What do you make for Christmas dinner? Sometimes we’ll do a prime rib or a roast turkey, but this year, I’m going all out with a Christmas ham that just looks festive. For this recipe, I made a cranberry-orange glaze with some warm winter spices that takes this ham to the next level. Oh and bonus, this cranberry-glazed ham feeds a crowd and makes great leftovers for sandwiches or salads the next day, so it’s great when you’re hosting family or friends for the holidays. Best of all, it only takes 5 minutes to prep!
Serving Platter | Bow Plates | Flatware | Stemmed Glasses | Velvet Ribbon | Red Taper Candlesticks | Match Striker | Striped Tablecloth (similar) | Garland | Dining Chairs | Wallpaper | Gallery Wall | Wall Sconce | Chandelier
Watch the Cranberry-Glazed Ham Roast Video
In the video, I show you how I prep the ham roast and what to look for to get the perfect caramelization on the top during cooking.
How to Prep Your Ham Roast
This recipe is for a precooked uncut half ham, and I like to trim off as much of the thicker fat layers as I can before it goes in the over to avoid the glaze getting too oily. It only takes a few minutes, but it makes a big difference. (Make sure to use a sharp knife!)
Tip: Avoid using a spiral-cut ham. They tend to dry out too much!
Then I take the same knife and score the top of the ham in a cross-hatch pattern. Run the knife across the ham in 1-inch intervals vertically and horizontally about 1/4 inch deep. This helps the glaze really set into the ham and gives it that beautiful presentation at the table.
Make the Cranberry-Orange Glaze
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Whisk together the orange marmalade and 100% pure cranberry juice in a bowl with some chicken stock. The marmalade means it won’t be totally smooth, but it’s going to break down more in the oven. Add some cinnamon, ground cloves, and a tiny bit of freshly grated nutmeg (a little goes a long way) to the bowl and whisk again.
How to Cook a Ham Roast
Serving Platter | Carving Knife & Meat Fork Set | Tablecloth (similar)
Put the ham into a roasting pan and pour the glaze over the top. The ham goes into a 300 degree oven on convection setting for 2 hours—you’ll baste it every 30 minutes with the liquid in the pan. If it seems like the glaze is thickening up too much, add a little bit more chicken stock or water—you don’t want it to burn on the bottom. We want the ham to have time to warm through and caramelize on the outside.
I like my ham to be a little bit darker in color on the top, so at the 2-hour mark, I add a little bit more water to the pan and turn the temperature up to 325 degrees. It will probably only be in there for 30 more minutes, and when you take it out, baste it again with the syrupy glaze. Wrap it with aluminum foil to keep it warm, and your oven is freed up for the next hour for other sides (like scalloped potatoes or dinner rolls).
The flavor of this holiday ham is so wintery and warming—it’s just perfect. Plate it on a large platter in the center of your table to show it off, and cut it into thick slices to serve. Your friends and family are going to love this one. Happy holidays, y’all.
Cranberry-Glazed Ham
Ingredients:
- precooked half ham, ideally not spiral cut
For the glaze
- 13 oz jar orange marmalade
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened 100% cranberry juice
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground clove
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300. Lay the ham cut-side down in a roasting pan, trim off any thick pieces of fat and score the outside of the ham in a cross-hatch pattern with 1in spacing (approximate – don’t worry about making it perfect).
- Whisk together all of the glaze ingredients and pour over the ham. Cover loosely with foil and place in the oven for 2 hours. Remove the foil and increase the temperature to 350 and baste every 20-30 minutes until glazed. If the pan becomes too dry add more chicken stock or water to loosen the glaze.
- Once caramelized, remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes before carving. Serve the ham topped with more of the reduced glaze from the pan. Enjoy!
Curious if I can do with a spiral cut ham. Thanks
I recommend against it because they tend to dry out too much.
Thanks for the clear instruction. Can this be done a day before and reheat?
You can. The way I would do it is cook it, let it cool, then slice it and lay it down in foil trays or something and cover with foil, making sure to spoon in as much of the glazing liquid as you have to cover it as much as you can. Keep in the fridge, and then on the day, I would put it in the oven at 175 degrees for maybe 60-90 minutes until warmed.
Thanks a lot for your quick and helpful answer.
Amazing!!!!! Thankyou for the easy recipe!!!!
Made this today for Christmas and it was a hit! Everyone loved it and it was nice and easy! Will definitely be making again. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
In our country across the ocean do not sell precooked ham. What steps you sugest taking if I buy uncooked ham? Want to try this recepie. Thank you in advance.
I haven’t tried it with an uncooked ham—you could create the glaze and follow a different methodology from someone who has done it before!