This recipe is for when you want a tasty, but totally easy holiday meal. Learn how to bake a ham in the oven with an easy bourbon glaze. It’s simple and delicious for a crowd.
Caption – This oven baked ham recipe is so tasty! Holiday or not, this one is a crowd pleaser!
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When you want a tasty alternative to serving baked turkey breast for a holiday, this simple baked ham with bourbon glaze will do the trick!
Table of Contents
Why this recipe for oven baking ham is so good…
- Easy for beginners.
- The tasty glaze really gives it “something extra”.
- Leftovers are tasty.
- New to home cooking? See my step by step video for beginners (scroll to bottom of page).
See how to cook a ham nugget…
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make ham in the oven.
- Ham
- Bourbon
- Brown sugar
- Dijon
- Butter
- Orange juice
Substitution ideas: in lieu of brown sugar, use honey, maple syrup, or pineapple juice to sweeten up your bourbon glaze.
The type of ham for baking
This particular recipe uses a boneless ham, but you could adapt it for a spiral bone in ham. Just make sure the cooking temperature reaches 140 degrees F before considering it done.
How to bake a ham in oven with a bourbon glaze
Now I’ll walk you through it…
Quick look at the recipe for oven baking ham
- Prep ham on a baking sheet with water.
- Bake ham for 40 minutes on 350 degrees F in the oven.
- Make bourbon glaze for ham.
- Partially slice ham as shown in the Sip Bite Go recipe video.
- Add the baked ham glaze to the partially cooked ham.
- Finish cooking until a meat thermometer confirms ham cooked to 140 degrees F.
- Rest, slice, and enjoy!
Detailed recipe steps
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Remove ham from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel
- Place ham on a wire rack over a baking sheet or pan and add water to fill the baking sheet at least halfway
- Add the ham to the middle rack and cook for 40 minutes.
- Make the bourbon glaze. Add the bourbon, butter, brown sugar, dijon, and orange juice to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes stirring frequently until thickened (should coat the back of a spoon). You should start this step 10 minutes into your ham cook time.
- Par-slice ham. After the ham has cooked for 40 minutes, remove it from the oven and carefully cut slices into your ham without cutting it completely, in about ½ inch to 1 inch sections. Slice about ¾ of the way down the ham. This will help the glaze seep into the slices of your ham.
- Glaze the ham. After you have sliced your ham, pour the bourbon glaze over your ham. Be sure to use a brush to help spread the glaze over the ham and use it to baste the glaze in between the slices.
- Cook the ham for another 20 minutes in the 350 degree F oven. This will bring your cooking time to one hour total (exactly how long to bake ham in oven will depend on your oven and size of the ham, but generally plan for ~20 minutes a pound). The internal temperature should read at least 140 degrees F.
- Rest the ham covered for 15 minutes prior to cutting off the slices. The resting period will allow the internal temperature to rise to 145 degrees F. (We usually enjoy it a bit closer to room temperature, and love leftovers on homemade pizza.)
- Cut and enjoy!
FAQs
To bake a small 3 pound ham like ours, it will take 1 hour. You would go by weight when it comes to determining the time it will take to cook. In general, about 20 minutes per pound in a 350 degree F oven is a good rule of thumb.
With glazed baked ham, you can serve a variety of side options. Of course, traditional mashed potatoes or sautéed carrots are great. If you want to go the extra mile, definitely smoke mashed potatoes. Same goes with mac n’ cheese… It’s a great side option, yet even better when you change up the cooking method and make smoked mac! Another great accompaniment is mashed sweet potatoes in the slow cooker.
See tasty recipes for holidays
- Tri Tip (it’s seriously the best!)
- Smoked turkey breast
- Smoked mac and cheese
- Smoked turkey
- Oven baked ham
- Smoked whole turkey
- Traeger spatchcock turkey
- Caramelized onions
- Air fryer baby potatoes
- Air fryer turkey breast tenderloin
- Garlic herb compound butter
- Bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers
- Sous vide turkey breast
- Chorizo sausage stuffing
- Easy leftover turkey recipes
- Sous vide Brussels sprouts
- Potato side dishes
- Pasta side dishes
- How to make a turkey gravy packet better
- Air fryer turkey legs
- Smoked turkey legs
- Smoked mac and cheese
Meat thermometer recommendations
Every home chef needs a reliable meat thermometer to cook food perfectly.
On Sip Bite Go, you’ll often see me using:
- Meater thermometer – a fancy wireless thermometer that connects to a phone app – gifted to me from a Traeger partnership.
- ThermoPro digital thermometer – which has a wire that connects the thermometer to a display box outside the oven/grill.
It’s like being psychic! The great thing about either of the thermometers above is that I don’t have to take the food out of the oven to know the temperature.
How to use ‘em… What I do is stick the digital thermometer in steak, pork, chicken, whatever… Then put the food in the oven, on the smoker, or grill.
While the meat cooks, it reads the temperature so I know exactly what temp meat is as it’s cooking. Without having to take it out and check. It’s really difficult to overcook food when you know exactly what temp it is inside!
Are you a foodie, too?
Hey home chefs, hope that answers all your questions about how to bake ham in ovens for a delicious holiday meal or special occasion. Also see this recipe for smoking ham on the Traeger.
Connect…
- Follow for new recipes on Instagram / TikTok
- Subscribe on YouTube to the Sip Bite Go channel.
- Browse the Sip Bite Go recipe collection.
- Say “hi” to my husband @handmodelpatrick.
Oven Baked Ham With Easy Bourbon Glaze Recipe | Sip Bite Go
Ingredients
- 3 lb ham uncured, boneless
- ½ cup bourbon
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp dijon
- 2 tbsp butter salted
- 1 medium orange juiced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- Prep ham. Remove ham from packaging and pat dry with a paper towel
- Place ham on a wire rack over a baking sheet or pan and add water to fill the baking sheet at least halfway
- Bake ham. Add the ham to the middle rack and cook for 40 minutes.
- Make the bourbon glaze. Add the bourbon, butter, brown sugar, dijon, and orange juice to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 – 15 minutes stirring frequently until thickened (should coat the back of a spoon). You should start this step 10 minutes into your ham cook time.
- Par-slice ham. After the ham has cooked for 40 minutes, remove it from the oven and carefully cut slices into your ham without cutting it completely, in about ½ inch to 1 inch sections. Slice about ¾ of the way down the ham. This will help the glaze seep into the slices of your ham.
- Glaze the ham. After you have sliced your ham, pour the bourbon glaze over your ham. Be sure to use a brush to help spread the glaze over the ham and use it to baste the glaze in between the slices.
- Cook the ham for another 20 minutes or until done in the 350 degree F oven. This will bring your cooking time to one hour total (exactly how long to bake ham in oven will depend on your oven and size of the ham, but generally plan for ~20 minutes a pound). The internal temperature should read at least 140 degrees F.
- Rest the ham covered for 15 minutes prior to cutting off the slices. The resting period will allow the internal temperature to rise to 145 degrees F. (We usually enjoy it a bit closer to room temperature, and love leftovers on homemade pizza.)
- Slice and enjoy!
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