The Best Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham For Christmas

Tender, juicy, succulent ham with a sweet and tangy pineapple honey glaze that will put you in the holiday spirit.

This is the perfect ham recipe for x mas and definitely a crowd pleaser that will have your family begging you to make it for years to come.

Hey PBJ’s im back with another Holiday recipe and this time, a main dish, Pineapple honey glazed ham. As I said in my last posted chitterlings recipe, Thanksgiving is over, but the holidays, sure enough, aren’t.

So, although I didn’t get all these delicious holiday recipes up to you before the big dinner, Thanksgiving, you can still use them for Christmas and New Year’s dinner, and of course, they’ll still be here for next Thanksgiving.

I’m ecstatic to share this particular recipe because Ham was probably my favorite thing [meat] to eat during Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. It’s the one thing I looked forward to eating the most.

A Family Holiday Tradition

Ham was a family tradition for us during the holidays. For Thanksgiving, it was always Turkey and Ham. Those were the two big chunks of meat I remember taking up half of my grandma’s dinner table for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. Lol!

Thanksgiving was the only time my grandma would make it, so I definitely looked forward to it because I only had it once a year. I loved pulling off the pineapples and cherries and eating them once the ham was done.

Childhood Memories of Christmas Ham

I can remember helping my grand Val place the pineapples and cherries over the ham and pin them with toothpicks. I had a lot of fun doing that. My grandma would pin them in a way where you couldn’t see the toothpicks.

As a kid, before I was old enough to help her cook and prepare food, I remember wondering how the pineapples and cherries stayed on top of the ham. Hahaha! I keep telling you all that I had an imaginative mind and was always very curious about everything. Lol!

I have two other childhood memories I want to share. One of which is my Grandma Val adamantly saying, “Boy, don’t eat all that fat!” As we all know, ham can be very fatty, especially around the edges, where you’ll find thick layers of fat. I’d never pay that any mind because I was too busy devouring it to care.

I do remember biting into a big chunk of ham fat and thinking, “This is so flavorful”. My grandma would always make sure my slices of ham weren’t too fatty. I think she just wanted it for herself. Haha. While I still look to suck on a tasty piece of fat, you’ll never find me eating it now.

The second memory that stands out is of my Nana, Alice Mea, going to the grocery store around Thanksgiving and Christmas, and seeing her flip several hams over three to four times to decide which one to buy. I now know why she’d always thoroughly check them before purchasing one.

Analyzing and selecting your meat, whether it’s ham, chicken, steak, or fish, is something I now do as an adult. I dont just pick anything up and keep it moving anymore. I have to make sure it’s right and to my liking. Lol!

Like my nana, I look to ensure there are no bruises, dark colors, or anything else that shouldn’t be on it. In the case of Ham, I look for one that is nice and meaty with a decent amount of fat, but not too much. Most of the fat is on the sides of the ham, so it’s easy to tell if a ham is too fatty.

While fat is essential for flavor, some hams can be too fatty. So when I look for a ham to buy, I find one that’s nearly 85% pink in color, which means it’s meaty because the pinkish color is the meat, and the whitish marbled part is the fat.

Ingredients:

• Ham: The main ingredient here. Get an 11 lb in-bone shank portion ham.
• Mustard: It’s a gluing agent that helps the spices stick to the ham during the early cooking stage. It also adds flavor. Mustard does wonders for ham, balancing out the sweetness with a hint of tartness.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar adds depth of flavor and a little tang to the ham and glaze.
• Spices: Brown Sugar provides a hint of sweetness and adds a mild molasses flavor, and the Ground Cloves, Ground Ginger, and black pepper make the ham taste like Christmas.
• Pineapples and cherries: The pineapples and maraschino cherries are solely for decoration purposes.

Glaze ingredients

• Butter: Use unsalted Butter is for flavor… it’s essential for a delicious glaze.
• Brown Sugar and honey: The brown sugar and honey are both for sweetness and depth of flavor, and the honey helps with the consistency of the glaze and gives it a glossy appearance.
• Pineapple juice and water: Pineapple juice is for the flavor, this is pineapple honey glaze we’re making. The water is used to smooth out the cornstarch in the slurry.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch serves as the thickener, thickening the juice and transforming it into a glaze.

How to clean the ham

Ok, so I like to clean my meat because that’s how I was raised, and there’s always a debate about whether or not cleaning meat is necessary because some believe the bacteria, if any, that are on it will die in the heat. Some feel attempting to clean it will spread germs as well.

