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Honey Baked Ham

Honey baked ham with a crackly honey-sugar crust gets glossy between layers by alternating honey butter brushing and spiced sugar coating. Spiral-sliced, bone-in ham is baked until hot and finished with a deep golden, caramelized top.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
resting 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours
Servings: 14 servings
Course: Dinner Recipes
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Fully cooked bone-in spiral-sliced ham
  • 1 fully cooked bone-in spiral-sliced ham
Honey butter and sugars
  • 0.5 cup honey
  • 0.25 cup butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
Spices
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
  • 0.5 tsp paprika

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake to heat through
  1. Preheat oven to 325F. Place the ham cut-side down in a roasting pan and cover tightly with foil.
  2. Bake at 325F for 12-14 minutes per pound, until the center reaches 120F. Keep the foil on during this stage to prevent drying; use a thermometer to verify doneness.
Make glaze and spiced sugar coating
  1. Melt honey and butter together in a small pan. Stir until smooth and glossy, then keep warm for brushing.
  2. Mix granulated sugar and brown sugar with the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and paprika in a separate bowl. Stir until evenly speckled and fragrant.
Caramelize the crust
  1. Remove the foil and brush the ham generously with the honey butter. Make sure glaze fills the spiral ridges for better crusting.
  2. Pat on a layer of the spiced sugar coating. Press lightly so the sugar adheres, then return to the oven.
  3. Raise oven temperature to 400F and bake for 5 minutes. Look for bubbling syrup at the edges and the beginning of a golden sheen.
  4. Brush with honey butter again and re-apply the spiced sugar coating. Use a generous but even layer so the next crust forms without bare spots.
  5. Bake again at 400F for 5 minutes. Continue watching for a deepening color and a crackly surface forming.
  6. Brush with honey butter and pat on another layer of the spiced sugar coating. Aim for full coverage so the final crust turns uniformly caramelized.
  7. Bake until the crust is deep golden and crackly and the ham reaches 140F. Check the temperature at the thickest part and stop as soon as it hits 140F to keep slices juicy.
Rest and serve
  1. Rest the ham for 15 minutes before serving. Let the juices settle so the honey sugar crust stays crisp when sliced.

Notes

For the best crackly crust, pat the spiced sugar onto freshly brushed honey butter so it sticks immediately, and don’t skip the short 400F bursts between coatings. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 2 months. For a lighter option, substitute half of the butter with light butter or olive-oil spread and reduce the honey slightly, keeping the same spiced sugar blend.