Bourbon-glazed ham is an elegant centerpiece for your next holiday celebration. Warm, sweet and spiced notes come through in the delicious glaze, giving the ham a perfect finish.
Bourbon-Glazed Ham Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Take regular, boring ham to a level of festive celebration with bourbon-glazed ham. This simple recipe comes together with just six ingredients, yet it tastes nothing short of spectacular.

Our bourbon-glazed ham boasts an oaky sweetness from the bourbon, plus notes of molasses from the brown sugar. Mustard gives it a touch of heat, and ground coriander adds a hint of a floral note. The orange marmalade rounds it out with a bold, citrusy punch.

Ham is a fantastic option when cooking for a crowd, especially over any holiday. Bourbon-glazed ham is significantly less fussy than other Christmas roast recipes or Easter dinner ideas. You don’t have to worry about marinating anything. There’s no need to scrutinize the exact internal temperature for the perfect finish. And since a ham comes already cooked, you can simply toss it in the oven until it’s heated through.

And let’s not forget the biggest bonus of them all: Leftover ham tastes great cold, and this recipe makes for excellent ham sandwiches, salads and snacks.

Ingredients for Bourbon-Glazed Ham

  • Fully cooked bone-in ham: The best ham for bourbon-glazed ham is a bone-in city ham. These hams are wet-brined and fully cooked, so you only have to reheat them in the oven. Bone-in hams stay juicier as they reheat, but you could also use an easier-to-carve boneless or spiral ham. Just make sure you don’t come home with a fresh ham. These hams are raw and uncured, so they take much longer to cook.
  • Bourbon ham glaze: Our bourbon glaze recipe contains bourbon, brown sugar, ground mustard, orange marmalade and ground coriander. It makes enough glaze for an 8- to 10-pound ham. Double the glaze for a larger ham, and use the leftovers on pork chops, chicken or fish. (Bourbon-glazed salmon is especially delightful.)

Directions

Step 1: Bake the ham

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the ham on a rack set inside a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes 1/2 inch deep. Brush the ham with 2 tablespoons of the bourbon. Bake, uncovered, for two hours.

Editor’s Tip: We cook this ham uncovered to give it a gorgeous, caramelized appearance. If you substitute a spiral-cut ham, consider wrapping the pan in aluminum foil. Precut hams like spiral hams can become dry, so they benefit from the steam and moist heat created with a covered pan.

Step 2: Prepare the bourbon ham glaze

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, ground mustard, orange marmalade, ground coriander and remaining bourbon.

Step 3: Glaze the ham

Spoon the bourbon glaze over the ham. Bake 30 minutes longer, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest portion of the ham reads 140°.

Editor’s Tip: A thermometer is the best way to know how long to cook a glazed ham. Since the ham is already cooked, it can dry out if reheated too long.

Step 4: Rest and carve the bourbon-glazed ham

Let the ham stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

Editor’s Tip: Our guide on how to carve a ham has a complete tutorial on cutting like a pro.

Bourbon Glazed Ham slicedTMB studio

Bourbon-Glazed Ham Variations

  • Make it in the slow cooker: To make slow-cooker ham, cook the ham in a covered slow cooker on low until the ham reaches 140°, four to five hours. Add the glaze, re-cover, and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes.
  • Stud it with cloves: After scoring the ham, insert whole cloves into each diamond. The cloves give the ham a festive look and add a slightly sweet aroma and flavor.
  • Add heat: Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper to the bourbon glaze.
  • Customize the ham glaze: There are many fantastic ways to prepare a glaze for ham. Try making maple-glazed ham, honey-baked ham or pineapple-glazed ham.

How to Store Bourbon-Glazed Ham

To store, let the ham cool, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three to four days. For longer storage, freeze the ham in a freezer-safe container for up to two months.

Bourbon-Glazed Ham Tips

Bourbon Glazed Ham served and ready to eatTMB studio

What type of ham should you buy for bourbon-glazed ham?

We recommend using a fully cooked bone-in ham for this bourbon-glazed ham. The bone gives the meat a better flavor and keeps it moist as the ham reheats. As a bonus, you can use the leftover bone for soups like split pea soup. Read more tips on how to choose the best ham.

Do you glaze ham before or after cooking?

We glaze the ham with bourbon glaze during the final 30 minutes of cooking. If you glaze it too early, the sugars could burn and create a sticky mess.

How much ham do you need per person?

We recommend about 1/2 pound per person when serving a bone-in ham. If you decide to use a boneless ham, plan for 1/3 pound per person.

What do you serve with bourbon-glazed ham?

Serve bourbon-glazed ham with your favorite holiday side dishes, even when it isn’t the holidays! This ham pairs well with rich sides such as saucy scalloped potatoes and baked mac and cheese. Or serve it simply with mashed red potatoes, sweet candied carrots and your favorite green beans recipe.

What do you do with leftover ham?

You can use leftover bourbon-glazed ham in most recipes that call for cooked ham. Turn it into ham and cheddar breakfast casserole, or layer the slices onto Cuban sliders. It also tastes fantastic in soup recipes like cheesy ham chowder or ham and bean soup.

Bourbon-Glazed Ham

Smoky and sweet flavors come through in every bite of this Kentucky-style ham. Since I found this recipe, it’s the only ham I make. —Sue Schiller, Tomahawk, Wisconsin
Bourbon-Glazed Ham Recipe photo by Taste of Home
Total Time

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 2-1/2 hours + standing

Makes

16 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 fully cooked bone-in ham (8 to 10 pounds)
  • 3/4 cup bourbon, divided
  • 2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground mustard
  • 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

Directions

  1. Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes 1/2 in. deep. Brush with 2 tablespoons bourbon. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 2 hours.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, mustard, marmalade, coriander and remaining bourbon; spoon over ham. Bake 30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 140°. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

5 ounces ham: 301 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated fat), 100mg cholesterol, 1200mg sodium, 29g carbohydrate (28g sugars, 0 fiber), 34g protein.