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Honey Baked Ham

Honey baked ham with a crackly honey-sugar crust made by repeated brushing, sugaring, and high-heat finishing. Spiral-sliced, fully cooked ham bakes low and slow to 120F, then caramelizes to a deep golden crunch at 400F.
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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
Cuisine: American
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Honey baked ham
  • 1 fully cooked bone-in spiral-sliced ham
  • 0.5 cup honey
  • 0.25 cup butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
  • 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 low and reheat
  1. Preheat the oven to 325F. Place the ham cut-side down in a roasting pan and cover tightly with foil.
  2. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes per pound, until the center registers 120F inside. The ham should be hot all the way through with steam visible under the foil.
Make glaze and spiced sugar
  1. Melt the honey and butter together. Stir until smooth so the glaze brushes on easily.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the granulated sugar and brown sugar with the cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and paprika. The mixture should look evenly speckled.
Glaze, sugar, and caramelize
  1. Remove the foil, brush the ham generously with honey butter, and pat on a layer of the spiced sugar. Coat the ridges so the crust forms everywhere.
  2. Raise the oven to 400F and bake for 5 minutes. Look for the top to start setting and lightly caramelizing.
  3. Brush the ham again with honey butter and pat on another layer of spiced sugar. Keep the coating thick for a crackly crust.
  4. Bake for 5 minutes at 400F. The sugar should deepen in color but not burn.
  5. Brush the ham again with honey butter and pat on the remaining spiced sugar. Press gently so the sugar adheres.
  6. Bake until the crust is deep golden, crackly, and the ham reaches 140F. The glaze should look glossy and caramelized, with crisp edges in the spiral grooves.
Rest and serve
  1. Rest the ham for 15 minutes before serving. The juices should settle and the crust should firm up slightly.

Notes

For the crispiest crust, re-coat right after brushing so the sugar adheres before the surface cools. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Freeze up to 2 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight and rewarm gently. For a lower-sugar option, use a 1:1 brown sugar substitute and a reduced-sugar honey alternative, keeping the same bake times and target internal temps.