Sweet Bourbon-Glazed Ham Recipe Is Better Than Honey Baked (and You Get to Use a Torch) by John Eckels
My son worked at Honey Baked Ham when he was in high school, and he told me how they make their hams. It is a rather simple process, and you can make your own for a fraction of the price they charge without having to wait in a long line.
To make a copycat honey-baked ham recipe, you just need to make a sugar-based glaze and use a torch to caramelize the glaze. Adding bourbon makes a very flavorful glaze. My motto of "bourbon makes everything better" is really true with this baked ham recipe!
Here is what you need to grab to make this gluten-free ham for Christmas this year: a ham, a ham glaze packet, granulated sugar, brown sugar and bourbon (the cheap stuff works great!). Serve this sweet, delicious ham for dinner with your favorite side dishes.
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Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 20
Ingredients
- 1 ham (see Recipe Notes)
- 1 ham glaze packet (see Recipe Notes if your ham doesn't have a glaze packet)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup bourbon (see Recipe Notes)
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Recipe Notes
- I used a 16-pound ham from Costco.
- Most plumbers use Mapp torches, which are much hotter than propane. I used a propane torch.
- When making the glaze, please note that it will become much thinner as it gets hot. If it gets too thin, add more granulated (white) sugar.
- If your ham did not come with a glaze packet, use cinnamon to spice up the glaze.
- White sugar is the key here. I initially tried using only brown sugar and it did not get hard. My son told me that Honey Baked Ham uses dry white sugar and cinnamon for their glaze.
- You may be able to place your ham under a broiler to caramelize the sugar. My only concern would be getting the proper amount of heat in all areas. The torch really lets you concentrate the heat in specific areas.
- You can probably use apple cider if you do not wish to use alcohol in this recipe. Note that I have not tried it that way.
Here's how to make it:
- Place ham on a metal baking sheet. You will be using a very hot torch and need to protect your countertop from the fire and heat.
- Combine ham glaze packet, white granulated sugar, brown sugar and bourbon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. The mixture should be rather thick when it is boiling. I had to add more white sugar to mine.
- Using a spoon, spread hot glaze all over the surface of the ham. You want it to be about 1/8- to 3/16-inch thick layer.
- The glaze will cool and become solid but not real hard after it is applied to the ham.
- Using a propane torch, heat the glaze until it starts bubbling and caramelizing. You may need to make multiple passes in order to achieve desired hardness. When glaze cools, you can make another pass with the torch if needed.
Nutrition Facts Per Serving
Calories: 164
Total Fat: 7.5g
Saturated Fat: 2.8g
Cholesterol: 42mg
Sodium: 914mg
Total Carbohydrate: 9.6g
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Total Sugars: 8.6g
Protein: 14.1g
Vitamin D: 0mcg
Calcium: 2mg
Iron: 1mg
Potassium: 4mg
Recipe cooking times, nutritional information and servings are approximate and provided for your convenience. However, 30Seconds is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe, nor may you have the same results because of variations in ingredients, temperatures, altitude, errors, omissions or cooking/baking abilities. This recipe has been analyzed by VeryWellFit. However, any nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and it is up to the individual to ascertain accuracy. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography.
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