Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham

Ham – There are many options for hams out there, and I’ll discuss their differences below. My recommendation for this recipe, however, is an 8-10-pound fully cooked, smoked, bone-in shank or butt ham that is not spiral cut. I find spiral cut hams for this recipe can dry out more easily and the slices are a bit thin for my taste

Maple – Be sure to use pure maple syrup for this recipe and NOT a pancake syrup. Look for darker and more robust maple syrups compared to lighter amber versions.

Bourbon – The main rule of thumb here is use something you would drink. If you’re not a drinker, look for a bourbon that’s not super cheap and sold on the bottom shelf, but not something that costs $50+ either. You can find some decent bourbons for a reasonable price and buy a smaller 350ml bottle. If you’re concerned about the alcohol in the ham, it gets cooked out.

Oranges – Two medium to large navel oranges work here. I zest one to add to the glaze and then juice both to add to the water in the bottom of the roasting pan. Note: I know the image shows four oranges, and I have tried this recipe a few times and I suggest no more than two oranges to keep the flavor subtle.

Sugar – I prefer a dark brown sugar for the glaze here, this adds sweetness but also helps to caramelize the glaze into a sticky, shiny topping across the ham.

Spices – I season the glaze with a combination of black pepper, ground clove, and ground cinnamon. These flavors compliment the bourbon well. I also grate a small piece of fresh ginger. The flavor of fresh ginger adds a much stronger zing to the glaze, and I don’t recommend substituting it with ground.

Worcestershire – This adds a good umami and deeper richness to the glaze.

Mustard – Just a bit of Dijon mustard adds a small tang to the glaze to tone down the sweetness and helps emulsify the ingredients.

Butter – I finish the glaze with just a small amount of butter to help as another emulsifier, and it smooths out the flavor and texture and gives the glaze a glossier look.

Types of Ham

• City Ham – The most common type of ham is called “city ham” and refers to ham that is usually wet-brined and probably smoked. This is the one you’ll find most often in stores and is fully cooked and usually sold as shank, butt, or spiral sliced ham.
• Country Ham – Less common and typically only sold in the South, country ham is dry-brined in salt and usually uncooked. This style of ham is a bit of an acquired taste and usually needs to be soaked 24 hours before cooking to remove the salt. Still quite salty and a bit dry, these hams aren’t normally used for baked hams.
• Fresh Ham – Also called “green ham”, fresh ham is sold uncured and uncooked. This type of ham is the most difficult to find normally, and you may need to special-order it from a butcher.

Pre-cooked hams are typically safe to eat cold out of the package, but are usually reheated and cooked to an internal temperature of 140°F. Fresh ham needs to be cooked to at least an internal temperature of 145-160°F.

Cuts of Ham

The main cuts of ham sold in stores are bone-in, spiral cut (typically bone-in), and boneless. Bone-in hams can be sold whole but are typically sold as either a butt or shank portions. I’ve made this maple bourbon glazed ham recipe with both butt and shank cuts, and both work well. It mostly comes down to personal preference.

• Shank – The shank end of the ham is cut from the lower portion of the hind leg. It is typically leaner than the butt, less expensive, and has a larger bone. Because it contains just the femur bone, it can be a little easier to carve than the butt end.
• Butt – The butt end comes from the upper portion of the hind leg. It can be a little more expensive than the shank because it has smaller bones and tends to be more tender with fattier meat. Since it contains a T-shaped bone, however, the butt can be a bit harder to carve.
• Spiral Cut – These hams can be made from the shank or the butt portion. An oscillating blade cuts around the ham making pre-sliced cuts to the bone. Many of these come pre-glazed or with a glaze packet. Some people prefer this cut for the ease of carving, but they can also dry out more easily in the oven and aren’t always an idea choice for glazed ham recipes.
• Boneless – These hams are usually sold in smaller portions and come from half-hams that have been deboned and trimmed. The ham is then typically pressed into an oval shape and cured with salt and water that causes the proteins to break down and rebind with one another. This is what gives it a cohesive look in the end.

