Just think, no more laborious scoring and sticking cloves in each little criss-cross and mixing up whatever glaze I once used. So much Sunday time wasted on the ham. Good grief.
A word about bone-in, fully-cooked hams. You can buy them in three ways:
- A whole ham: Works great if you are feeding a lot of people.
- The butt portion: Offers more meat and less bone. Slightly more expensive per pound than the shank portion.
- The shank portion: The bone runs through the middle of the ham and there is less meat than the butt portion. Some people feel that the shank meat is “sweeter”. Costs less than butt portion.
The butt portion costs a little more than the shank because there is less bone and more meat. It is my preferred cut. However, in the pictures below, I used the shank portion because, theoretically, I have a nice bone left over to make ham and bean soup. That’s a post for another time maybe in November or January or the end of October. I don’t know; you’ll just have to wait for it.
I used a Smithfield® brand ham and it was excellent. I am not promoting one brand of ham over another, but I want to pass along that this is great ham. Generally there have been two brands of ham from which to choose at my local grocery stores–Cook’s® or Hormel®. I have never been able to bring myself to pay Hormel® prices, so I have always bought Cook’s®. Now, though, Smithfield® hams are available here at local grocery stores and I have come to prefer them.
And one more thing. I realize that I am probably going to step on a lot of toes with this next statement, but I don’t buy spiral sliced hams. To me, they don’t taste as good and seem to be dryer after baking.
If you are a spiral sliced ham fan, give this recipe a try on a ham that has not been spiral-sliced and see how amazing a ham can be. The flavor is going to be outstanding no matter how you slice your home-baked, home-carved ham! You just wait and see.
Baked Ham with Brown Sugar Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
- bone-in, fully-cooked ham, any size (also referred to as 'ready to eat')
- yellow mustard or mustard of choice
- brown sugar
Instructions
- Wrap the ham in aluminum foil and seal tightly. Place in a baking pan and bake in a 325-degree oven for 15 minutes per pound of ham. To figure out how long to bake your ham, divide the weight of the ham by 4 (because there are 4 fifteen minute segments in an hour). Example: a 12 pound ham will bake for a total of 3 hours. 12 divided by 4 = 3
- Unwrap ham for the last hour of baking and glaze with the yellow mustard/brown sugar glaze (See Glaze instructions below). Bake for 30 minutes, uncovered. Re-glaze and bake for an additional 30 minutes, uncovered. Note: The internal temperature of the ham should be 140-degrees F.
For the glaze:
- Mix yellow mustard and brown sugar in a 1:2 or 1:3 ratio. That's one part mustard to two or three parts brown sugar. Start with the smaller ratio and adjust as needed. Taste the glaze before applying to ham to make sure that it is as sweet or tart as you prefer. The ham that I used for this recipe weighed between 6-7 pounds. I used 1 cup of yellow mustard and 3 cups of brown sugar. Your glaze should be kind of soupy, but still thick enough to stick to the ham while baking, about the consistency of lightly warmed honey.
Finishing
- After the ham has baked, allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing. The ham does not need to be covered while resting.
I double-wrap my ham in aluminum foil to ensure that it is completely encased. This helps to hold in the cooking juices and gives a moist ham. I usually place the ham in a 9″ x13″ baking pan. Bake in a 325-degree oven for 15-20 minutes per pound or for however long the label recommends. Did you know that the baking time is generally on the label? Depending on the brand of ham you are using, the directions may either be on the front or the back of the label.
Hey, you’re going to have some leftover ham and a great ham bone. Here are some ways to make good use of it:
Refried Beans
Split Pea Soup with Ham
Ham Fried Rice
You may also like:
Corn Fritter Casserole
Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Super Easy Glazed Carrots
I am going to try this today! This is probably a dumb question, but do you take the hour that you glaze the ham off of the 15 to 20 min per pound? Or is it an additional hour?
Karen, I realize that I am answering your question too late, but perhaps the answer will benefit someone other readers. The glaze time is part of the cooking time. Example: I have a ham that needs to be cooked for two hours. I will cook it, covered, for one hour. I will then remove the foil, glaze the ham and bake for 30 minutes (the ham will have cooked for 1 hour 30 minutes). At this point I will remove the ham from the oven and glaze the ham with the remaining glaze, return the uncovered ham to the oven and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F.
I hope you can help!!! I have a task of cooking 8 precooked water pressed hams for a church service to feed the homeless. Since these hams are already cooked & have what I call a casing around it, would you believe that the glaze would adhere the same or do you think I should score the ham(s)?
Hi Devon. Scoring the hams would be fine and would probably help the glaze penetrate a little deeper into the hams. However, I always use precooked hams as well and they have a skin or casing on them. The glaze adheres satisfactorily; some of it works its way off of the ham, but a fair amount stays on the ham, too. Bottom line, it is really up to you whether you score the hams or not. Things should work out well either way. Best wishes with your adventure. Bless you for helping take care of the homeless. ~Terri
Can’t wait to try it for Christmas 2017, sounds like grandmas. Thank you and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Merry Christmas to you, too, Sheri.
