Glazed Spiral-Sliced Ham with Cherry Glaze – Perfect for Holidays

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

This recipe combines the ease of a pre-cooked spiral ham with a homemade glaze bursting with sweet and spicy flavors. The cherry juice adds a fruity tang, while warm spices provide a cozy holiday aroma. It’s simple to prepare and doubles as an excellent leftover for sandwiches and breakfast hash.

The Inspiration Behind the Recipe:

Spiral-sliced ham is a quintessential holiday mainstay. Its ability to feed a crowd with minimal effort makes it perfect for festive gatherings. This glaze recipe elevates the ham with the warm, nostalgic flavors of cherry juice and holiday spices.

When to Serve Spiral-Sliced Ham:

This dish shines during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. It’s also great for post-holiday meals like sandwiches or breakfast hashes.

Cook’s Notes:

• For extra sweetness, brush glaze between slices of the ham.
• Use orange juice as a substitute for cherry juice for a citrusy twist.
• For a thicker glaze, simmer the sauce longer until it coats the back of a spoon.

Ingredient Spotlight:

Cherry juice provides a subtle tartness that balances the ham’s natural saltiness. Look for 100% cherry juice for the best results, avoiding sweetened varieties.

Cultural Significance:

Spiral-sliced ham became a holiday staple in the mid-20th century when pre-sliced versions made carving easier. Its versatility ensures it remains a favorite.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• Overbaking: Fully cooked ham only needs reheating. Use a thermometer to ensure it doesn’t dry out.
• Tightly Covering with Foil: I never cover the ham to keep it moist. I have found that leaving it unwrapped works just fine and the sodium in the ham helps to retain the moisture. I have wrapped it, only to be disappointed with a dry and overcooked ham, as the excessive heat causes all the moisture to evaporate out. In fact leaving it unwrapped gives the ham and glaze that nice Maillard effect of browning the edges of the slices.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve the ham warm with sides like scalloped potatoes, green beans, and cranberry sauce. Pair with a full-bodied red wine or sparkling cider.

Storing and Reheating:

• Storage: Wrap leftovers in foil or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
• Reheating: Warm slices in the oven at 275°F (135°C) covered with foil or microwave on low power.

Cherry Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham

Victor

A holiday classic, this spiral-sliced ham is glazed to perfection with cherry juice, brown sugar, and warm spices. It delivers a balance of sweet and savory flavors, making it a crowd-pleaser for festive gatherings and a versatile leftover for days to come.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Rest Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, Brunch, dinner, Entree, Late Night, Lunch

Cuisine American

Servings 16

Equipment

• 1 Roasting pan with rack
• 1 Basting brush
• 1 Small saucepan
• 1 Foil
• 1 Meat thermometer

Ingredients

  

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Glaze

• 1 ea Ham (8-10 lbs) Spiral Sliced
• ½ cup Pepsi Any cola will work
• ¼ cup Maraschino Cherry Juice From a jar of cherries
• 1 cup Brown Sugar Dark, packed
• 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

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Instructions

 

Glazed Ham Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  
• Line the roasting pan with foil to prevent a not-so-fun clean-up if the glaze bakes into your pan.
• About 3 hours before cooking, remove ham from the refrigerator and packaging (including the plastic bone protector) and let it rest on a small rack with the face of the first slice down in the roasting pan that you will cook it in.
• Pat the ham dry.
• Make the glaze by combining all of the glaze ingredients in a small pan and bringing it to a simmer for 5 minutes.  It will thicken and be easier to apply to the ham as it cools.
• Allow about 15-18 minutes of cooking time per pound.
• Estimate backward from the time you want to eat and place the ham in the oven at the appropriate time.  Add 30 minutes for resting and time adjustments.
• Cook uncovered.  This will prevent the ham from sweating and drying out.
• Insert a probe thermometer in the thickest part without hitting the bone, and cook until the internal temp is 145, or whatever the packaging recommends.  Smoked spiral-sliced hams are usually fully cooked, so you are only reheating it and caramelizing the glaze. However, if you are cooking a raw ham, cook until the internal temperature is 165.
• When the ham reaches about 135, brush the glaze all over the ham coating the entire surface except for the bottom.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 and cook until the internal temperature reaches 140 and the surface is nicely caramelized.

Notes

Take note of the time needed to prepare and cook the ham.  3 hours to sit out after being removed from the refrigerator, 2-3 hours of cooking time, and 30 minutes to rest and allow for additional cooking if the ham is large.  A total of 6-7 hours before serving.

To serve, display the ham on its side with the best-looking array of slices facing up.

Partially fold over the first couple of slices as a suggestive starting point for your guests.

Keyword cherry glazed ham, christmas ham, glazed ham, ham, holiday ham, spiral sliced ham

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