Pineapple-Glazed Ham
This is even better than the traditional pineapple-glazed ham your mom makes.
Jump to recipeWhen it comes to an Easter dinner spread, a flavor-packed ham recipe should always be the star. And while you could throw it back to your Grandma’s classic pineapple-glazed ham recipe from the 1950s, complete with canned pineapple slices and super sweet maraschino cherries, you might want to freshen up your holiday ham with our new take on this crowd favorite.
Do you have to glaze a ham?
Glazing your ham (especially with our flavorful brown sugar glaze) makes this Easter centerpiece stand out from all of the rest. And making your own glaze, instead of using the pre-packaged one that you buy with your ham, lets you control the ingredients (no high-fructose corn syrup here!) Our recipe starts with fresh (not canned!) pineapple blended with ginger beer into a sweet and spicy sauce that bakes into the ham. We also ditched the maraschino cherries often featured in a classic ham recipe for bright and navel oranges, plus more pineapple (these bake under the joint).
Tips from the Test Kitchen:
Cutting slits in the top of your ham in a cross-hatch pattern creates a pathway for all that crazy-good glaze to seep into the ham as it bakes. This technique, called “scoring,” is the best way to develop flavor (and make the ham look extra fancy). Here’s how it’s done: using the tip of a small sharp knife, make 1/4 – 1/2 inch-deep slits in a diamond pattern all around the ham. The glaze will sink into all those nooks and crannies to create a glossy, lacquered finish.
We prefer a cooking with a whole ham, rather than spiral-cut, because it’s less prone to drying out. To ensure extra juiciness (and boost flavor big-time) we pour ginger beer into the roasting pan before covering the ham with foil. The foil traps moisture as the ham bakes, saturating it with ginger-scented steam.
Typically a 7lb bone-in ham will feed 8–9 people, so if you’re serving up plenty of sides, you’ll most likely have leftovers (lucky future you!). Make the most of this tasty treat with these epic leftover ham recipes. Try Pineapple Ham Fried Rice for a quick weeknight dinner or Croissant Bread Pudding Ham Cups for a knockout brunch option. Make Creamy Fettuccine with Leeks and Ham even faster with your leftover ham haul.
Ingredients
- 1
navel orange, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
- 1
medium red onion, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
- 1
pineapple, rind removed, half cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, remaining roughly chopped
- 1/2
fully-cooked bone-in ham (about 7 lbs total, preferably shank end)
- 1
12-ounce bottle ginger beer, divided
- 1/2 cup
light brown sugar
- 2 tsp.
low-sodium soy sauce
Directions
- Step 1Heat oven to 375°F. In a roasting pan, arrange slices of orange, onion and pineapple, then place rack on top.
- Step 2Place ham cut side down on top of rack. Score ham on all sides in diamond pattern, cutting only ¼ to ½ inch deep. Pour ¼ cup ginger beer over ham, cover with foil and bake 1½ hr.
- Step 3Meanwhile, in blender, puree remaining chopped pineapple and ginger beer until smooth. Transfer to saucepan, stir in brown sugar and soy sauce and simmer, stirring occasionally, until syrupy and reduced to 1 cup, 35 to 40 min.
- Step 4Brush a third of the glaze (about 1/3 cup) over ham and bake, uncovered, 15 min. Rotate ham in oven and repeat with another 1/3 glaze and bake another 15 min. Brush remaining glaze over ham and bake until ham is heated through and internal temperature registers 140°F, 15 to 20 min. more.
Shirazi Salad
Persian Kebab-Spiced Burgers
What Is Water-Based Cooking? Experts Explain
9 Retro Grandma Candies That Are Back in Style