But when it comes to ham, cleaning is a must for me. I often see too much foreign debris on the ham every time I take one out of the package it’s in.

So here are some of the cleaning solutions you can use. I scrub the outside of the ham with one of these solutions, rinse it very well, and pat it dry with a towel. Regardless of which one I decide to use, I always stick to the same ratio: 1 Tablespoon of salt, vinegar, lemon, or baking soda per quart of water.

• Salt water: I usually clean my meats and vegetables using a combination of salt and water. This is probably the most common solution.
• Baking soda and water: Baking soda and water are an excellent cleaning solution and a very effective way to remove debris and germs as well.
• Vinegar and water: Vinegar and water is another standard option; use white vinegar.
• Lemon/lime juice and water: Lemon or lime juice and water are excellent cleaning solutions, but they are more commonly used in the Caribbean than in the United States. Lemon and lime help brighten meat, making it a good option for older meat that may have been freezer-burned.

Carving deep cuts vs injecting ham

Marinating food has been a culinary practice for many years. People use dry rubs, marinades, and most importantly, TIME to inject flavor into meat.

The goal is not just to season or add flavor to the top of your meat, but to infuse it with flavor throughout, so you can savor the flavor in every bite, resulting in a better, more enjoyable dish.

Since ham is large, carving holes into the meat and injecting it with flavor is the most effective and convenient option. Here’s are a few options to inject flavor into your ham.

• Pre-Sliced Spiral Ham: A spiral ham is your best alternative to all of this because with this ham, you dont have to worry about injecting it with flavor since it’s already sliced into several pieces leading to the center. Just basting it while it bakes is all you’ll need to do.
• Injection: Many people like to inject flavor into ham with a meat injector. Be sure to do this slowly, as the juices will squirt out of the holes if you inject them too fast. Also, inject every part of the ham so that the flavor is thoroughly and evenly distributed throughout.
• Carve holes into it: Carving deep crevices into the ham is also an effective way to inject flavor into the core of the meat. It’s similar to how cooks and chefs poke holes into their chicken, steak, or salmon before marinating or seasoning it. This is how I prefer to infuse my ham with flavor.

How to make the pineapple honey glaze

Now, when it comes to glaze, I keep it simple with a few ingredients. I use butter, brown sugar for sweetness, honey to achieve a nice consistency, and pineapple juice to give it a pineapple flavor. I also add a slurry to thicken the glaze, which consists of water and cornstarch.

• First Step: Place a pot over medium heat and add in the butter and brown sugar. Stir it in well until it’s dissolved and glistening.
• Second Step: Stir in the honey and pineapple juice until well blended.
• Third Step: Create the slurry by combining a small amount of water and cornstarch until smooth, then stirring it into the pot.
• Fourth Step: Simmer until it thickens, about 10 minutes. Make sure to stir periodically.

Temperature, cooking time, and doneness

The rule of thumb for baking of ham at 325 F is to bake for 15-20 minutes per pound. So since we’re working with an 11 pound ham that will come to 3 hrs 40 minutes.

I like to go with the longest amount of time to ensure it’s tender but well done so I like to stick with 20 minutes per pound over 15 minutes per pound.

You can however, check for doneness regardless of time by using an instant thermometer and poking it into the center of the ham. If it reads 140 F the ham is safe to eat and done. 

Because I dont always trust thermometers I just go with the 20 minute per pound rule and being an experienced cook I can sort of look at it and tell by the smell when it’s done.

But these two methods of measuring doneness are most effective. You can just cut the ham to check for doneness like my grandma’s use too. Haha!

How to make Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham

1. Carve horizontal and vertical lines/cuts into and all around the ham.
   
   
2. Rub all sides of the ham down with a thin layer of mustard.
3. Pat the brown sugar, black pepper, clove, and ginger all over the ham, making sure each part is covered.
4. Pour the vinegar into the casserole dish around the ham.
   
   
5. Pin the pineapples and cherries to the ham.
   
   
6. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
7. Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the butter and brown sugar, then stir well.
8. Stir in the honey and pineapple juice .
   You can use cherry juice if you choose to for color.
9. Combine the water and cornstarch, add it to the saucepan, stir well, and simmer for 10 minutes.
   