I am new to cooking ham…mine says ready to eat…does that mean I don’t have to cook it before doing the glaze?
Hi, Dana. Cured hams are often labeled as “ready to eat” or “fully-cooked”, but generally are reheated before serving. Although it is technically simply reheating the ham, we refer to this as baking or cooking the ham. The USDA states, “Both whole or half, cooked, vacuum-packaged hams packaged in federally inspected plants and canned hams can be eaten cold, right out of the package.”
This recipe calls for a fully-cooked (ready to eat) ham. The ham is reheated (cooked/baked) and the glaze is used during the cooking process. Hams can be reheated in the oven, plain, with no glazes or other toppings. They taste good on their own, but the flavor can be enhanced by adding a glaze and/or toppings.
Some people like to score their hams (make shallow diamond shaped cuts in the ham) before adding any extras. Whole cloves are a common addition to a scored ham, with a clove being pushed into each diamond shape. Pineapple slices, along with cloves, are a popular traditional topping. Other toppings include glazes made with maple syrup, honey or various fruit juices.
Hams labeled as either “partially cooked” or “uncured”, need to be cooked according to package directions. They have different cooking parameters than do fully-cooked, ready to eat hams.
Thank you so much. I am very excited about this ham and glaze. This is actually the glaze we use on our meatloaf and it is amazing. Thanks again for your help, I appreciate it.
It sounds very good and the recipe is clear and simple. Thank you
We have brunch at my sons house Christmas mornings.This has become family tradition the past seven yrs .Everyone brings their favorite dish to share ,but this yr I’m trying something different.Saw your recipe for mustard glazed ham.WISH ME LUCK !
You dare devil, you. 🙂
I use a turkey bag, place ham on end, pour one 16 oz bottle of coke in bag, then I put Dijon mustard and brown sugar mix on ham, covered thick.Put A nice bark of glaze on the ham. Peel and quarter an orange and place both peel and orange in bag.Put it in the oven.cook pound minute ratio. When it’s done. Pull ham out of the bag. Take the juice and drain in large cup. Slice the ham. Pour the juice over the ham. Serve.
Wow! That sounds so wonderful!
Hi there new to this site, im going to try it on new years day, my question to you is this, I usually cook it in a cooking bag, should i take it out of the oven the ham, take off cooking bag and put sauce on top, and continue on with ur recipe , plze help
I just made my ham tonight with your “mustard and brown sugar” glaze and it was very easy to make and absolutely DELICIOUS!!! I even saved a lil glaze on the side to dip my ham in!!! Thanks For Your Recipe!!!
I’ll pass your comment on to my son in-law. It always puts a big smile on his face when I tell him how much people love his mom’s ham recipe. 🙂
If I were to make this without the glaze, would it change the uncovered cooking time? Would the ham dry out without it? Thanks!
Hi Kristina. Whenever I bake a ham without a glaze, I usually bake the ham covered for the entire time. The ham comes out very juicy and tender.
I think it’s awesome….half the honey&sugar with mustard is divine… even more crusty!
I have never baked a ham before and tried your recipe today, using a 10lb smoked ham shank. I followed your recipe exactly. Super moist and flavorful. Thank you!
My mother used to bake her ham this way and was always delicious. I had been looking for a receipt made the same way, thanks for posting it. I know my Easter Ham will be delicious.
Do i need to let the ham rest after removing it from oven or can i cut and serve right away. Thanks
Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, covered (foil will work well).
That sounds so good I’m going to try it this evening.. Umm
I’m using this recipe for the first time this year for our family Thanksgiving dinner it looks delicious and the ingredients are all very simple which is what I like so I’ll let you know how it comes out thank you for sharing bless you
Thanks. I’m doing this now
I use this glaze, but I also cook my ham in a one liter of coca cola…. it is hands down the best!
Light brown.
I tried this B.sugar mustard glaze on a 10 pound spiral ham but cooked it in a large cooking bag. 325% 1st he. Then 180 the last 21/2 hrs. Delicious! I’d cook it again. I give it 4 stars. Washington state annie.
I have a shank to try this on for Christmas dinner.
Easy ingredients!
I have a 12.7 lb Butt if I figured it should take 4he’s at 325 covered til Last Hr.
Am I correct ?
4hrs
Hi Kathy. The math works out closer to 3 hours or 3 hours 15 minutes. So, cook your ham, wrapped in foil, for 2 hours 15 minutes. Remove from oven, pull back foil and add the glaze. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, re-glaze and bake for another 30 minutes (total of 1 hour).
I made this for Christmas this year. BEST ham I’ve ever made!! I had a 12lb. shank ham, followed the time as given, and it was perfect!! Used more mustard than the 1:3 ratio. I’ve never had such a moist ham!! Thank you so much for this recipe. I will always use it for cooking hams!
Thanks, Adrienne. I am so glad that the recipe worked for you! And you’re right about the mustard – more tastes great, too.