Pineapple & Honey Glazed Ham (Bone-In)

A staple for many holiday dinners, this old fashioned bone in pineapple and honey glazed ham is a truly wonderful thing when properly prepared.

This easy bone-in ham is perfect for serving at Easter, Thanksgiving, or even Christmas. If you're into meal prepping, you can even cook this ham on the weekend and use any leftover meat for sandwiches, breakfast egg muffins, and more throughout the week.

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Different Types Of Ham

Ham is by definition, the cured hind leg of the pig. Ham may be dry cured, or wet cured (brined), as well as smoked.

Depending on the specific cut of the leg and the curing process, various different types of hams may be created, such as Parma ham, and Serrano ham.

When choosing a ham for your holiday dinner, you usually have a few options, and it can be confusing if you're not sure what to look for.

Bone-in Ham vs Boneless Ham

A 'whole ham' usually refers to the entire cured rear leg of pork and includes the thigh bone, part of the pelvic bone, and occasionally part of the tailbone.

A whole ham is usually large enough to feed anywhere from 12 to 20 people, but due to its size, it also takes quite a while to cook.

Alternatively, you can opt for a 'half ham', and these are usually the size you'll find at grocery stores. When choosing a half ham you can choose between the 'Butt' or 'Shank' cut. Both are bone-in.

• The butt is cut from the upper part of the leg and is usually leaner and more tender.
• The shank is cut from the lower part of the leg and is slightly tougher than the butt. The shank makes up for this though by being fattier and more flavorful.

Hams cut from the lower leg (the shank cut) are usually easier to cut as there is no hip bone you need to cut around.

Boneless hams are also an option and also come brined or smoked. Just as advertised, they have had the leg bone removed and were traditionally tied back up with butcher's twine to make roasting easier.

Nowadays you'll find boneless ham usually sealed in plastic in an oval shape. The upside to boneless hams Is that they are easier to carve, but they are not as flavorful or juicy as a bone in ham.

Bone-in Hams are juicier and more flavorful, and you get a wonderful ham bone with which to make soup or broth afterward!

Pre-Cooked vs Uncooked Ham

In North America, you will often find pre-cooked hams which will be labeled 'ready to eat'. Finding un-cooked ham is very difficult in grocery stores, though you can pre-order un-cooked, cured hams from your local butcher.

Pre-cooked hams still need to be 'cooked' or roasted, but only to bring them up to temperature, and crisp up the fat. As such they are roasted at lower oven temperatures (300F - 325F) for 12- 15 minutes per pound.

How Do You Cook A Bone In a Ham?

As a rule of thumb, bone-in hams are cooked for about 15 minutes per pound. This usually results in a cooking time of about one to two hours depending on the size of the ham. A little longer if glazing the ham.

Once you've purchased a ham and are ready to cook it, it's important to make sure the rind, or skin, has been removed. Some hams will be marked 'skinless', make sure to check what yours says!

While you could leave the rind on, it is not very palatable and has a tough rubbery texture when cooked. It does not crisp up well.

Pineapple & Honey Glazed Ham Recipe

Note: this recipe for honey glazed bone-in ham uses pre-cooked ham (the butt). I used a smoked, skin-less ham butt which was pre-cooked.

Ingredients

To make this glazed ham you'll need:

• 1 8-10 lb pre-cooked bone-in ham - pull the ham 1 - 2 hours before starting to let it come to room temperature.
• ¼ cup water
• 1 ripe pineapple

For the glaze you'll need:

• 1.5 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 whole oranges -juiced
• 1 lemon - juiced

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325F and remove any packaging or netting the ham may be wrapped in. If the ham still has a rind, remove this.

Score the fat with a sharp paring knife. Try to avoid cutting into the ham itself.

2. Place the ham with the cut side down in a roasting pan and add ¼ cup of water to the pan. Cover the ham with tinfoil or a roasting pan lid. This will help keep moisture in the ham as it comes up to temperature.

Cook the ham for 1 hour, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 120F. Use a meat thermometer to check this.

