Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham

The sweet and spicy maple-bourbon glaze on this ham makes every slice mouthwatering, and your home smell amazing! It’s our go-to Easter ham, and a family favorite.

Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham – The sweet and spicy maple-bourbon glaze on this family favorite ham is delicious, and makes your home smell amazing! | thecomfortofcooking.com

I think everyone has at least one fuzzy memory of helping out in the kitchen as a kid. A couple of mine? Stealing scraps of dough for apple pie to make cinnamon pinwheels. Mashing up meatloaf with my hands and mashed potatoes with all the might behind my scrawny arms. And, my favorite, carefully dotting the Easter ham with spicy scented cloves before smothering it in a sticky glaze. To some it would seem tedious, but to me, it meant I had a small hand in a big holiday meal!

It was a job I took very seriously… obviously.

Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham – The sweet and spicy maple-bourbon glaze on this family favorite ham is delicious, and makes your home smell amazing! | thecomfortofcooking.com

Since we only enjoy ham once a year, I like to stick with one method that always produces mouthwatering results. So, say hello to my BEST recipe for preparing your piggy! Or, at least a small portion of one.

The glaze is a perfect mix of sweet and spicy, which compliments the salty ham so nicely. It’s incredibly easy to prepare, bakes up to a beautiful deep amber and best of all, fills your home with an amazing spicy aroma. That’s how you know the holidays are here!

Easter was the first holiday that hubby (then boyfriend-I-wanted-to-impress) and I enjoyed just the two of us. We were cramped up in our cozy Boston apartment with a little oven but a lotta ambition to make a special dinner from scratch! We may have snagged the scalloped potatoes and creamed spinach sides from the store, but the ham? Glazed, golden and made with love.

A pretty good accomplishment for two goofy college kids, I’d say!

Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham – The sweet and spicy maple-bourbon glaze on this family favorite ham is delicious, and makes your home smell amazing! | thecomfortofcooking.com

This tender, juicy spiced ham will always conjure up happy Easter memories for me. If you try it and love it, I hope it does for you, too! A medley of Dijon mustard, orange zest, maple syrup and smoky bourbon slathered over top makes this ham absolutely irresistible… and a major family favorite. The whole cloves are just the cherry on top! And they infuse the ham with the most wonderful spicy scent.

As for the leftovers? I love using chopped up ham on top of pizzas and baked into warm quiches, casseroles, soups and sandwiches. It’s great in omelets and frittatas, too!

Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham

Maple-Bourbon Glazed Ham

Yield: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 3-5 lb. half ham, precooked and sliced
  • Whole cloves, optional
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 2 Tablespoons bourbon whiskey
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Zest of 1 orange

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Set a small cooling rack over a 13 x 9 inch dish. Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the dish. Place ham, sliced side down (with end facing up), on top of the rack. Pierce ham all over with whole cloves, if desired.
  2. Stir remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Brush half of the mixture all over ham. Loosely cover ham with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Brush remaining mixture all over ham and bake uncovered for an additional 40-45 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees and ham has caramelized. Slice and serve.
  3. Enjoy!

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Join the Conversation

  1. Oh my! Now that’s what I call a treat! Loving the sound of the slightly sweet glaze, and those whole cloves make it look so nice, and I can imagine they give the meat such a lovely flavour.
    I hope you have a great holiday ahead Georgia! x

  2. Aww that glaze sounds wonderful! I love the flavor combo and the bourbon addition is simply fantastic. Best glazed ham I’ve ever seen!
    I hope you have a fantastic week! xx

  3. Love baking homemade ham- this sounds divine with the maple glaze!

  4. You had me sold at bourbon! Sounds delicious, Georgia. And I think using up the leftovers in all kinds of dishes is the best part!

  5. This Easter ham looks incredible, Georgia! I can almost smell the aroma through the computer screen. The combo of maple, bourbon, and fresh citrus sounds mouth-watering!

  6. Ooh! I’m loving the orange and bourbon combo in the maple glaze! I can smell it now. :) I, too, have fond memories of studding our family hams but around Christmastime. Thank you for sharing and have a fabulous week!

  7. Those childhood food memories are the best! And somehow make those same foods taste all the more delicious today. What a great ham recipe!

  8. The bourbon/maple combination sounds to die for, Georgia! I loved reading about your first holiday spent together just the two of you – so cute.

  9. What a delightful glaze on this ham. Two college students did pretty well indeed!

  10. Your glaze sounds delicious, love the flavor combination. bet your kitchen smelled amazing!

  11. This looks amazing! Bet the bourbon-maple glaze would be fantastic for the chicken too.

  12. Ooohhh, I knew this was coming when I saw the quiche :) This is such a classic image of an Easter ham it just makes me all warm and fuzzy. LOVE the maple bourbon glaze. That definitely brings the warm fuzzies too! Beautiful, Georgia!

  13. I love the memories you shared of you and in the kitchen – there’s no other way to make meatloaf than just getting in there with your hands, right? lol. OK, now on to this insanely gorgeous ham…i’m speechless, these pictures Georgia…they’re SO PERFECT!!! The recipe sounds so good, I might just HAVE to make it for Easter!

  14. It looks great, and I’m sure it tastes even better! Since I didn’t grow up eating baked ham like this, could you tell me what are some of your favorite side dishes to eat with it?

  15. Thanks, Angel! My favorite side dishes with Easter ham are any variation on asparagus/carrots/green beans, big green salads, and especially scalloped potatoes and creamed spinach. I have recipes for both on here!

  16. 5 stars
    I don’t think this ham could be any more perfect! The thing I love most about ham is the leftovers :)

  17. I only make ham once a year, too!!! And yours is the prettiest I’ve seen! Your glaze sounds terrific and you definitely know how to score and place the cloves expertly! Hope you have a wonderful holiday :)

  18. 5 stars
    Georgia, that looks wonderfully delicious. It is time for me to do a ham! but there would be a lot of leftovers as it is just the two of us. Your photos are really beautiful.

  19. Maple and bourbon sounds like a brilliant combination!

  20. Your first Easter together sounds special. Love this gorgeous ham. Seriously, this is the purdiest ham I’ve ever seen.

  21. 5 stars
    This ham is absolute perfection! I am in love!

  22. 5 stars
    Baked ham is the perfect meal for Easter… love this bourbon glaze. Have a wonderful Easter. :)

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