Spiral cut holiday ham is baked to perfection with a savory orange glaze. Spread joy this holiday season by making this your entreé!
Year after year, it’s tradition for many families to enjoy the same entreés for their holiday meals. This year, change up the norm a bit by making an orange glazed ham.
The glaze is truly mouthwatering, made with ingredients like orange juice, cinnamon and chipotle powder.
Hungry for a different holiday entreé? Be sure to check out my unbeatable recipe for brown sugar maple glazed turkey. Around this time of year, I also recommend making a roast leg of lamb or individual beef wellingtons!
Ingredients for Holiday Ham
Note: This is just a partial list of ingredients. For the full ingredient list, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Spiral Cut Ham – I like using a bone in ham because it keeps the meat moist. However, boneless is also delicious! If you opt for boneless, make sure you decrease the cooking time. As soon as the internal temperature reaches 110°F., it’s ready.
- Orange Juice – At the grocery store, reach for a pulp free juice.
- Cinnamon – Just 1 teaspoon is all you need to give the glaze a sweet, woody flavor.
- Ground Clove – If you’re grinding your own cloves, use a pestle and mortar to create a fine powder. As a result, it will have better flavor too.
- Red Pepper Flakes – Just a pinch of these spicy flakes will elevate your sauce from tasty to mouthwatering.
- Dijon Mustard – Make this homemade mustard recipe for the best flavor!
How to Cook Spiral Cut Ham
- Prepare the ham. The meat needs to be at room temperature before baking, so let it sit on the counter for about 2 hours. That way, the meat will be all one temperature and will cook evenly.
- Make the orange glaze for ham.
Heat the following ingredients in a saucepan: orange juice, zest, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, ground clove, red pepper flakes, chipotle powder and dijon mustard.
Stir frequently and cook until the mixture becomes thick and amber in color. You now have the perfect glaze, and it only took 10 minutes!
- Baste the ham. Once it reaches room temperature, unwrap and baste the ham all over with about half of the glaze. Use a brush to make sure every single inch of the meat is covered! Then, wrap it up in aluminum foil and place it on a prepared roasting rack.
- Bake the ham. This step will take one to two about hours, or when the center reaches 110°F. Once it’s ready, remove it from the oven and turn the temperature up to 400°F.
- Baste again and serve. Before placing the meat back into the oven, use the remaining sauce to baste it once more. Cook uncovered for another 15 minutes, then slice and serve warm. Enjoy!
FAQ
How long will it stay fresh in the refrigerator?
Who doesn’t love holiday leftovers? Spiral cut ham will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Just be sure to store it in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container.
Uses for leftover ham
You can always use any leftovers to make simple sandwiches. Or, be a bit more creative and use your leftovers to make a spinach quiche with ham, or ham and cheese scones!
It’s also delicious in soups and salads, or add some to your family’s favorite casserole.
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Orange Ham Glaze for Baked Ham
Ingredients
- 8-10 lb spiral cut ham
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp chipotle powder
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
Instructions
- Remove covered ham from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature 2 hours.
- In a saucepan over high heat whisk together the orange juice, zest, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, ground clove, red pepper flakes, chipotle powder and dijon mustard. Turn heat to medium and cook until thickened. Stir often. The sauce will be a thick amber. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Unwrap the ham and baste it all over with half the sauce. Get in all those nooks and crannies with the brush. Wrap it back up in enough aluminum foil to seal it and place on a roasting rack over 2-3 cups of water in a roasting pan.
- Bake ham for 1.5-2 hours, or until the center registers 110°F, about 12 minutes per pound.
- Remove ham from oven and turn oven temperature to 400°F.
- Bast once more so the outside caramelizes for a crunchy exterior and in the oven it goes again uncovered for 15 minutes. Serve with any remaining sauce.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Nutrition
I can see your glaze working great on pork chops or even roasted duck as well as ham.
These sound awesome. Keep up your great work.
thanks Kevin we think this is better than ham in a bag we talked about doing.
thanks, Tom
Made this Ham for Christmas dinner, Best.Ham.Ever! The only thing I changed was I used chili powder instead of chipotle powder since I didn’t have any on hand. Thanks to this recipe, I have a new Christmas dinner tradition!
Hi Nick!
Thank you for stopping by to let me know! I love that you enjoyed it!
Or, slather an uncircumcised ham with spicy mustard, wrap it top to bottom in bread dough sealed, and bake it at 400F in the oven. Crack open the bread crock, discard and eat ham.
Oh my that sounds good!
Hello Kevin, I’m making the honey chipotle ham glaze. Can I substitute chipotle adobo sauce for the powdered chipotle? If so, how much?. Just discovered your site and am eager to try more of your recipes. Thanks, Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth! I went ahead and moved your comment for this recipe from my About page to the recipe itself in case other readers had the same question. I would use 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce myself to substitute for the chipotle powder. I know it may seem like a lot compared to the 1/2 tsp of powdered chipotle powder, but use what you think would be best. It’s the flavor here with a little heat and I think between the orange juice and sugar it would offset the sweetness. I haven’t tried it, but that would be a… Read more »
Okay Kevin, I’m going to totally turn this recipe on its head so tell me what you think… I have to make my ham in the slow cooker tomorrow because I need the room in my oven for other things AND I didn’t buy a spiral cut ham since they kind of dry out in the slow cooker (at least for me). I still want the flavors of this recipe so do you think I could modify this to cook in the slow cooker and then maybe make extra glaze to brush over at the end and then place in… Read more »
You always say the sweetest things Sally. Thanks so much. I think your idea is spot on myself. And trust me, make extra sauce, this stuff is so good!
Have a wonderful holiday dinner and hello to the family!
My dear Kevin!! This ham looks and sounds amazing!! I mean look at that glaze! just perfect. Hugs!!
Hi Gaila! It’s been a while. It has been SO CRAZY BUSY here. Apologies for not stopping by. Always nice to read you comments and see your smiling face. Cheers to a fantastic holiday.
That sounds like a delicious combination of flavors. You caught me at the right time! I’m planning to make a ham Easter.
Hey there Jeff, I hope this makes it to your guys Easter table! Enjoy!
This glaze sounds incredible – sticky, spicy goodness! We’re not really ham eaters, but I could totally see this glaze on other cuts of pork or even chicken!
I do a ham once or twice a year and make the most of it! Thanks Marissa. 🙂
5 star rating, no question. The recipe sounds so good, and your pictures are just amazing! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much Cecilia, you are really going to enjoy this one! 🙂
This looks perfect for Easter! I’m always trying to change up the glaze I make from year to year Kevin! I’ll need to give your recipe a try! I know anything coming from your kitchen is going to be awesome!
Awe, thanks so much MaryAnn. I love a dinner that provides a few residual meals the following days, too. The bits and pieces on the edges are basically meat candy! 🙂