Heating a spiral ham can be a tricky endeavor, especially since they’re cut this way to serve at room temperature. But what if you want to glaze the ham and serve it warm? This article includes some tips and tricks to keep that ham nice and juicy an easy sweet and sour glaze recipe
I’m of the belief that you can’t have Easter dinner without a ham involved. A big centerpiece spiral cut ham glistening with a honey glaze? The sweet and salty combination of flavors just tempts you to reach in a pull a piece of meat from its bone. Doesn’t it?
And every Easter and Christmas holiday I get emails asking how to cook a spiral ham. A spiral ham is already cooked and sliced, so that they’re really asking is “how to I warm a spiral ham without it drying out”.
I prefer to purchase spiral cut hams from Costco. They don’t seem so overly salty as other brands and come with a good price. Those ham also come with their own glaze packet, so of course feel free to use it, or try this honey thyme glaze included in this post.
The glaze is a recipe I’ve been using for years. I mean really …take a look at the lineup ingredients, honey, thyme, Worcestershire and cider vinegar? Who can resist?
Heating A Spiral Ham
This can be somewhat of a dilemma. After all, the ham is already fully cooked. And ti’s sliced. And with those thin slices, cooking it anymore will most certainly dry it out.
I totally ignore the reheating instruction on the Costco package and take my cue from The Honey Baked Ham Company. The experts.
Their advice is to serve the ham at room temperature: “do not heat Honey Baked Hams® – they are made to enjoy right from the refrigerator. But, If you prefer your meat warmed, gently heat on low heat 275°F for 10 min per pound only by the slice, do not heat the entire ham. Heating may cause the meat to dry out and lose flavor.“
And that’s what I’ve always done. However, I’ve always reheated the whole ham.
I bring the ham to room temperature for about an hour. But since I like to serve my Easter hams with this honey glaze recipe, I do warm the whole ham using the 275 degree heat guideline, with a couple of safeguards to keep it from drying out.
- Place the ham in a large roasting pan with an elevated roasting rack.
- With a silicone basting brush, liberally douse the ham with half of the honey time mixture in this recipe. Use that brush to get some of that glaze on the inside of the ham slices, not just on top of the ham.
- Cover and tuck the ham with a large sheet of parchment paper.
- Then cover snugly with heavy duty foil.
- Pour two cups of water in the bottom of the roasting pan – for steam.
- Preheat oven to 275 degrees and heat and heat for about 30-45 minutes. I usually buy a 5 – 7 pound ham.
- Remove the ham from the oven.
- Reheat the remaining glaze stovetop or in the microwave.
- Remove foil and parchment and then liberally brush the ham with the remaining glaze. You’ll have some run-off with the glaze, but just keep dousing it until it’s gone.
- Serve immediately.
Note: ham will not be piping hot. And that’s quite alright. Better to be warm than hot and dried out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Taking into consideration how many hearty eaters versus delicate eaters, plan on 1/4 to 1/2 pound per person. So when purchasing a ham err on the generous side, after all, you’ll want leftovers for those ham sandwiches. So if you’re serving 12 people, plan on purchasing a 6 pound boneless or a 9 pound bone-in.
Yes, Place the ham in the crockpot and apply the glaze. You won’t need foil unless the ham it too big for the lid to fit. Then you’ll need to use heavy duty foil to cover the crockpot. Bake on low for 4 hours. Dig out that Thanksgiving turkey baster and half way through the cooking time base the top of the ham with some of the juices from the bottom of the crockpot.
What To Serve With Honey Glazed Ham
Sauteed asparagus seems like a natural choice. Here are some more recipe ideas:
- Old Fashioned Creamy Scalloped Potatoes
- Blue Cheese Potatoes Dauphinoise
- Hericot Verts with Dijon Mustard Cream Sauce
- Old Fashioned Green Beans
- Strawberry Tart with Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
Heating A Spiral Ham With Glaze
Foregoing heavy glazes, this lighter honey and thyme version allows the meat to shine in all its glory.
