Food 11 Sweet, Spicy, Shiny Ways to Glaze That Holiday Ham Make holiday ham glisten with ingredients from citrus to Guinness. By Food & Wine Editors Food & Wine Editors This is collaborative content from Food & Wine's team of experts, including staff, recipe developers, chefs, and contributors. Many of our galleries curate recipes or guides from a variety of sources which we credit throughout the content and at each link. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on November 9, 2023 Photo: Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Brushing a glaze on the outside of ham before and during cooking adds moisture and flavor to the crust. Whatever you choose to coat your ham caramelizes for sticky sweetness to complement the juicy meat inside. Our ham glaze recipes call for sugar, spices, and liquids, from chicken stock or cider to cola, Madeira, red wine, or stout. Brown sugar shines here as well as bourbon, honey, and mustard. Identify the ideal mixture to make your centerpiece worthy of a holiday or special occasion with these ham glaze recipes for inspiration. 01 of 11 Saba-and-Dijon-Glazed Ham Eva Kolenko Chef Sarah Grueneberg swaps sugar for saba, a sweet and slightly acidic syrup made from cooked-down grape must (similar to aged balsamic), in this glaze with Dijon and salt. Get the Recipe 02 of 11 Madeira-Glazed Ham Greg Dupree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Christine Keely This holiday ham glistens in a spiced Madeira and honey glaze, served on a bed of greens and citrus. Get the Recipe 03 of 11 Guinness-Glazed Ham Caitlin Bensel A simple glaze of dark stout and brown sugar develops a malty, caramel-like bittersweetness in the oven. Irish ham is a bit less salty than American ham and has a thin layer of fat, which absorbs the flavors of the glaze. Get the Recipe 04 of 11 Apple Cider Glazed Ham Photo by Greg DuPree / Prop Styling by Missie Crawford / Food Styling by Ali Ramee Brown sugar, honey, mustard, and apple cider give spiral-cut ham a spectacular transformation. Get the Recipe 05 of 11 Honey-Bourbon-Glazed Ham © Petrina Tinslay The sweet, sticky glaze for this juicy ham is subtly spiced with fennel, coriander, and star anise. Get the Recipe 06 of 11 Pomegranate-Jalapeño-Glazed Ham © Con Poulos This sweet-and-spicy glaze for ham uses housemade pomegranate-jalapeño jelly, or you can add pomegranate juice to store-bought jalapeño jelly. Get the Recipe 07 of 11 Clove-and-Cider-Glazed Ham © Con Poulos Chef Carla Hall glazes a spiral-cut ham with apple cider, brown sugar, mustard, bourbon, and sweet spices. Get the Recipe 08 of 11 Dr Pepper-Glazed Ham with Prunes © Keller & Keller Meat expert Bruce Aidells glazes a pre-roasted ham with a mixture of Dr. Pepper, simmered prunes, mustard, brown sugar, and cider vinegar, which he combines with the pan drippings for a sauce to serve it with. Get the Recipe 09 of 11 Lemon-and-Pickled-Pepper-Glazed Ham © James Baigrie Former F&W editor Grace Parisi combines a lemon-lime marmalade with pickled peppers, mustard, lemon juice, and bourbon into a coarse puree for this glaze. Get the Recipe 10 of 11 Smoky Glazed Ham with Red Pepper Jelly © John Kernick Chef Jonathon Sawyer boils chicken stock, water, cola, dry red wine, sugar, honey, vinegar, onion, ginger, carrot, and chiles to simmer with coriander, fennel seeds, and peppercorns, then strains for a glaze. Get the Recipe 11 of 11 DIY Honey-Baked Ham Abby Hocking / Food & Wine Anna Painter's ham is glazed with a sweet-spicy mix of brown sugar, honey, honey mustard, black pepper, and cayenne. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit