Cherry Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham
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.
Equipment
- 1 Roasting pan with rack
- 1 Basting brush
- 1 Small saucepan
- 1 Foil
- 1 Meat thermometer
Ingredients
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
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.
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