Apricot Glazed Ham
Updated: 2 days ago
By Chef Jon Ashton | Published April 9, 2025
Why you'll love it: just two glaze ingredients · a true centerpiece · mostly hands-off · leftovers for days.
Glazed ham: where sweet meets savory in a symphony of crackle, comfort, and celebration.
Tested in my kitchen · As seen on TODAY and The Tonight Show · Parade magazine's chef for 10 years · About Chef Jon →
Before you start: New to this? My Kitchen School has a short lesson that will help. Each one takes about five minutes to read. Safe internal temperatures
Apricot Glazed Ham
Serves 14 to 16
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: about 1½ to 3½ hours, depending on the ham
Level: Easy
Equipment: Roasting Pan, Instant Read Thermometer, Sauce Pan.
Ingredients
1 (7- to 8-pound) bone-in ham, fully cooked or “cook before eating”
Whole cloves
1 to 2 cups water, for the pan
1 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
Prepare the Ham: Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Set the ham, fat side up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Score the surface in a diamond pattern about ⅛ inch deep, cutting diagonally one way and then the other. Press a whole clove into each intersection. Keep the cuts shallow. About ⅛ inch is enough for the glaze to seep in and the diamonds to open up beautifully.
Roast the Ham: Pour 1 to 2 cups of water into the bottom of the pan and tent the ham loosely with foil. Bake until a thermometer in the thickest part (not touching bone) reads 140°F for a fully cooked ham, about 12 to 15 minutes per pound, or 145°F for a cook-before-eating ham, about 25 minutes per pound. You'll know it's right when the thermometer reads 140°F for a fully cooked ham, or 145°F for a cook-before-eating ham. Trust the thermometer over the clock.
Glaze: Whisk together the apricot jam and Dijon mustard until smooth. About 20 to 30 minutes before the ham is done, remove the foil and brush the glaze generously over the surface. Brush on a second coat about 10 minutes later and bake until glossy and caramelized. You'll know it's right when the glaze is glossy, bubbling and caramelized at the edges of the diamonds. If the glaze starts to darken too fast, lay the foil loosely back over the top. The sugar burns quickly if it goes on too early or sits too long.
Rest and Carve: Let the ham rest for 15 to 20 minutes, then carve with a sharp knife into slices of your preferred thickness. Note: Food safety guidance: reheat fully cooked ham to 140°F (60°C); cook “cook before eating” ham to 145°F (63°C) with a 3-minute rest.
How to Store
Fridge: wrap leftovers and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.
Freeze: freeze sliced ham for 1 to 2 months.
Use it up: sandwiches, omelettes, split pea soup and, of course, the bone for stock.
Key Ingredients
Bone-In Ham: Fully cooked or cook-before-eating, bone-in gives the best flavour and juiciness, and makes a proper centrepiece.
Apricot Jam: Half of the two-ingredient glaze, it brings fruity sweetness and caramelises into a glossy lacquer.
Dijon Mustard: Its sharp tang balances the sweet jam and the smoky saltiness of the ham.
Whole Cloves: Pressed into each diamond, they add warm spice and give the ham its classic festive look.
Water: Poured into the pan under a loose foil tent, it helps keep the ham moist through the low, slow bake.
How to Make Glazed Ham So Good It Deserves a Standing Ovation
Choose bone-in. Always. It’s juicier, more flavorful, and altogether more dramatic on the plate. Think Hamlet with… well, actual ham.
Score that beauty. Take a sharp knife and create a diamond pattern like you’re etching a love poem. The glaze seeps into every line like gossip through a manor house.
Go low and slow. Bake at 300°F (150°C), tented with foil so it doesn’t dry out like last year’s holiday jokes. Then, for the final act, off comes the foil and on goes the gloss.
Glaze it like you mean it, but only at the end. Brush it on during the last 20 to 30 minutes and again before it comes out. Think of it as reapplying perfume before a big entrance. Glazing too early is like lighting fireworks before sunset: the sugar burns.
Let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Just like actors after curtain call, it’s earned it, darling.
Glaze Ideas Worthy of Shakespearean Sonnets
Brown sugar, Dijon mustard and orange juice. Maple syrup, bourbon and apple cider vinegar. Pineapple juice, soy sauce and ginger. Cola, cloves and brown sugar. Or my apricot and Dijon below.
How Long to Bake a Ham
Always trust a thermometer over the clock. A fully cooked ham only needs reheating to 140°F (60°C), roughly 12 to 15 minutes per pound at 300°F. A ham labeled “cook before eating” needs to reach 145°F (63°C) and rest for 3 minutes, roughly 25 minutes per pound.
For a fully cooked spiral-sliced ham, allow about 20 minutes per pound at 275°F, or about 10 minutes per pound at 350°F, until it reaches 140°F. Warm, not incinerated.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Glazing too early: the sugar burns before the ham is hot through
Skipping the thermometer: hams vary; check the temperature
Baking uncovered the whole time: the outside dries out
Carving straight away: rest it first
What to Serve with Glazed Ham
Potatoes au gratin or mashed potatoes
Roasted asparagus or green beans
Deviled eggs to start
Warm rolls and grainy mustard
Frequently Asked Questions
How much ham per person?
Plan on about ½ pound of bone-in ham per person.
Fully cooked or cook-before-eating?
Check the label. Fully cooked ham only needs reheating to 140°F; cook-before-eating ham must reach 145°F.
When should I glaze a ham?
In the last 20 to 30 minutes, so the glaze caramelizes without burning.
Can I use a spiral-sliced ham?
Yes. Skip the scoring, wrap it well in foil so it doesn’t dry out, and glaze at the end.
Can I make the glaze ahead?
Yes. Whisk it together and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
You Might Also Like
Try my Potatoes au Gratin, Roasted Asparagus, and Deviled Eggs.
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Tips for Success
Choose the Right Ham
A bone-in, fully cooked ham gives the best flavor and juiciness.
Read the Label
Look for “ham” or “ham with natural juices.” Avoid “water added” or “ham and water product,” which can taste diluted and spongy.
Score Shallowly
About ⅛ inch deep is enough for the glaze to seep in and the diamonds to open up beautifully.
Tent with Foil
Covering the ham for most of the bake keeps it from drying out.
Glaze at the End
Apply the glaze during the last 20 to 30 minutes so the sugars caramelize without burning.
Rest Before Carving
15 to 20 minutes lets the juices settle, so every slice is succulent.
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