Name: Glazed Apple Spiral Ham
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 105 min
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 10 pound precooked spiral ham (mostly commonly sold as bone-in); 1/2 cup water; 5 each large green apples (such as Granny Smith; peeled, cored and thinly sliced; see FAQs in post for more apple info); 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard (do not use yellow mustard); ½ cup light brown sugar (packed); ½ cup orange juice (use apple juice or apple cider rather than OJ if you want a stronger apple flavor in the finished ham); ¼ cup real maple syrup; 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce (I suggest lite or reduced sodium, you can always add salt later); ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (I use 1 teaspoon but I love cinnamon); 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I use 1/2 teaspoon but I love cloves)

Get to know the ingredients

Use a precooked spiral ham

The ham is already cooked through, so the oven time is about warming it and caramelizing the glaze. That also means you can pull back with foil if the outside browns too fast.

Granny Smith-style apples work well

Large green apples are called for here, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced. Their shape matters as much as the variety, since the slices need to slide between the ham spirals.

Stick with Dijon

Use Dijon mustard here, not yellow mustard. It goes into the glaze with the sugar, juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, and spices, so its sharper flavor is part of the sauce.

Let’s make it

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Servings

Original recipe: Serves 10. Original quantities shown.

Estimating…

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How to make it

0 of 8 steps complete

Ham - Preheat oven to 350F 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. 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.
Apples - Peel, thinly slice, and core the apples. If you have a mandolin, bring it out for this task. If you don't, that's fine. Just slice the apples very thin, thinner that you would for apple pie.
Apple Assembly - Turn your ham on it’s side and carefully tuck half of the apples in between each spiral throughout the ham. Carefully flip the ham over and repeat on the other side with the remaining apple slices. Place the ham upright on the roasting pan; set aside momentarily. Tip - If your bottom spirals begin to loosen you can insert a few toothpicks into the bottom to hold it together.
Glaze (sauce) - To a small saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients (Dijon through ground cloves), bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and let it bubble gently for about 3-5 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. For the glaze brushing below, think of the glaze usage like this: Use 50% of the total amount of glaze in Brushing and Baking #1. In Brushing and Baking #2 use 25% of the total glaze, and in Brushing and Baking #3 use the final 25%. It doesn't have to be perfect, but try your best for optimal results.
Brushing and Baking #1 - Brush or pour HALF the glaze over the ham (save the remainder). Loosely cover the ham with foil and bake for 1 hour.
Brushing and Baking #2 - Remove the ham from the oven. Brush half of the saved glaze (so half of the half, or 25% of the total) and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, occasionally basting with pan juices.
Brushing and Baking #3 - Using the remaining glaze, brush the ham again, and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the glaze has fully caramelized and the ham has been warmed through. Tip - If the ham is beginning to brown too quickly or begins to burn while it's uncovered in either Baking 2 or Baking 3, cover it with foil and/or it may simply be done and ready to be taken out of the oven. Because remember, this ham has already been cooked through - you're just warming it and caramelizing the glaze.
Resting and Slicing - Allow the ham to rest for about 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving. See the FAQs in the blog post for slicing tips.

Make room for Glazed Apple Spiral Ham

Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.

The last little job

Let it rest before slicing

After the glaze is caramelized and the ham is warmed through, give it a proper rest before slicing. Those 20 to 30 minutes make the final carving easier and less rushed.

A little more help as you go

Keep the glaze at a gentle bubble

The glaze has plenty of sugar, so watch it once it starts boiling. A fast boil can burn it; lower the heat as needed and stop when it begins to thicken.

Use the glaze in stages

The glaze is meant to go on in three rounds: half first, then half of what remains, then the last bit. It doesn't need to be exact, just don't use it all at once.

A few questions you might have

Do I need to cook the ham all the way through?

No. Use a precooked spiral ham, so you're warming it through and building up the glaze. If it starts browning too quickly while uncovered, cover it with foil or check whether it's already done.

Can I use the glaze packet that comes with the ham?

No, discard it. This ham gets its glaze from the Dijon, brown sugar, juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, cinnamon, and cloves cooked together in the saucepan.

Why add water to the roasting pan?

The water goes into the bottom of the pan before baking to help keep the ham moist as it warms in the oven.

Can I make the apple flavor stronger?

Yes. You can use apple juice or apple cider instead of orange juice if you want the finished ham to taste more apple-forward.

How do I keep the glaze from burning?

Let it bubble gently, not aggressively, and lower the heat if needed. Later, while the ham is uncovered, cover it with foil if the glaze starts browning too quickly.

Any more cooking tips?

Storage: Let leftover ham cool completely before storing in an airtight container. Ham will keep to 5 days in the fridge or in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw overnight in the fridge. To reheat, I simply warm individual portions in the microwave for 30-second intervals, or as necessary.

Glazed Apple Spiral Ham

1. Check the ham before it goes in

2. Slice the apples really thin

3. Go easy while flipping