Got honey glazed ham on your Christmas/Easter menu? You better have!
Whip up a super yummy ham glaze with brown sugar, orange juice, honey, and some spices. Guess what? This year we cook this awesome ham right in an air fryer! Easy, quick, and oh-so-tasty, it’s the perfect upgrade for your holiday ham!
Picture this: a main course of glazed ham, glistening and perfectly cooked, paired with the ultimate side dishes – think tender roasted broccoli, sweet and caramelized roasted carrots, or fluffy, golden-brown baked potatoes. That would be the perfect holiday table setting.
How to Make Glaze for Ham?
Ingredients
Here are our secret ingredients for the best brown sugar honey glaze. This glaze creates a harmonious blend of sweet, tangy, spicy, and salty flavors.
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar brings a deep, molasses-like sweetness that forms a beautiful caramelized crust on the ham. Add a hint of smoky molasses flavor.
- Honey: Honey helps in creating a glossy and helps the glaze to stick to the ham.
- Orange Juice: The citrusy zing of orange juice cuts through the sweetness, adding a fresh and tangy flavor that brightens the overall taste of the glaze.
- Dijon Mustard: Dijon mustard introduces a mild heat and complexity, balancing the sweetness of the sugar and honey with its tangy and slightly spicy notes.
- Cinnamon Powder: Cinnamon adds a warm, spicy aroma that complements the sweetness of the glaze. It’s a classic spice for holiday cooking, invoking a sense of festivity.
- Clove: The cloves provide a deep, aromatic warmth. They infuse the glaze with a rich, slightly bitter undertone that contrasts beautifully with the other ingredients.
- Black Pepper, freshly cracked: Freshly cracked black pepper adds a subtle heat and pungency, enhancing the other flavors and adding a bit of a kick to the glaze.
- Kosher Salt: Salt is essential in balancing and bringing out the flavors. It cuts through the sweetness and ensures that the glaze isn’t overly sugary, but rather perfectly savory.
Instruction
Step 1. In a saucepan, combine the ingredients for the brown sugar glaze. Heat and whisk until the brown sugar is dissolved and the glaze is well combined. Set it aside.
Step 2. Wrap the ham in foil, making sure to position the seam at the top for easy opening. Then, brush the ham evenly with the glaze before roasting.
Step 3. After wrapping the ham in aluminum foil, carefully place it in the cooking tray and return the tray to the Typhur Dome air fryer. Cook the ham at 345°F/175℃ for 20 minutes.
Step 4. Unwrap the ham and brush the glaze over the top. Then, cover it with aluminum foil and roast it for the second time.
Step 5. Cook the ham again at 345°F/175℃ for another 20 minutes.
Step 6. Remove the cooked ham to a serving tray. Preserve the cooking liquid contained within the foil for later use as a sauce.
Step 7. Slice the ham and serve it with either blueberry sauce or the preserved cooking liquid.
Do You Put Glaze on Ham Before Cooking?
When it comes to applying the glaze to your ham, the method really depends on how you’re cooking it. Let’s break it down:
Traditional Oven Method:
In this classic approach, the glaze should not be applied until the final hour to 30-60 minutes to avoid burning the sugar.
When you cook in an oven, the heat hits the food directly on the surface. This means that the sugars on the surface, like the honey and brown sugar in your glaze, can get overcooked easily. Especially if your glaze is in the oven for more than 30 to 60 minutes, the surface of your food can turn black and start to taste bitter.
Air Fryer Method (This Recipe):
Yes, apart from air fryer easter cookies, you can roast easter ham in an air fryer. The air fryer changes the game! Since we’re using this modern appliance, we can apply the glaze before cooking.
Unlike oven cooking, we usually wrap the ham in the air fryer to create a more controlled cooking environment. This method reduces the direct heat exposure, which in turn lessens the risk of the sugars in glaze burning.
Furthermore, applying the glaze beforehand in this scenario allows the flavors to infuse into the ham throughout the entire cooking process, resulting in a deeply flavorful and moist end product.
How Do You Keep a Glazed Ham Moist?
To keep a glazed ham moist, wrapping it is an effective method. Here’s how you can do it:
- Wrap with Foil: After applying the glaze to your ham, wrap it tightly in aluminum foil. This helps to lock in the moisture, preventing the ham from drying out during the cooking process. Make sure the foil is sealed well around the edges.
- Baste Before Wrapping: Before you wrap the ham, consider basting it with some of the glaze or even with a bit of water, broth, or juice. This adds extra moisture, which will help to keep the ham juicy as it cooks.
- Cook at the Right Temperature: When cooking a wrapped ham, it’s important to use a moderate oven temperature. This ensures that the ham cooks evenly without drying out.
- Unwrap at the End: To get that beautiful caramelized crust, you can unwrap the ham towards the end of the cooking time and give it a final baste with the glaze. Then, put it back in the oven, unwrapped, for the last few minutes.
- Rest Before Serving: Once the ham is cooked, let it rest for a while before slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, keeping it moist and flavorful.
By wrapping your ham, you create a moist environment that helps to preserve its juiciness and tenderness, making for a deliciously succulent meal.
Roasted Ham with Brown Sugar Honey Glaze
Equipment
- Tongs
- Sauce Pot
- Chef Knife
- Pastry Brush
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 35.3 oz fully cooked smoked ham boneless
Brown Sugar Honey Glaze
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 10 pic clove
- 15 turns black pepper, freshly cracked
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the ingredients for the brown sugar glaze. Heat and whisk until the brown sugar is dissolved and the glaze is well combined. Set it aside.1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup honey, 1/4 cup orange juice, 2 tbsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder, 10 pic clove, 15 turns black pepper, freshly cracked, 1 tsp kosher salt
- Wrap the ham in foil, making sure to position the seam at the top for easy opening. Then, brush the ham evenly with the glaze before roasting.
- After wrapping the ham in aluminum foil, carefully place it in the cooking tray and return the tray to the Typhur Dome.
- Cook the ham at 345°F/175℃ for 20 minutes.
- Unwrap the ham and brush the glaze over the top. Then, cover it with aluminum foil and roast it for the second time.
- Cook the ham again at 345°F/175℃ for another 20 minutes.
- Remove the cooked ham to a serving tray. Preserve the cooking liquid contained within the foil for later use as a sauce.
- Slice the ham and serve it with either blueberry sauce or the preserved cooking liquid.
Nutrition PER SERVING
(Nutrition information is calculated automatically by Spoonacular API and should be considered an estimate.)
Don’t miss out on the traditional turkey breast recipe too! Prepare it along with the glazed ham to surprise your family this year!
