Christmas Ham Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

Christmas Ham Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (1)

By: Laurel Perry

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This Christmas Ham recipe is the perfect dish for your holiday feast! It’s covered with a deliciously sweet and savory glaze, made with brown sugar, oranges, garlic, and a range of herbs and spices. Just cook this spiral-cut ham in the oven for the best Christmas dinner!

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Table of Contents

Why We Love This Christmas Ham Recipe

  • Easy. Bone-in spiral-cut ham comes pre-cooked, so all you have to do is heat, brush with the glaze, and enjoy!
  • Flavorful. Dark brown sugar, blood oranges, mustard, apple cider vinegar, rosemary, spices, and garlic create a sweet and tangy glaze.
  • Beautiful. This ham has a gorgeous color and a crispy, shiny crust.

Boneless Ham for Christmas

You can easily swap out the bone-in ham for a boneless one. Simply cook the ham for 10 minutes per pound, or until it reaches 140°F internally. Plan for ½ pound of meat per person. For example, a 9-pound boneless ham will feed 18 people!

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How to Store and Reheat

The easiest way to store leftover Christmas ham is to fully carve the ham into slices. Place the slices in a resealable bag, or stack them and wrap them tightly in aluminum foil to store for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 325°F oven until warmed through.

How to Freeze

To freeze, carve Christmas ham into slices. Wrap stacks of slices in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place them in a Ziplock bag to store for up to 2 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Serving Suggestions

Kick off Christmas dinner with this glazed Christmas ham! It pairs so well with starches like crockpot mashed potatoes, twice baked potatoes, or candied sweet potatoes, and veggies like crockpot glazed carrots, creamed green beans, or asparagus almondine. Don’t forget the ham gravy!

Heat up leftovers and serve slices ondinner rollsor Hawaiian rolls to make sliders, or make any of these leftover ham recipes. These are great for lunches!

Which ham is best for Christmas?

Personally, I prefer a bone-in ham, as it is much more flavorful than a boneless one. Opt for spiral cut if it’s available to both save you time and help the glaze penetrate the meat.

When should I buy my Christmas ham?

Plan to buy your ham a week before Christmas to ensure you get the perfect size and cut! A sealed spiral-cut ham will keep for about a week in the refrigerator!

Is Christmas ham fully cooked?

Yes! The majority of hams you buy at the store have already been cooked and simply need to be reheated. We’re adding a glaze to amp up the flavor!

How long does it take to cook spiral ham?

Because spiral ham is pre-cooked, we just need to heat it up! Plan for 15 minutes per pound at 325°F.

Do you serve hot or cold ham for Christmas?

This ham can be served both ways! I love it fresh from the oven on Christmas Eve and cold on sandwiches for a Christmas Day lunch!

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More Holiday Ham Recipes To Try

  • Pineapple Ham
  • Marmalade Glazed Ham
  • Honey Baked Ham
  • Orange Honey Glazed Ham
  • Pecan Bourbon Glazed Ham
  • Apple Ginger Glazed Ham
  • Honey Mustard Maple Glazed Ham
  • Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

Recipe

Christmas Ham Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Author: Laurel Perry

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 2 hours hours

Total: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Christmas Ham Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (6)

Serves12

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A tasty brown sugar and orange glaze coats this spiral ham, before roasting it in the oven.

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Ingredients

  • 9 pound cooked bone-in spiral-cut ham
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3 blood oranges zested and juiced
  • ¼ cup coarse ground mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground paprika
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 cloves garlic minced

Optional Garnishes

Recommended Equipment

  • Roasting Pan

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325°F.

  • Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of a roasting pan.

  • Place the ham cut side down on the rack of the roasting pan.

    9 pound cooked bone-in spiral-cut ham

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  • In a small saucepan, combine the brown sugar, orange juice and zest, mustard, apple cider vinegar, rosemary, cinnamon, paprika, chili powder, and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes.

    1 cup dark brown sugar, 3 blood oranges, ¼ cup coarse ground mustard, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground paprika, ½ teaspoon chili powder, 2 cloves garlic

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  • Brush half the glaze over the ham, getting it into the cuts as much as possible.

  • Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the ham reaches 140°F.

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  • Remove the ham from the oven and increase the oven to 375°F.

  • Discard the foil and brush the ham with half of the remaining glaze.

  • Bake the ham for 15 minutes.

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  • Brush the ham with the remaining glaze and bake for 15 minutes.

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  • Garnish and serve.

    Pomegranate arils, Rosemary sprigs, Blood orange wedges

Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!

Becky’s tips

  • With a bone-in ham, plan for about ¾ pound per person. This will yield appox. ½ pound of meat per person.
  • If using a different-sized ham, cook for 15 minutes per pound.
  • Regular oranges can be used in place of the blood oranges.
  • You can use regular brown sugar in place of the dark brown sugar.

Storage:Store Christmas ham in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 0.5pound Calories: 597kcal (30%) Carbohydrates: 22g (7%) Protein: 65g (130%) Fat: 26g (40%) Saturated Fat: 6g (38%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 10g Trans Fat: 0.001g Cholesterol: 248mg (83%) Sodium: 3993mg (174%) Potassium: 1055mg (30%) Fiber: 1g (4%) Sugar: 21g (23%) Vitamin A: 144IU (3%) Vitamin C: 97mg (118%) Calcium: 54mg (5%) Iron: 3mg (17%)

Did You Make This?I want to see! Be sure to upload an image below & tag @thecookierookie on social media!

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How to Make Christmas Ham Step by Step

Prep the Ham: Preheat your oven to 325°F. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of a roasting pan, and place a 9-pound cooked bone-in spiral-cut ham cut side down on the rack of the roasting pan.

