Glazed Maple Pecan Ham

Step 1

Ham – Preheat oven to 325F with your main oven rack in the middle position, making sure there's room above to accommodate the ham. Place the ham on a large roasting pan, cut side down. Make sure to remove the bottom plastic piece from the ham before cooking if there is one, and discard any glaze packets. Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the pan (this helps keep the ham moist as it bakes). Set aside momentarily.

Step 2

Glaze (sauce) – To a small saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients except the pecans (so brown sugar through ground cloves), bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it bubble gently for about 2-4 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Tips – Make sure to keep an eye on it and not let it bubble too fast; turn the heat down to medium low, or as necessary. There's a lot of sugar in this mixture and you don't want it to burn with a fast boil.

Step 3

Applying the Glaze #1 - Remove the glaze mixture from heat and brush ONE-THIRD of the glaze over the ham evenly, making sure to get it into the spirals and nooks and crannies. Reserve the leftover glaze for later.

Step 4

Bake #1 - Cover the ham with foil and bake it covered for about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on size.

Step 5

Rewarm Glaze + Pecans - Place the glaze back on the stov and over medium heat, rewarm it. It should only take a minute or two. Add the pecans and stir to combine.

Step 6

Applying the Glaze #2 - Brush all the remaining glaze and pecan onto the ham, making sure to get it into the spirals and nooks and crannies.

Step 7

Bake #2 - Bake the ham uncovered for another 15-20 minutes, or until the ham is fully cooked through and the glaze has caramelized. Baking Tips - If the ham begins to caramelize too quickly you can tent foil over the top of the ham to prevent from overcooking. Ham is "done" when it reaches 140F however this ham was already previously cooked, so you've just been rewarming and flavoring it, and after 2+ hours in the oven, no doubt the meat has come up to 140F.

Step 8

Resting and Slicing – Allow the ham to rest for about 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving. See the FAQs in the blog post for slicing tips.