   
10. Pour the glaze into the baking pan and over the ham..
    You can even inject some into the ham.
    
    
11. Cover ham with aluminum foil and bake for 3 to 3 hrs 40 minutes, or until an instant thermometer reads 140°F when inserted in the center.
12. Remove the aluminum foil after 2 – 1/2 hours and baste the ham every 20 minutes with the juices while it cooks.

Tips For Best Results:

• Stir liquid: Lumps can sometimes form as the slurry thickens into a glaze, so make sure to stir the liquid periodically as the ham bakes and the juices simmer.
• Baste ham: Baste the ham.. this will prevent the top of the ham and the pineapples from drying out and burning. Basting also keeps the inside moist as the juice flow into the center through the slits and crevices. It also helps to brown and give the ham a nice color.
• Check for doneness: Use an instant thermometer to check for doneness, especially if you’re a new cook. This is an easy way to tell if your ham is done. Stick it in the middle and if it reads 145, your ham can be removed. Check after at least 2 hours.

Serving Suggestions

Since ham is a holiday main dish, I’m going to give you a few sides and vegetable side dishes we commonly make to go along with it, especially for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Some of these dishes you can find right here on my blog. 

• SIDE DISH OPTIONS: World’s Best Southern Potato Salad, World’s BEST Moist Southern Cornbread
• VEGETABLE SIDE DISH OPTIONS: World’s Best Southern Collard Greens, The Best Soul Food Style Candied Sweet Potatoes

Have any leftover Ham?

Ok, so about that other childhood memory. I have memories of one of my aunts waking up in the middle of the night at grandma’s house making ham sandwiches. We always found something to do with leftovers. 

Aunt Pam, yea the same one I mentioned in my Simple Juicy Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe , who makes a chicken salad using leftover meat from baked whole chicken, would do something similar with leftover Thanksgiving turkey meat.

• Ham Sandwich: You can take that ham, slice it into long, thin pieces, and fry it for a few minutes over medium heat with onions. Then, place the fried ham and caramelized onions on a bun with mustard and live your best life.
• Ham in Mac n Cheese: Ham in baked macaroni and cheese is very popular nowadays. You can chop the leftover ham up into small pieces and add it to your macaroni and cheese like you would the cheese and bake it as usual.
• Ham in Lima Beans: Leftover ham is perfect for this dish. Instead of boiling ham hocks for hours until tender, simmer your beans as usual, then chop up the leftover ham into small pieces and add it to the pot of beans.
• Ham for Pizza: Ham on pizza is also a good idea. I haven’t tried doing this myself yet but I know people who love it will enjoy it. Chop the leftover ham into thin small pieces add it to the top of your pizza and enjoy.

Storage and reheating

• How do you store ham? Cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator.
• Can you freeze a ham? Absolutely! Ham freezer greatly. Just ensure it’s fully sealed in a Ziploc bag so it doesn’t get freezer burn.
• How to reheat in a microwave: Slice the ham, place it in a microwave-proof dish, and reheat for 1 minute. Let it go for another 30 seconds if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do you cover it with aluminum foil? No! Covering the ham with aluminum foil isn’t needed. But to ensure it’s very tender, you can cover it for the first hour and some change, then continue baking it uncovered if it helps you have a Merry Christmas.
• How long does it last? Ham can last up to a week and for months if properly stored in the freezer.

Other holiday recipes you might like:

• The BEST New Year’s Eve Pig’s Feet Recipe
• Simple Juicy Oven Roasted Whole Chicken Recipe
• Gwen’s Southern Chitterlings (Chitlins) Recipe

Equipment:

• Knife: You need a knife to carve holes into the Ham.
• Baster: Make sure you have a baster to drizzle the liquid over the ham. This browns the ham and gives it an amazing color.
• Food Injector: This is the best option for getting flavor throughout and deep into the center core of the ham and layers of meat.
• Instant Thermometer: To check for doneness.
• Toothpicks: Have some toothpicks on deck to pin the pineapples and cherries.
• Casserole Dish: A large casserole dish or baking pan is needed to cook the ham.
• Measuring Cup: Measuring cups are needed to accurately measure the pineapple juice, brown sugar, honey, etc.
• Measuring Spoons: You need measuring spoons to measure the spices and other ingredients.

That’s it folks, it’s time to goooo! Get your ingredients, get in the kitchen, and get to cooking up this beautiful ham that’s will make your Christmas Merry.

If you love this ham and I know you will, please give me a 5 star rating and leave a review below letting the readers know how good it was. Also subscribe to receive notifications via email everytime I post a new recipe.

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Enjoy, later!

PBJ~

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