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Make the Glaze: In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of dark brown sugar, 3 zested and juiced blood oranges, ¼ cup of coarse ground mustard, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of finely chopped rosemary, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ground paprika, ½ teaspoon of chili powder, and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes.

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Bake the Ham: Brush half the glaze over the ham, getting it into the cuts as much as possible. Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until the ham reaches 140°F.

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Increase the Temperature: Remove the ham from the oven and increase the oven to 375°F. Discard the foil and brush the ham with half of the remaining glaze. Bake the ham for 15 minutes.

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Garnish the Ham: Brush the ham with the remaining glaze and bake for 15 more minutes. Garnish with pomegranate arils, rosemary sprigs, and blood orange wedges if desired, and serve.

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Christmas Ham Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (20)

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Christmas Ham Recipe - The Cookie Rookie® (2024)

FAQs

How to cook Christmas ham Kevin Dundon? ›

Method
  1. Soak the ham first for up to an hour.
  2. Put into a pot, cover with water and bring to the boil.
  3. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours and turn off the heat allowing the meat to cool in the cooking liquor.
  4. Remove the ham from the cooking liquor and using a sharp knife remove the rind leaving a even layer of fat.
Dec 16, 2016

Should I remove rind from ham? ›

Top Tip: Just remove the rind and leave as much of the fat on as you can. Fat = sticky glaze! This part is easy – the skin WANTS to come off! Your ham will come with a thick, rubbery skin which is called the rind.

How to cook Christmas ham Gordon Ramsay? ›

Method. Put the gammon into a large saucepan and pour on enough cold water to cover. Add the carrots, leek, onion, peppercorns, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 3 hours, topping up with more boiling water if necessary.

What is the best type of Christmas ham? ›

Bone-in or Boneless

As long as you don't mind carving, bone-in is the way to go. Meat from a bone-in ham is always more flavorful than boneless meat. Plus, its presentation is more stunning, and the leftover bone is perfect for flavoring soups or stews later.

How do I get the best Christmas ham? ›

Naturally smoked hams usually have less water-weight and better flavour, so look for one that has a dark colour on the rind and is naturally smoked. Choose one with a good layer of fat of you are going to glaze, as that's where the flavour melts in. Keep the rind to help store your ham and stop it drying out.

Should you rinse ham before cooking? ›

Preheat the oven to 325°F. You don't need to wash a ham before baking. If you ask us, baked ham is delicious even when you leave it plain; however, scoring a diamond pattern with a chef's knife in the outer layer and brushing on a glaze during baking makes the ham a showy centerpiece and adds flavor.

Do you rinse off ham before baking? ›

Whether you are cooking a bone in or boneless ham, pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees. Start by removing the packaging from the ham (and bone guard if you're cooking a bone in ham), and you can rinse the ham before cooking if desired.

Should you let ham get to room temperature before cooking? ›

While baking a show-stopping ham is simple and easy, be sure to leave yourself plenty of time to bring the ham to room temperature for an hour (for even heat distribution) as well as up to 2 1/2 hours to bake it long, low and slow, depending on your ham's size.

How does Martha Stewart bake a ham? ›

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Wrap ham completely with parchment-lined foil and place on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Transfer ham to oven and bake 1 1/2 hours. Unwrap ham; discard parchment and foil.

Do you cover Christmas ham when baking? ›

Baked Ham Best Practices

Cook fat-side up in a roasting pan filled with about 1/2 inch of water covered tightly in foil for the bulk of the time. During the last 30 minutes, remove the foil, crank the heat up to 425ºF, brush with a simple glaze at least twice. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.

How to cook a ham in the oven Martha Stewart? ›

Bake an uncooked ham at an oven temperature of 325 degrees Fahrenheit, covered, until it reaches a safe internal temperature of 145 degrees. An uncooked 10-pound ham, bone-in will need about 3 hours.

What is the best tasting ham in the world? ›

The Five Best Cured Hams in the World
  • Jambon de Bayonne. The area surrounding the city of Bayonne in southeast France has a tradition of curing ham dating back centuries. ...
  • Jamón Ibérico. ...
  • Culatello di Zibello. ...
  • Istarski pršut. ...
  • Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP.

What ham has the most flavor? ›

The butt end (the top half of the ham) has more tender, fattier meat, lending a richer flavor.

What does no center slices removed mean? ›

A "portion" has the center slices removed for separate sale as "ham steaks." A half ham does not have slices removed. Ham, Skinless, Shankless: A ham with all of the skin and the shank removed. The leg bone and aitch (hip) bone remain.

How do you heat up a pre cooked Christmas ham? ›

The goal is to reheat the ham without drying it out. The best way to do this is to place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan. Add water to the bottom of the pan and cover the whole thing tightly with foil. Bake at 325F for 16-20 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer registers 135F.

How long to cook pre cooked Christmas ham? ›

Bake a partially or fully-cooked preserved ham for 10 minutes per 500g to reheat the ham completely through. Baste the ham every 20 minutes. To add moisture and flavour to the ham, open the open door and baste the meat with additional glaze, along with any juices that have escaped.

Are Christmas hams already cooked? ›

Do you have to cook Christmas ham? While most hams come fully cooked and can be enjoyed without further cooking, some are typically perfectly baked in the oven. Find the best Christmas ham recipe for you, and then follow its method for cooking a Christmas ham, whether it be in the oven or the slow cooker.

What is the best temperature for Christmas ham? ›

Cooking Temperature and Time

If the ham is a half ham weighing five to seven pounds, it should heat at 325°F for 22-25 minutes per pound. If it is a whole ham weighing between 10 to 14 pounds, heat the ham at 325°F for 18-20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should be 140°F.

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