Sticky, sweet, tangy, and full of flavor… this bourbon mustard and orange glazed ham is one that you’ll be happy to have as the star of your holiday meal!
This is one of my Holiday Main Dish recipes I know you’ll want to keep on hand!
With Easter quite literally just around the corner, I wanted to reshare one of my favorite ham recipes; this bourbon mustard glazed ham!
While this recipe isn’t new, with it being over 10 years old, it was time for some updated info.
Back in 2016, I was contacted by Snake River Farms, a premier “ranch to table” family owned company providing the finest beef and pork products, to create a recipe using their amazing Kurobuta bone-in ham.
You simply order online and your ham (or roast, steaks, etc) show up at your doorstep, packaged perfectly!
Making a glazed ham is really simple, as the ham comes to you fully cooked and smoked, you’re just heating it up and adding a great glaze. So don’t be intimidated here 🙂
As if that crazy flavorful glaze isn’t enough, I’ve also created a delicious mustard sauce to serve alongside, which is great with slices of ham, or on a ham sandwich using leftovers!
How to make bourbon mustard glazed ham:
This is just an overview; the full ingredients and directions are in the recipe card toward the bottom of this post.
- Make glaze. Nothing fancy here, just whisking it together (or you can use a fork to stir).
- Score ham. I like to score it in a criss-cross pattern.
- Glaze and bake. You won’t be using all the glaze, as you’ll need some for later on in the recipe.
- Baste. Towards the end of cooking, brush more glaze on the ham, baking it uncovered to allow the glaze to caramelize.
- Rest, slice, and serve. To keep the ham nice and juicy, don’t slice it right away.
Helpful Tip!
This recipe was developed and tested using a fully-cooked ham, which is what the vast majority of hams in the grocery store are. This recipe will work with a raw ham as well, but those will likely needed to be ordered from a butcher and you’ll have to follow their cooking instructions, as they’ll be different than the one shown here for a fully-cooked ham.
Variations of this recipe
- Ham – this recipe works best with a bone-in spiral sliced ham, which are all fully-cooked and either cured or smoked. Just discard the packet of glaze that the ham comes with and use the glaze listed in this recipe.
- Mustard – instead of grainy mustard, you could try using regular dijon mustard. It adds a different texture and appearance, but still great flavor.
- Pineapple – I love the flavor of pineapple and ham, so you could try replacing the lemon juice with pineapple juice.
- Alcohol-free – the flavor of bourbon is pretty hard to replicate, but you could try using orange juice, apple juice, or pineapple juice. No matter which juice you use, I would also add a small splash of vanilla extract and/or apple cider vinegar.
FAQ’s
I’ve included those instructions in the “chef tips” section of the recipe card below.
It could certainly be warmed up in one, but you won’t be able to get the sticky glaze and caramelized edges like you do in the oven. If oven space is at a premium, I would suggest warming it in the slow cooker, then placing it on a baking sheet or in a baking dish, basting with the glaze, and broiling until it’s as sticky and caramelized as you’d like.
Making a ham ahead of time
I haven’t made this entire ham ahead of time, so I can’t guarantee the flavor and freshness if you make it that way.
However, you could combine the glaze ingredients and keep it refrigerated for a couple of days
Storage
Leftovers should be refrigerated in an airtight container and consumed within 4 days. Leftovers can also be frozen.
Depending on the size of your ham and the size of your family or gathering, you might have quite a bit of ham leftover, so here are my personal favorites to use up those leftovers (aside from a classic ham sandwich!).
My Favorite Roasting Pan!
You can absolutely use any roasting pan you’d like, but I want to be transparent that this is the one pictured above. I’ve had it for a decade and it still looks brand new!
** This post was originally published in March of 2016 and has been updated in April 2026 with additional information.
This was a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Snake River Farms. The opinions and text are all mine.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup whole-grain Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice fresh, if possible
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 bone-in half ham (about 6-10 lbs)
Instructions
If you are using a spiral-sliced ham, see directions in the "chef tips" section further below in the recipe!!
Prepare
- Move oven rack to lower third portion of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Line bottom of a roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup and set aside.
- Remove ham from package and pat dry if too wet.
Make glaze
- Add 3/4 cup orange marmalade, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup whole-grain Dijon mustard, 1/4 cup bourbon, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp ground ginger and Salt and black pepper to a mixing bowl and whisk to combine well. Set aside.
Glaze and cook ham
- Place 1 bone-in half ham on roasting rack, flat side down, so the fatty side is facing up.
- Gently score the ham in a criss-cross pattern, and brush all over with 1/2 cup of the prepared glaze. (Again, this is only if you're NOT using a spiral-sliced ham. That type of ham won't need to be scored).
- Cover ham loosely with aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out or burning.
- Bake for about 2 – 2 1/2 hours, until instant thermometer inserted into the middle of the ham registers 125-130°F.
- Remove roasting pan from the oven and peel back or remove foil from the top and sides of the ham.
Baste with glaze
- Increase oven temperature to 425°F.
- Brush 6 Tbsp of the glaze over the ham and bake for 20 minutes, brushing ham with additional 6 Tbsp of glaze every 6-7 minutes. You'll be brushing the ham with glaze approximately 3 times during this step.
- Be sure to watch that the glaze doesn't burn, but instead turns a rich, deep golden color.
Let rest and serve
- Remove roasting pan from oven and place ham on a large cutting board.
- Tent loosely with foil and let ham rest for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm and enjoy!
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
- I’ve estimated this ham will serve about 20-24 people (provided there are numerous other sides for them to eat), but the exact number of servings and serving size is up to you.
TO MAKE MUSTARD SAUCE FOR SERVING:
- Mix 1/2 cup whole grain Dijon mustard with 1/4 cup glaze.
TO PREPARE SPIRAL SLICED HALF HAM:
- Preheat oven to 275°F. Adjust oven rack to the lower third position. Line a roasting pan or large dutch oven with a long strip of foil (heavy duty works best).
- Position ham flat side down in center of pan.
- Brush with 1/2 cup of the glaze, if possible, getting some in between the slices.
- Bring sides of the foil up over the ham and cover loosely. If needed, add a sheet of foil over the top.
- Bake approximately 12-15 minutes per pound. For a half ham of 8-10 lbs, plan on baking for a total of approximately 2 hours (including glazing time).
- To get the sticky glaze, remove ham from oven about 30 minutes before it’s finished. Liberally brush ham with 1/2 cup glaze, getting in between slices if possible. Bake 30 minutes, repeating with a few tablespoons of glaze every 10-15 minutes if desired.
- For a stickier glaze, after ham is finished baking, broil for a few minutes until sticky and browned. Be careful though, you don’t want to burn it!
- Remove ham from oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes.
- Turn ham on it’s side and serve.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Suzanne says
The recipe looks amazing! Can I cook the ham in the crockpot instead? My oven will be full with the turkey.
The Chunky Chef says
I totally understand! If your ham is smoked (which most from the grocery stores here in the US are), then you’re really just warming it through. I would do 4-5 hours on LOW, then broil to get a stickier glaze if you want (I love it that way).
Dianne C. says
Hi, if you were to use this recipe for a 20-22 lb ham, how would you adjust the ingredients and cooking time? This is my first time cooking a ham and I have 18 people coming to lunch.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Dianne 🙂 I would multiply all ingredients (except ham) by 3, just to make sure you have enough of the glaze. Most hams are already cooked (smoked), so you’re really just reheating, so there’s no danger of it being undercooked and causing health issues. I would cook it as directed, and check with an internal meat thermometer (125 – 130 F degrees is the standard for hams).
Sir Kevin Parr Bt says
If the meat is fully smoked you do not cook it .Ruins the smokey taste as wood smoke cooks through it. i live in Europe and smoked chicken and ham is the main diet. Once wood smoked eat hot and juicy with out fat. Hickory or oak wood chips in a metal box with bend so no flame can reach meat. Smoke for as long as needed for personal taste. Some like it really smokey others just smoked through .i like smokey as possible takes about hour and half for chickens longer for thicker chunks of meat.. No need to cook again as it is cooked right through with smoke. If you do it dries out the meat and I think takes away most of the smoke flavours.
The Chunky Chef says
Here in the US some people, most people in fact, prefer ham like this to be warmed. You’re not really cooking the ham, since as you said, it’s already smoked; but rather warming it through. If done with flavorful liquids, it doesn’t dry out the ham, or take away flavors. But as always, everyone has their own tastes and preferences.
G Reed says
Made the glaze yesterday on a spiral ham, New Year’s Day 2019, made with a single barrel bourbon, it was amazing to say the least!!!!