Ham Tips

• How much ham? If buying a bone-in ham, aim for about ¾ pound per person. For a boneless ham, go for about ½ pound per person. If you’re cooking a ham alongside another large protein like a turkey for Thanksgiving, a ½ pound per person with bone-in ham is enough. Always consider buying more ham than you think you’ll need so you have leftovers, or enough for any hungry or surprise guests.
• The ham bone. Don’t throw that out! Keep the ham bone that’s left behind after carving as much meat from it as you can. Ham bones are great for things like ham-bone soup, split pea soup, homemade ham stock, and even Southern collard greens.

Prepping and Baking the Ham

When ready, preheat your oven to 325°F / 160°C and move a rack to the lower third of the oven.

If the ham has skin on, carefully score it and it should pull from the fat layer. If the ham is particularly fatty, you can trim some of that down to about a ¼ inch thickness.

Using a sharp knife, carefully score the fat layers in a roughly 1-inch diamond pattern about 75% of the way into the fat. Try to avoid cutting into the meat.

Zest one of the oranges and sit it aside. Now juice both oranges and add the juice to the bottom of a roasting pan. In a small bowl, mix about 3 tablespoons each of the maple syrup and bourbon.

Place the scored ham cut side down into the roasting pan on a rack. Pour enough water into the bottom of the pan with the orange juice so that it is at least a ½-inch or so deep. Now brush on or drizzle the maple-bourbon liquid evenly over the ham.

Cover with foil and place the ham into the bottom third of the oven and bake for about 1.5 - 2 hours or until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the ham registers about 120°F / 49°C. While it cooks, baste the ham with the drippings once every 20-30 minutes. Be sure to check the temperature early and keep an eye on it since the time can vary.

Making the Glaze and Finishing the Ham

When the ham is getting close to finishing, make the glaze.

In a pot on your stove over medium heat, add the maple syrup, bourbon, brown sugar, reserved zest, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, grated ginger, and seasoning. Stir and heat until the sugar has dissolved and the rest of the ingredients have combined fully.

Let the glaze come to a light simmer and continue to cook and thicken for 5 minutes or so. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until it is melted and combined.

Once the ham reaches roughly 120°F, crank the heat up to 400°F / 200°C. Remove the ham from the oven and you can remove the foil for the rest of the cooking time. Brush on some of the glaze and place the ham back into the oven.

Continue baking the ham at higher heat for about 25-40 minutes, brushing with more glaze every 10 minutes until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 140°F / 60°C. If the ham starts to darken too much during this process, gently tent the foil back over it.

Once done cooking, remove the ham from the oven and cover with any remaining glaze. Let the ham rest for at least 20-30 minutes before carving and serving.

Roasting Pan – Whether you’re making this ham, a turkey, or a good-sized chicken, I recommend getting a decent quality roasting pan with high sides, a rack, and comfortable handles that don’t get in the way.

Baster – I don’t always recommend basting in my recipes, but you can get a decent quality turkey baster for a low price, and some come with a brush to make cleaning easy.

Thermometer – I highly recommend investing in a high quality, instant-read digital thermometer. When you spend the money on a quality one, they can last almost forever, truly are instant read within 1-2 seconds, and can be used for anything from steaks to turkeys to bread to checking on fry oil temperature.

❄️ How to Store Maple Bourbon Ham

Once cooled completely, you can store the leftover ham in the refrigerator for 3-5 days wrapped in plastic wrap and again in foil. However, I recommend completely carving the rest of the ham and saving the leftovers in two zipper-locked bags in the refrigerator. Separate the ham into nice slices and chunks.

Carve what meat you can from the bone and be sure to save that bone, either refrigerated for 3-5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months. The bone can be used to make stock, soups, or in recipes that use ham shanks for added flavor.

If you can’t eat all your leftovers within 5 days, you can also freeze the ham for 1-2 months. Or check out some of my great recipes made with leftover ham like my savory ham and cheese scones or creamy ham and potato soup.