Holiday Glazed Ham with Marmalade

This holiday glazed ham with marmalade is juicy and sweet, with bright citrus notes and warm Caribbean spices. It’s so easy to make — all you need is a spiral-cut ham, orange marmalade and a few simple ingredients. 

When it comes to island cultures, pork is always a part of the holiday spread and roasted turkey is not the only centerpiece. In fact, it would be odd to have just one main dish on the table. Besides — who doesn’t appreciate a sweet glazed ham?

If your family holidays are anything like mine, this ham will be devoured within minutes, but beware — you’ll be placed on ham duty indefinitely.

I wish someone had explained to me long ago that grocery store-bought hams are all pre-smoked (i.e. fully cooked). I wasted precious years of my life looking for a raw holiday ham to make from scratch.

So what does “fully cooked” mean? Just that it’s already been cured and smoked, which can takes days to weeks. Unless you’re set up to do this at home, don’t go chasing a raw ham. Pre-cooked ham is fine.

There are typically 2 types of store-bought holiday ham.  There’s spiral-cut ham, and then there’s a whole smoked ham which is unsliced. You’re basically reheating both types of ham, and glazing at the very end.

For this recipe, you’ll need a bone-in spiral cut ham. 

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Roasted low and slow – That’s the trick to keeping spiral-cut ham juicy and tender.
• Infused with citrus and pineapple flavors – Pineapple juice is poured over the ham, seeps into all the crevices and pools at the bottom of the pan. The steam from the juice heats the meat, giving it a subtle, tropical flavor.
• Brushed with orange marmalade glaze – Made with butter and warm spices, it goes on at the end for a sweet and sticky finish.
• Easy to carve – The meat pretty much falls off the bone, and since it’s pre-sliced, there’s no carving stress.

Ingredients

Here’s a basic list of what you’ll need. Measurements and exact quantities are listed in the recipe card, down below.

• Bone-in spiral-cut ham — Make sure it’s bone-in. Most grocery stores carry spiral cut hams during the holidays and wholesale clubs usually carry them year-round. Spiral cut hams come with a packet of glaze which you can toss.
• Pineapple juice —  Keeps the ham moist as it reheats, and adds tropical flavor.
• Cinnamon sticks and cloves add subtle Caribbean spice to the drippings. 
• Orange marmalade – It’s the base of the glaze, sweet and sticky, and helps caramelize the edges of the ham.  Mango chutney or guava jam work well for this recipe too.
• Dark rum — adds depth to the glaze. You can use whiskey or bourbon in it’s place, or skip the liquor entirely.
• Brown sugar and warm spices — ground ginger, nutmeg, and allspice round out the glaze. I used dark brown sugar this time, but light brown sugar works too.
• Tools — You’ll need a roasting pan with a rack, some foil, and a brush for glazing. A baster is also good to have, but you can use a spoon for this. A rack is important because it keeps the ham from sitting in the liquid, which helps the bottom slices get brown and sticky around the edges.

Recipe steps with photos

I’ve laid out all the recipe steps with photos for you to reference here. If you’re just looking for the ingredients and directions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 275°F. Place the rack in the roasting pan and remove the ham from its packaging, making sure to discard the plastic disc from the ham’s underside (cut side). Place the ham on the rack with the cut side facing down. Pat it dry with paper towels.

Tip: Placing the ham with the cut side facing down keeps the moisture locked in. The slices will dry out faster if you cook the ham on its side. 

Step 2: Pour the pineapple juice over the ham and baste it a few times, letting the juice get in all the crevices. Add the cinnamon sticks and cloves to the bottom of the pan.

Step 3: Cover the pan with foil and and heat in the oven for 2 hours and 25 minutes — or 15 minutes per pound of ham.

Step 4: Start prepping the glaze about 10 minutes before the ham is done. Melt the butter over low heat in a small saucepan, then stir in the marmalade until smooth.

Step 5: Add the brown sugar, rum, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice, stirring until combined. Continue to stir over low heat, letting the rum cook off and the glaze thicken slightly.

Step 6: Remove the ham from the oven and use a probe thermometer to check the internal temperature – it should register 140°F. Baste the ham with the drippings from the bottom of the pan, then spread half of the glaze over the ham, gently working it into the crevices and between the slices.

Step 7: Raise the oven temperature to 425°F and put the ham back in for 15  minutes. Cover the ham loosely with foil and let it rest while you reheat the remaining glaze on the stove. Brush the glaze over the ham before serving.

Tips and carving directions

• Remove the bone shield — this is a round plastic disc that’s inserted into the bone at the bottom of the ham. It keeps the bone from poking through the packaging. Remove it before prepping/heating the ham.
• Heat the ham with the cut-side down to keep the moisture in — don’t forget to cover the pan with foil during the first phase of heating. Heating the ham on its side causes the slices to dry out, especially during the roasting phase. Cut-side down also stabilizes the ham, keeping it in place when you’re taking the ham in and out of the oven, and makes it easier to glaze.
• Roasting times and temperature — low and slow is the way to go! 15 minutes for per pound at 275°F will keep the ham from drying out. You can bump the temperature up to 425° after the final glaze, for the last 15 minutes of roasting.

Carving spiral-cut ham

1. Transfer the ham to a large cutting board, cut side down. Hold the bone steady with tongs (or your hand if the bone is cool).
2. Using a sharp knife, position the blade parallel to the bone and carve straight down along the sides, letting the slices fall away from the bone.

Serving suggestions

Serve this glazed ham with any of your favorite holiday sides. Here are my favorites:

• Whipped sweet potatoes are light, creamy and made with coconut milk, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. They’re delicately sweet, lightly spiced, and don’t compete with the ham.
• Scalloped potatoes, brie mac and cheese or skillet mac and cheese – these are creamy, cheesy starch dishes that everyone loves. 
• Collard greens – I like to add a little of the ham drippings from this ham to my greens for flavor, and freeze the ham bone for a future pot of greens. The ham and citrus flavors from the drippings enhance the briny flavor of the greens. 
• Cornbread dressing is a rich, dense side that’s easy to make. It’s a classic side that pairs perfectly with holiday ham.

Storing and reheating leftovers

• Leftover carved ham can be stored in ziploc bags or an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.  Freeze up to 3 months.
• You can reheat leftovers a couple of ways, but avoid the microwave so your ham doesn’t dry out. One way is to wrap the ham in foil and reheat in the oven at 350°F oven for 10 minutes, or until warm. This keeps the ham moist and keeps the edges slightly crispy.
• You can also reheat leftover ham using a double boiler. Add a little pineapple juice or water to a pan, place the ham in a metal steamer on top, and cover. Steam for 5–10 minutes for tender, extra-moist ham.

More holiday main dishes

• Roasted Bone-in Turkey Breast
• Pernil (Roast Pork Shoulder)
• Pastelón (Plantain Lasagna with Beef and Cheese)
• Lemon Roasted Chicken with Garlic and Sage

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