Some things are a must for the holidays, and ham is definitely on that list. They’re such a great way to feed a big group, they make a beautiful presentation, they’re quicker and easier to make than turkey, and you still get awesome sandwiches from the leftovers. You can’t go wrong with a glazed ham in the center of your Christmas dinner table.
Ain’t nothin better than an oven-roasted glazed ham I say. This recipe uses fresh cranberries, meaning it’s perfect for the holiday season! I love the zing that the dijon mustard adds too. It’s super easy to throw together!
The Ingredients
Although the recipe called for a 5-6 pound ham, the smallest I could find was closer to 8. And by closer, I mean 7.91 pounds close. It rang up to $28.40, but we’re talking about 20 servings. Not too bad when you do that math and realize it’s $1.42 a serving (not including the cost of the glaze ingredients).
The Process
Making the glaze was straightforward, and the sounds of the popping cranberries was fun. (What can I say? I’m easily amused!). I cooked it for a total of 10 minutes then added it to the blender. It took me all of 17 minutes to make the glaze and get it onto the ham (step 8).
I was all set to bake my ham when I read the directions that came with it and had some doubts. The recipe calls for 20-25 minutes per pound at 325°F, but the ham’s directions listed 10-12 minutes per pound at 275℉. BIG difference! I decided to compromise and used the higher temperature and start with the lower time per pound since. Better to add more time than end up with dry ham.
So into the oven went one glazed ham at 325°F for 1 hour 10 minutes. Unfortunately, the ham started falling apart after 20 minutes, as you can see in the picture below. At this point, I decided to take another cue from the directions that came with the ham. I removed the roasting rack and placed the ham flat side down in the roasting pan for the remainder of the cooking time.
I’m not sure if I had the ham positioned correctly to begin with. I assumed it was supposed to be horizontal, but it wasn’t specified in the directions (and no pictures). This was also my first time baking a ham, so it’s entirely possible I was wrong and should have had it vertical from the start. However, I did end up with a beautifully glazed ham that was nice and juicy, and that’s the most important part!