I hope you give this honey glazed ham recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
One of the best things about making a big ham roast are the leftovers. Don’t you agree?
And if you’re looking for even more ham glaze ideas, take a look at this lineup from Betty Crocker for 10 Ridiculously Easy Ham Glazes.
Ideas for Leftover Ham
And if you’re looking for more pork recipes, don’t miss my Pork Category, You’ll find lots of great recipes including the most popular on my site for Grilled Pork Ham Steak.
If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below. And write a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback.
And, don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for more delicious recipes and cooking tips. Make it a delicious day … every day.
Reheating a Spiral Ham with Honey Thyme Glaze
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 1/2 tablespoons chopped thyme fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 5-7 pound spiral cut ham fully cooked. Let sot at room temperature 1 hour before heating.
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup honey
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Let ham stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Melt butter with thyme and let stand until ready to use.
- Boil vinegar in a small saucepan until reduced to about 1 tablespoon. Remove from heat and whisk in honey, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme butter.
- Preheat oven to 275°F with rack in lower third.
- Put ham on a rack in a large roasting pan. Using a silicone basting brush, brush the ham all over with half of the honey thyme glaze. Don't forget to get that glaze in between the slices.
- Cover the ham with a sheet of parchment paper and then with foil. Tuck in the foil. Pour 2 cups of water on the bottom of the roasting pan for steam.
- Cook for 30 – 45 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Brush ham with remaining half of honey glaze. Make sure the glaze is hot. Reheat stovetop if necessary. You'll have some run-off with the glaze, but just keep dousing the ham. You want to moisten and flavor.
- Remove ham to serving platter and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Heating a Sprial Ham … it’s with Honey and Thyme Glaze … It’s what’s for Easter Dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Looks gorgeous! Ham is such a perfect choice for Easter.
Thank you Sue.
I haven’t made a ham in so long but I’m thinking of bringing it back to the Easter table this year. The glaze sounds delicious!
I’m so picky about my ham. Some are so salty that you can hardly stand to eat them. Therefore I’m reluctant to buy any that isn’t from a specialty market and cost an arm and a leg. :/
I don’t think you could have picked a more perfect recipe for Easter!
Thank you Lauren.
That looks so good. I love the idea of a lighter glaze, so fresh and springlike!
Thank you RMW, always good to hear from you. 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m thrilled that you selected ham, that one specifically. It was delicious.
You’re welcome Christiane. Nice cooking with you for this event.
Mmmm fresh thyme is fabulous and this sounds delicious!
Thanks Vickie.
Thank you for the nice recipe and have a great weekend.
You’re so welcome Liz.
We usually have lamb for Easter but this ham would be good anytime of the year.
Lamb is always such a good choice. And I often make it for Easter. Growing up, it was always ham.
Ham is always our tradition for Easter…and yours looks amazing! The Honey and Thyme glaze sounds utterly delicious…a must try this Easter. A great choice!
Thank you Kathy.
I don’t eat ham. But if I did, this would be great!
Thanks Abbe.
The ham looks delicious! The Honey & Thyme glaze sounds fantastic!
What a perfect choice for this month’s theme! Loved having your blog for this month!
This glaze sounds marvelous. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Wendy!
You might win the prize for the prefect Easter recipe today, Lea Ann!
Why thank you Debra.
Yup, that’s my favorite Easter dinner, too. Hard to beat, isn’t it? This look most excellent — thanks so much.
Thanks John.
Wonderful! Your ham would be my choice for Easter celebration… Thyme is my favorite herb and combined with honey…perfect!
I’ve never ever used thyme with ham. Loved it.
Easter is the one and only time I make ham each year. This recipe sounds fabulous—I’m always looking for a new glaze!!!
You really nailed this one Lea Ann. A perfect Easter dinner and so much better than a pre-seasoned ham.
Sam
Thanks Sam.
Thanks Liz.