Carolyn says
I found your recipe in 2016 and made it for Easter. Then again for Christmas. And again for Easter 2017. I wasn’t home for Christmas that year but made it for Easter 2018 and just made it again for Christmas this year. Yes – I do love it that much. I cannot even think about making ham any other way. It is that good. My variation on the original recipe? Absolutely nothing! It is perfect just as written. I wish I could post a photo of my Christmas ham. It looks just like yours. I even surround it with orange slices.
Sherrie Phillips says
Made this ham for my Christmas dinner tonight for a large gathering. I had 3 women insisting on this recipe. This is the best glazed ham I have ever had. This is a keeper for my holiday dinners. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
caroline says
Hi… can I use Jack Daniel as bourbon?
The Chunky Chef says
Sure can 🙂
Ron says
For the spiral sliced ham what temperature would I put it on during the glazing process or do u keep it at 275f
The Chunky Chef says
I would increase it to 375 for the glazing process so it glazes nicely.
Amanda says
Hi can I use johnny walker as the bourbon? I brought it for glaze before I found this.
The Chunky Chef says
Sure thing!
Amanda says
Sweet thanks. I ended up getting the riggt booze. My ham is a 9kg on bone. Can you help with cooking time?
The Chunky Chef says
The packaging on the ham should give you an approximate cooking time, but generally, 13-15 minutes per pound.
Darci says
I’m making this for Christmas but I’m kind of worried that the bourbon is going to over power it since kids are also going to eat this.
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never found it overpowering, as it cooks down as the ham cooks, but you could always use a little less.
Teresa Waldron says
So, just made this tonight, Thanksgiving, and did not realize there were seperate instructions for a spiral sliced ham…made it per the regular” instructions and it still turned out great!! Everyone loved it! A few edges got crispy in the glazing phase, but my husband and father in law like crispy, so all was well!
Awesome recipe! Will do again for Easter!
Julie Arieta says
Did you put water in the roasting pan?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t, since it’s contained in the foil and gets plenty moist in there.
Jana Johnson says
Hey i was wondering if it is a must to use pure maple syrup? I’m kind of on a tight budget so would just a cheap bottle of syrup work? I am planning on making this for a Friendsgiving dinner.
The Chunky Chef says
It would work, just wouldn’t have exactly the same maple flavor.
Del Sarajian says
Hi. I just ordered my Kurobota whole bone-in ham for Thanksgiving. I will be preparing it at my in-laws who will not-doubt have a shortage of oven space. How can I prepare this in an electric roaster?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t have any experience with an electric roaster, so I can’t say with any degree of certainty. I found this article online, which you could adapt to use my recipe https://www.ehow.com/how_4793087_cook-ham-electric-roaster.html
Mike says
How would you go about cooking this ham on the rotisserie?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Mike, I don’t have much experience cooking on rotisseries so I can’t say for certain.
Shona says
Wow! What an awesome, easy recipe. Made this ham for Easter. My husband, as well as our many guest kept raving about it. Thank you for such a taste-worthy recipe
Callie Trice says
I can’t wait to make this delicious Bourbon Orange Glazed Ham Easter Sunday. It’s going to be the talk!!!
Michelle Loughery says
This was so delicious! You may want to make more of the glaze, so you can heat it up and use it as a garnish.
Since I enjoy cooking, sometimes there’s a tendency to modify the directions a bit. A couple other suggestions that worked with this recipe:
– substitute fresh ginger (about 5 peeled nickel-sized pieces,) which can be put through a garlic press
– basting it a day before cooking
– adding 2/3 of a can of OJ concentrate (thawed) to the bottom of the pan before cooking
I also used a spiral ham. which allowed a lot of the flavors to soak in when I basted it and while it cooked.
Thankfully there was some that still remained, as I made an additional ham. As the week has gone on, the leftovers from this version have actually gotten better. ENJOY!
Jennifer says
I’m excited to make this for Easter this year. I wanted to know what kind of bourbon did you use?
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Jennifer 🙂 We’re huge bourbon fans here, so I’ve made it with several different kinds… but I think my favorite is Woodford Reserve 🙂
RuthieH says
It was a hit at Thanksgiving dinner! Everyone loved it! Definitely a keeper!
Judy says
Ruthie,
Did you use a precooked ham?
Judy