoid drying it out.
4. Cover spiral ham tightly with foil, this makes sure no steam escapes.
5. Place baking pan in center of oven.

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5 from 6 votes

Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham

This easy Rosemary Brown Sugar Glazed Spiral Ham recipe has a glaze that will make any holiday dinner feel extra special.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 5 mins

Course: Dinner

Keyword: ham, holiday

Servings: 1 ham

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.

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