Cola and Bourbon Glazed Ham

Confession time, I am guilty tossing my ham in a roasting pan and warming it for said period of time, then whipping together the gold packet of “glaze” ingredients, quickly slathering on top. Ever done that?

There is nothing wrong with that, but I typically only make ham for special occasions, like Christmas and Easter. Last year I was on a quest to find a ham glaze that was easy, tasted great and did not take much time to prepare.

Ding-Ding-Ding! Winner, winner, we are having (the best) ham for dinner! This is a slight modification from my friend Nikki’s, Cola and Mustard Glazed Ham recipe.

In a matter of about 5 minutes you will have the glaze made, slathered over the ham and ready for the oven. Super simple, with little more to do than rub it on, pour in a few ingredients and you are all set.

How to Make Bourbon and Cola Glazed Ham

• Gather ingredients (below).
• Mix brown sugar, mustard and garlic powder for glaze
• Trim excess fat, score ham (in a criss-cross or diamond pattern)
• Place ham in roasting pan or baking dish at least 2 inch inches deep
• Pour glaze over top of ham, rubbing (using a spoon, spatula or your hands) into the cuts, crevices etc.
• Pour Coca-Cola into bottom of roasting pan (you don’t want to wash off the glaze)
• Pour whiskey or bourbon into bottom of pan.

All Natural Glaze Ingredients for Cola Glazed Ham

• 8 – 10 lb bone in ham, spiral or regular cut (if making a larger ham, increase ingredients accordingly, if smaller, reduce slightly)
• ½ cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
• ⅓ cup mustard (yellow, dijon, grainy, country, brown — whatever mustard you like! – I actually used a combo of dijon and yellow as I ran out of dijon)
• ½ – 1 teaspoon organic garlic powder
• ½ cup bourbon (or whiskey)
• 1 16 oz bottle Coca-Cola (the glass bottled kind, from Mexico, made with pure cane sugar, please no diet coke)

Do I Have to Use Bourbon or Whiskey in the Glaze?

While bourbon adds a beautiful, oaky, smooth flavor, you do not need to use it in this recipe. But so you know, the alcohol cooks out in the roasting; leaving behind the aroma and smoky flavors of the whiskey.

Feel free to omit the bourbon all together or swap out with equal portions unfiltered apple juice. A delicious combo!

Common Questions About Cooking a Ham

What does basting a ham mean?

Basting, by definition means; to pour juices or melted fat over meat during cooking in order to keep it moist. This works on any meat, not just ham. But for our ham glaze, since we don’t want all those great flavors to be washed away, it is an unbasted ham, though please pour some of those amazing juices over the top and over sliced meat during serving.

How Long Does it Take to Cook a Ham in a Roaster or How Do I cook a precooked ham

The general rule of thumb for cooking a precooked ham (and I have yet to meet an uncooked ham) is 15 minutes per pound in a 350 degree oven. So for a 10 lb ham you will cook it for 150 minutes, which is about 2 hours 30 minutes.

Recipes for Leftover Ham

Great ways to use leftover ham!

• Hammy Sammies – my personal favorite!
• Ham, Mac & Cheese Soup, simply delicious!
• Make a delicious ham sandwich using other leftovers from your holiday meal, sourdough bread, ham, a little mayo, maybe a little cranberry relish and a slice of cheese (gouda, swiss, pepperjack).

Whether you are making this beautiful ham for Christmas, Easter or just have a ham hankering, I hope you enjoy it!

Get all the details on thefreshcooky.com