Glazed Pineapple Ham Recipe

Is there any more impressive holiday centerpiece than a glazed ham? This beautiful roast bedecked with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries has a retro charm, and it's certainly aged well. Boasting a sweet and smokey flavor, glazed pineapple ham remains an American favorite.

"It is definitely a retro recipe, but also a standard in the South where pineapples were (and still are) used as a sign of hospitality," explains recipe developer Mackenzie Ryan of Food Above Gold. "I find that history to match the spirit of the holidays."

This recipe makes quite a lot of ham, and while Ryan notes that "for the most impact from the glaze, you definitely want to eat it hot," that doesn't mean you can't enjoy cold leftovers, too. "It works great cut up into scrambled eggs, on a sandwich, or mixed with potatoes for dinner," Ryan continues. However you slice it, it's sure to impress.

The ingredients list for this glazed pineapple ham recipe isn't long: just a combo of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, chicken stock, and cloves for the glaze, plus a can of pineapple rings, some maraschino cherries, and, of course, the ham itself. You'll be starting with a pre-cooked ham, but whether you opt for uncut or spiral cut is up to you.

"I like spiral cut, because it removes some of the work later, but a whole uncut ham is easier to stick the pineapple rings into," explains Ryan. "If [you] use a spiral-sliced ham, [you'll] have to wiggle the toothpick around a little to get it to stick into the ham."

She also notes that the glaze, while already sweet thanks to pineapple juice and brown sugar, can be rendered even sweeter by subbing a bit more pineapple juice for the chicken stock or adding an extra ¼ cup of brown sugar.

To begin preparing the glazed pineapple ham, first preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. While it heats up, turn your attention to the glaze. Simply combine the brown sugar, mustard, cloves, and chicken stock in a saucepan, adding pineapple juice from the can of pineapple rings. (Ryan says that most cans yield exactly the 1 cup of juice you'll need.) Cook over low heat until the sugar is melted, and then set aside until ready to drizzle over the ham.

In addition to sweetening the glaze with even more pineapple juice, you can also jazz up this glaze with other flavors. "You could go with a number of spices to give it some oomph. A shot of bourbon, a teaspoon of ground cardamom, a tablespoon of orange zest, a teaspoon of cayenne or paprika, even a little fresh rosemary sprinkled on top," suggests Ryan.

With the glaze made, it's time to decorate the ham. Place it on a roasting rack in a roasting pan, and use toothpicks to secure the pineapple rings and maraschino cherries to it. Ryan suggests working from the top down, saving any rings that break for the bottom where they are easier to hide. Drizzle the ham with the glaze, cover tightly with foil, and then it's time to bake.

Bake the ham for an hour, at which point it will be ready to baste with the juices that have dripped down into the bottom of the roasting pan. Drizzle them liberally over the ham, then cover once more with foil to prevent burning. Bake another 60 to 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees Fahrenheit, basting every 30 minutes for even more flavor.

When the ham is hot in the center, remove it from the oven and baste it one last time. This, Ryan explains, should be done "as soon as the ham comes out of the oven." She adds, "As the glaze cools, it will harden a bit, so it's best done while super hot."

Let the ham sit 15 minutes before removing the toothpicks, slicing, and serving with scalloped potatoes, roasted carrots, or a spring pea salad.