Take your glazed ham to a whole new level with this Cranberry Bourbon Glazed Ham!
Whole cranberry sauce, brown sugar, bourbon, and horseradish makes the best ham glaze! Perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas or anytime you want a special ham!
There are your basic glazed hams and then there is this glazed ham.
Just when you think you've tried all the glazes, comes along a Cranberry Bourbon Glazed Ham!
I first made this ham in 2007 and it was an instant favorite.
Sweet from the brown sugar, tart from the cranberries, a little kick from the horseradish and a hint of bourbon. What's not to love?
It's perfect for Christmas, but I try to keep cans of whole cranberry sauce year round, so we can enjoy it whenever we want!
Ingredients.
- Ham - bone in. I used a spiral sliced ham, but I've used a regular ham too, both work fine. You'll want to save your ham bone to make The Best Black Eye Peas for New Year's!
- Brown sugar.
- Whole cranberry sauce - you can make your own, I just bought canned.
- Bourbon - use a good bourbon that you would enjoy drinking.
- Horseradish - adds a great kick.
- Bay leaf - probably optional if you don't have any.
Step by step instructions.
Preheat the oven to 325°f.
Trim fat and rind from ham. Score in a diamond pattern. I only do that when I've got a regular bone in ham, if I'm using a spiral slice, I don't score it.
Place ham bone cut side down into a pan. You can line the pan with foil or spray with cooking spray. I sometimes add about ¼ cup of water.
Cover ham with foil.
Bake for 1 ½ hours or about 15 minutes a pound.
While the ham is baking combine the cranberry sauce, brown sugar, horseradish, bay lear and bourbon in a small pan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.
Increase the oven temperature to 400°f.
Brush the glaze over the ham and continue to cook for 15 minutes. I find it easier to bring the ham out of the oven, brush on the glaze and then return the pan to the oven.
Remove the pan from the oven and place on a platter. Tent it with foil and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. Skim off fat from the sauce in the pan.
Serve the ham with the sauce!
I served this steamed broccoli and potatoes Anna, it would have also been great with Scalloped Potatoes Gruyere.
A take away from this recipe (besides the amazing glaze) is to bake your ham cut side down! It comes out perfect. I think it's the same idea as roasting your chicken for awhile breast side down, you get the juices from the fat to flow down into the meat. The cut edge on the ham stayed so moist, but it was also nice and crispy from being in contact with the hot pan.
What to do with leftover ham?
Recipe.
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Cranberry Bourbon Glazed Ham
Ingredients
- 10 pound bone-in ham
- cooking spray
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup whole cranberry sauce
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325.
- Trim fat and rind from ham. Score outside of ham in a diamond pattern. Place the ham, bone end up, on a roasting pan coated with cooking spray or lined with foil.
- Cover with foil (optional.) Bake at 325° for 1 ½ hours.
- In a small saucepan combine the sugar and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.
- Increase the oven temperature to 400.
- Brush the cranberry mixture over the ham and continue baking for 15 minutes.
- Remove the ham from the oven and place on a platter. Tent lightly with foil and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.
- Skim fat from sauce in pan.
- Slice ham and serve with sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Update Notes: This was originally published in 2007 and has been updated for 2022.
Amy Liu Dong says
I am drooling to taste this ham. I gonna make this for Christmas! Yum!
Jamie says
Wow! This ham recipe looks so yummy! A perfect ham dish for this Holiday season! Everybody would definitely love this!
Laurie says
Question: Is it a typo that brown sugar is listed twice in the ingredient list? One says packed, one doesn’t. It’s Christmas Day and I’m making this right now. I know it’s last minute.. my mother bought a lot of food and just informed me that I am cooking the main dinner tonight. I had no idea Hahahaha!
Pam Greer says
I am so sorry, I am just now seeing this, I was out of town over Christmas! Yes, it's a typo! There is only 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Even if you did both, the glaze would have just been sweeter, it should have still worked. I hope your dinner was wonderful!
Amanda says
Anything with bourbon sounds like a winner to me. This sounds amazing! Definitely putting this ham on the holiday menu this year. Thanks for sharing!
Pam Greer says
Bourbon makes everything better!
Valentina says
I've never baked a ham before and this looks like a great on to try. I'm loving those sweet and savory flavors in the sauce so much. YUM!
Pam Greer says
It is sooo good!
Jill says
You had me at bourbon 🙂 I need to try this glaze the next time I make ham!
Pam Greer says
Bourbon makes everything better!
Adrianne says
Holy wowswers Pam, this ham looks fabulous! I have made a few in my day, but never one with bourbon and cranberry sauce. I am going to give this a go for Christmas this year, YUM!!
Pam Greer says
It really is so good, I can't believe we haven't made it in so long!
Shanika says
This Cranberry Bourbon Glaze sounds divine! I need to try this for sure!
Pam Greer says
We loved it!
Marjie says
I've noticed that "light" foods usually have absurdly tiny portions. 3 ounces of ham for one of my boys falls somewhere below the level of appetizer.And yes, I made Christmas goose about 3 years ago (actually, I should say Christmas Geese, because I cooked 6). Goose and duck are both fatty, so I put them up on a rack in the roasting pan. I also quartered lemon and orange, and put one quarter of each in each bird in place of stuffing. If you stuff a goose, the stuffing will be ruined. Maybe a New Year's goose for you?
Peter M says
Pam, your ham "kicks butt" (good pun)!
Kevin says
Your ham looks great and the recipe sounds tasty. I tried baking a ham this year for the first time and it was surprisingly easy and good.
Chris says
Pam - seriously? This looks like a ham I would devour. Absolutely mouthwatering!