Ingredients
- 1 (5 pound) hickory smoked ham
- 40 whole cloves
- 2 cups Irish whiskey (such as Jameson®)
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
Why You'll Love Making This
Chef Tips
- Baste the ham with the glaze every 20 minutes for a shiny, flavorful crust.
- Use a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking; aim for an internal temperature of 140°F (60°C).
Step 1
Cut shallow crosswise slashes into the ham, going through the fat but not deep into the meat. Stick whole cloves where the slashes cross, pushing them in as deep as you can. Preheat your oven to 300°F and line a large, heavy baking sheet with foil.
Step 2
Warm a saucepan over medium heat and pour in the whiskey. Let it simmer until it reduces by about a third—that usually takes around 15 to 20 minutes and helps mellow out the alcohol. Turn the heat down to medium-low, add the butter, and stir until it melts. Then, mix in the brown sugar and honey, cooking everything until it thickens into a nice glaze, which should take another 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 3
Brush that glaze all over the ham and place it on your prepared pan. Cover the whole thing tightly with foil. Pop it in the oven and bake for an hour, basting every 15 minutes with the glaze and any pan juices, then covering it back up with foil each time.
Step 4
After the hour, take off the foil and keep baking until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145°F—this usually takes about another 30 minutes. Don’t forget to baste it a couple more times during this last stretch.
Step 5
When it’s done, pull the ham out and tent it loosely with foil for about 10 minutes to let the juices settle. Save those flavorful drippings from the pan. Trim off any extra fat and skin, slice the ham, and serve it up with the pan juices on the side.
