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Baked Holiday Sticky Ham showing the cooked interior.

How to Buy and Make the Best Holiday Sticky Ham

How to Buy and Make the Best Holiday Sticky Ham is a guide that provides detailed information on how to choose and cook a ham that's right for your dinner and skill level of cooking. Be armed and ready before heading into the "land of hams" at the grocery store.
Servings: 15 servings
Chef Alli
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients
 

Ham

  • 10-12 lb. bone-in shank or butt ham, (This will be a fully cooked product when you purchase it from the grocer)
  • 1/2 cup apple juice, may substitute orange, pineapple, or cranberry juice, whatever is on hand.

Glaze (Sticky Sauce!)

  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 Tbs. mild molasses, preferably not black strap molasses since it is so strong, may substitute pure maple syrup, if needed
  • 1/4 cup bourbon or whiskey, we prefer Wellers
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
  • Remove the ham from the packaging, patting it dry with paper towels; let the ham rest for one-two hours, uncovered, on the counter. *Don't skip this step, if possible - your ham will cook much more evenly.
  • Using a sharp utility knife, score the outside of the ham with diagonal cuts, about 1-inch apart in a criss-cross pattern over the top of the ham, scoring both the fat and the meat exterior about 1/4-inch deep.
  • Add the apple juice to a roasting pan or very large baking dish (10x14 usually works fine for this size ham) To a roasting pan or large baking dish.
    Carefully place the ham flat-side-down into the juice; cover the ham tightly with a big sheet of heavy-duty foil.
  • Place the covered ham into the oven on the center rack; bake for 10 minutes per pound, or until the ham registers 140 degrees at the center when temped with an instant-read meat thermometer.
  • While the ham is baking, make the sticky sauce. Combine the brown sugar, molasses, bourbon, honey, pumpkin pie spice, and garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat.
    Bring the sauce to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, continuing to simmer the sauce for 5 minutes; remove from the heat and reserve.
    **If desired, double the sauce so that you have some for serving with the sliced ham, on the side.
  • When the ham has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and uncover. Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees F.
  • Slowly pour about one-third of the prepared honey-bourbon sauce over the top of the ham, spreading it out over the surface and gently pressing it down into the ham where it's scored.
  • Return the ham to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes. When the timer sounds, remove the ham and pour another one-third of the sauce over the ham, then bake for another 10 minutes uncovered; repeat once more with the remaining one-third of the sauce.
    At this point, the ham should be beautifully caramelized on the exterior. Let the ham cool slightly before slicing.

Notes

**Be  sure to check the blog post for lots of my favorite tips and tricks, specific instructions, recommended tools and FAQ's for making this recipe. 

Nutrition

Calories: 836kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 65gFat: 51gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 187mgSodium: 3595mgPotassium: 939mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!