Honey Baked Ham

Really , a delicious, tender honey-flavored ham with a crisp, crackly sugary spiced crust that tastes exactly like you get from the famous Honey Baked Ham store? Yes, and the best part is, it’s only a fraction of the cost.

When I think of the holidays, Honey Baked Ham from the Honey Baked Ham Store comes to mind instantly. It’s moist and tender with an AMAZING hard sugary cinnamon- spice crackly crust! Oh my goodness it’s to die for. It’s like candy and it’s so hard not to eat all the topping off the ham. 

It smells and tastes just like the holidays. The holidays simply wouldn’t be complete without a Honey Baked Ham.

But these days the cost of a Honey Baked Ham from the store will break the bank so we are going to make one ourselves and save a ton of money!

So what’s the Honey Baked Ham Company’s BIG secrets to their extra tender, moist ham, and their delicious famous, spicy, candy-like crust?

1. They use a fully cooked (smoked) spiral-cut bone-in ham of premium extra high quality. 
2. They use a sugary spicy rub with honey. 
3. They use a blow torch to melt or caramelize the sugar spice rub and it hardens to form the delicious crackley shell. Note: We bought a regular blow torch from Home Depot. You can order a chef-grade blow torch on Amazon. 

      

What you will need to make Honey Baked Ham (Be sure to see the full printable recipe below this post.)

• 1 half spiral cut fully cooked ham. 7 to 8 pounds. A half 7 to 8-pound ham will feed 7 to 9 people. You’ll need ½ half pound to 1 pound per person)
• 7 Up or Sprite
• Orange juice or pineapple juice 
• Honey
• Whole cloves 
• White granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar 
• Cinnamon 
• Ground cloves 
• Nutmeg 
• Butter 
• Garnish: Pineapple rings and maraschino cherries (optional )
• Blowtorch 
• Aluminum foil 

How to make Honey Baked Ham

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Unwrap the ham discarding the glaze packet if it has one. You won’t need that since we are making our own honey glaze. Place the flat side of the ham down on the roasting rack of your roasting pan. Trim any excess fat off. 
2. The next step is optional but highly recommended for a delicious-tasting ham. Insert whole cloves all over the ham. The whole cloves are one of the secrets to giving your ham the Honey Baked Ham store taste. Plus it makes your kitchen smell AMAZING!
3. Pour a can of 7 Up or Sprite over the ham. This keeps your ham moist!
4. Mix 2 cups of orange juice and ⅓ cup of honey together. Pour over the ham. Your ham will have a slight touch of citrus flavor along with the honey! It’s going to be so delicious!! You’ll baste the ham with all this liquid goodness because it will be at the bottom of the roasting pan. The moisture from the liquid will keep the ham moist.
5. Cover ham tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes to 45 basting every 20 minutes.The ham is already cooked so we are just giving it extra flavor by heating and basting it thoroughly. Heat only to the internal temperature reaches 135 to 140 degrees. We don’t want the ham to dry out so don’t overheat it. In fact, the ham may be warm enough after 30 minutes. There is nothing worse than a dried out ham so be extra careful with fully cooked ham. 
6. While the ham is in the oven, mix the sugars and spices together in a large bowl. Add 6 tablespoons of melted butter and ½ cup of honey to the sugar/spice mixture. Mix thoroughly. The mixture will be sticky. 
7. Once the ham has reached 140 degrees, remove the ham from the oven and uncover and let the ham rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. Pat (using your fingers) the entire back of the ham with the sugar topping.
8. Now this is when the fun begins!! We are going to caramelize the sugary spice topping so get out the blow touch and let’s go! (You might want to read the directions first. Lol!) Be sure to see my video of using the blow torch. https://youtube.com/shorts/UjJqpPM9o6k?feature=shareclass=“vp-a”
9. Keep the flame on the torch going in a circular motion. The sugar will start to bubble and look like melted lava as it caramelizes. Later on, it will harden up to a crackly, shiny delicious shell. My favorite part! 
10. After you are finished caramelizing with the blowtorch, let the topping harden for about 15 to 20 minutes before serving. Garnish with pineapple slices and cherries if desired. 
11. Serve warm or cold. Wrap any leftovers in foil and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

Can you turn your oven on broil and caramelize the sugar topping in the oven if you don’t have a blowtorch?

Yes, you can but you must be very very careful not to burn the ham or yourself. If you try this, turn the oven to broil, place the ham in the oven with the flat side down. Turn the roasting pan as the sugar starts to bubble to caramelize all the topping. Remove from the oven and let the topping set and harden.

 

How to make the Honey Ham Glaze:

 If you would like to make a glaze to pour over your ham or serve alongside the ham, it’s super easy to make. We’ll use the dripping from the sugar topping and about 1 ½ cups of the citrus honey dripping from the ham. Mix the drippings together and heat over medium heat until the glaze comes to a soft boil. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the glaze is hot and syrupy. You can add more honey to it if you prefer a thicker glaze. 

 

Here are some of my favorite dishes to serve with ham. Be sure to check these recipes

Pineapple Cheese Casserole

Sweet Potato Souffe Marshmallows

Sweet Potato Crunch Casserole

 

For more delicious Southern recipes, order an autographed copy of my cookbook Deliciously Southern.

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Thank you so much for stopping by. 

Enjoy!

Aletia

 

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