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.
Brian says
Is this a fresh ham or a fully cooked ham?
The Chunky Chef says
This one is smoked, so it’s fully cooked. I’ve also included instructions for a spiral-sliced ham (also smoked) in the chef tips section of the recipe card.
Z says
Tried this recipe and it was delicious! Thank you!
Lyne Lapointe says
Delicious.
This is my go-to recipe for Christmas and Easter.
Thank you.
Lisa Keller says
Had the ham for Easter was a hit will definitely make again
Dawn says
What is a good substitute for bourbon?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting bourbon alternatives, I can’t say for certain what the best option would be. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
shirley says
I only have apricot preserves can I use that
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested it, but that should work well 🙂