3. As the ham cooks prepare the glaze by combining all the glaze ingredients in a pot and gently bringing them to a simmer. Cook the glaze until it starts to thicken slightly.

4. After the first hour is up, remove the lid from the ham and remove any liquid that may be in the pan. Set the juice aside, and turn the oven up to 350F. Take ⅓ of the glaze you made, and pour it over the ham, making sure to fully coat the ham. Roast the ham for 15 minutes

5. Take the pineapple slices and pin them to the ham, making sure to evenly cover the ham. Using a ladle or large spoon baste the ham and pineapple slices with any glaze in the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste the ham every ten minutes for the next half hour.

6. Take the temperature of the ham to see how far done it is. It should be at least around 150F- 155F by this point.

7. Turn up the temperature to 375F, and bake the honey and pineapple glazed ham, for another 15 minutes to lightly broil the pineapple.

8. Remove the ham from the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes. As the ham rests, pour any remaining glaze( both in the pan and on the stove ) into the juice you set aside earlier. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch or a roux.

Serve the honey and pineapple glazed ham with the cooked pineapple slices as garnish. You may need to remove them from the ham to slice it!

What Should You Serve With This Honey Glazed Ham?

This classic glazed ham is ideal for special occasions. Tender, juicy, and loaded with flavor I could eat the whole ham all by myself!

If serving as a main course, serve the ham alongside:

• Freshly Baked Biscuits
• Whole Baked Sweet Potatoe
• Owen Roasted Baby Carrots
• Roasted Root Vegetable Medley
• Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with a Creamy Black Peppercorn Dressing
• Kale Slaw (With A Creamy Lemon Garlic Dressing)

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Recipe

Pineapple & Honey Glazed Ham (Bone-In)

Chef Markus Mueller

Sweet, succulent, and full of flavour, this honey glazed bone-in ham is the perfect Holiday meal to feed your guests. Serve it for Easter, Thanksgiving, or even Christmas!

4.48 from 23 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 35 minutes mins

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Servings 12 people

Calories 535 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 8-10 lb pre-cooked bone-in ham pull the ham 1 – 2 hours before starting to let it come to room temperature.
• ¼ cup water
• 1 whole ripe pineapple cored & cut into slices

For the glaze you’ll need:

• 1.5 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup honey
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 whole oranges juiced
• 1 lemon juiced

Instructions

 

• Pre heat the oven to 325F and then remove any packaging or netting the ham may be wrapped in. If the ham still has a rind, remove this. Score the fat with a sharp paring knife. Try to avoid cutting into the ham itself.
• Place the ham with the cut side down in a roasting pan and add ¼ cup of water to the pan. Cover the ham with tinfoil or a roasting pan lid. This will help keep moisture in the ham as it comes up to temperature. Cook the ham for 1 hour, or until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 120F. Use a meat thermometer to check this.
• As the ham cooks prepare the glaze by combining all the glaze ingredients in a pot and gently bringing them to a simmer. Cook the glaze until it starts to thicken slightly.
• After the first hour is up, remove the lid from the ham and remove any liquid that may be in the pan. Set the juice aside, and turn the oven up to 350F. Take ⅓ of the glaze you made, and pour it over the ham, making sure to fully coat the ham. Roast the ham for 15 minutes
• Take the pineapple slices and pin them to the ham, making sure to evenly cover the ham. Using a ladle or large spoon baste the ham and pineapple slices with any glaze in the bottom of the roasting pan. Baste the ham every ten minutes for the next half hour.
• Take the temperature of the ham to see how far done it is. It should be at least around 150F- 155F by this point.
• Turn up the temperature to 375F, and bake the honey and pineapple glazed ham, for another 15 minutes to lightly broil the pineapple.
• Remove the ham from the oven, and let it rest for 10 minutes. As the ham rests, pour any remaining glaze( both in the pan and on the stove ) into the juice you set aside earlier. Thicken the sauce with cornstarch or a roux.

Nutrition

Calories: 535kcal

Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.

Keyword bone in ham, Easter ham, Honey baked ham recipe, How long do you cook a ham?, What is the best ham to buy?

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