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.
Christina says
Sooooo excited to make this for Christmas this year! Can you prep in advance? If you can, how do you recommend to do that?
The Chunky Chef says
The only part I’ve prepped in advance is making the glaze (and keeping it refrigerated until ready to use), and when I’m using a non-spiral sliced ham, I go ahead and score the ham in advance (again, keeping it refrigerated). Then I also go ahead and adjust my oven rack and line my roasting pan. That way my prep time is practically zero 🙂
Rachel says
I make this ham constantly for holidays. Its my favorite and now my family loves it. I cant wait for my boyfriends family to try it.
Ruth says
I went the the grocery twice and each time, i grabbed the wrong flavor marmalade. I accidentally grabbed peach and the second time, i grabbed apricot. Clearly I’ve been distracted and in a rush each time. Would either of those work?
Thanks I’m advance!
The Chunky Chef says
Either of those should work just fine 🙂
Elizabeth Amador-Preissler says
Or course ground or stone ground dijon mustard?
The Chunky Chef says
You can use any kind of dijon 🙂
Elizabeth Amador-Preissler says
Whole grain dijon mustard I can’t find can I use regular whoke grain mustard or grey poupon dijon mustard mot whole grain?
Lori says
I have made this four Thanksgivings in a row. My pick son loves it and it is a family favorite.
Elizabeth Amador-Preissler says
What kind of bourbon did you use or what is recommended.
The Chunky Chef says
I normally use Woodford Reserve or Makers Mark 🙂 Basically you want something that tastes good, but you don’t need to break the bank and buy top shelf either.
Marilyn Wells says
Hi from Canada. Best ham I have ever baked. Everyone loved it so I am doing another. With covid I cook and take it to neighbors. It is a friendly as I can be right now. I will be trying a lot more of your recipes.
Teri Turner says
so yummy
Marilyn Groneng says
We purchased a ham from them last year and although expensive, it is the only ham we will eat at Easter. It is amazing and worth the cost. Customer Service is wonderful! (This year I asked that it be sent too close to Easter. They contacted me to ask if I planned on serving it for Easter and changing my arrival date)
Tiffany says
What kind if burbon did you use
Amanda says
For this I believe I used Woodford Reserve, but any good sipping bourbon will do 🙂
CK says
I don’t have a roasting rack, so would it work just put I just place it in a pot in the oven?
Amanda says
Yes, that should work just fine 🙂
CK says
Thank you!
Kristy says
Can I do this in the slow cooker?
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Chadia says
Kristy did you try this?
Zsuzsanna says
Made this for New Year’s Eve. Not being a fan of honey baked or overly sweetened hams; I found this glaze to be a magnificent addition to a Niman Ranch Ham. I only had a “beer brat mustard” on hand, little spicy and still resulted in a delicious glaze. The ham was pre-sliced, so I initially put some glaze in between the layers as well as on top. Everyone loved it and I will be ready for ham sooner than a year from now! Delicious!!
Danny says
For the Bourbon I used Heritage BSB (Brown Sugar Bourbon), it turned out amazing!
Penny says
I tried this and my family fought over every last ounce of it!! 5***** from us!
Sam says
24/12/2020
Hi all, Melbourne Australia calling.
Been doing baked hams for over 20 years and always wanted to try a bourbon based glazed.
Well going to tell you this is very special. The aroma while baking was mouth watering.🤤
It was a big boy 14 lbs in your language. 2.5 hours at 300 f, then 1 hour at 430 f basting every 10 minutes.
Be doing this again
Merry Christmas to all and be safe
Kimberlee says
Just made this for Easter and it is the best ham I have ever had. It’s like bourbon pork candy. I will only eat this ham recipe from now on.
Nathalie Springer says
I have a 20lb ham, can I just double the recipe? And will it be okay cooking it in a Nesco?
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you can double the recipe. Keep in mind, the cooking time will be much longer, as hams need to cook for about 15-18 minutes per pound, and should be cooked to an internal temperature of 140°F. As far as cooking in a Nesco (which I’m gathering is an electric roaster oven), I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself in the same roaster, I can’t say for certain how well that would work, although I would guess it would be alright. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Michael Ward says
Looking forward to doing this for Christmas. We normally do a honey baked ham but think it’s time to change. Not a bug fan of mustard so I was thinking about substituting something for it just nit sure what
Danni says
I can’t wait to make this ham! Can I use Canadian whiskey instead of the bourbon? I have no idea about whiskey or bourbon!
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve never used anything but bourbon (we’re big bourbon fans here lol), but I think it would be okay 🙂