This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.

Maple bourbon glazed ham is slice upon slice of succulent and salty roast meat. Slathered with a deep amber maple, mustard, whisky syrup, the piggy-pink joint is then roasted to caramelised perfection. This 10 serving recipe is a mere 25-minute oven time for cooked ham, or a briny poach-and-roast for British gammon.

No-one should go without a glossy glaze at Christmas. If your diet doesn’t include pork, get your glaze fix with maple mustard salmon or spicy mango chutney glazed roast chicken.

slices of glazed ham shown from the top down in a festive setting, with the glazed ham in the foreground

Christmas traditions around food can be deeply ingrained. But I recently discovered one of a close British friend that is so genius, I might have to adopt it myself! Her family eats a traditional turkey on Christmas Day and follows up with a smoked ham joint on Boxing Day.

Cooking both a roast turkey and a ham in quick succession seemed very labour intensive to me, but then she explained. Given it’s long-lasting fridge life, the gammon joint is cooked around the 22^nd or 23^rd of December and then served COLD as part of the classic British Boxing Day picky-bits banquet.

No kitchen-time on Boxing Day but still a delicious feast? I like the sound of that!

Gorgeous glazed ham recipe

Whisky and maple are literally a perfect cocktail. Take an Old Fashioned for example, or my own maple cider whisky sour. The combination of nutty toffee notes in maple syrup with the warm spices and vanilla of oak-aged bourbon is a radiating dream come true.

I’ve taken the two, and added the gentle fire of Dijon mustard, for a sweet and salty ham glaze. Overcooking ham can be a risk, but glazing it provides a beautiful caramelly crust that seals in the meat’s moisture, as well as adding a unique flavour.

So, are we talking about ham? Or gammon? Well, both-depending on where you’re sitting. In North America, the ham joint is a ready-salted, brined and rolled piece of pork leg that is good for glazing and reheating at home.

In the UK, a gammon joint is cured and sold raw. A bit like bacon. In the case of gammon, the meat needs to be thoroughly cooked before serving. In this glazed ham recipe, I’ve poached it before roasting.

If you tend not to cook with alcohol, this glazed ham recipe with blackcurrant compote is just as excitingly sharp and sweet.

process images showing how to prepare and glaze the ham

Recipe Tips and Notes

Gammon (UK) is raw and cured ham so it needs to be cooked! The quickest method is to poach it in liquid first. I’ve experimented with Earl Grey tea, cola and cider.
But boiling in water and aromatics; onion, carrot, peppercorns and bay is simple and effective, and won’t interfere with the heavy-hitting glaze flavours.
Keep to the recommended cooking times. You don’t want the meat to collapse and shred like pulled pork.
Check the ham is cooked through using an This is an affiliate link.instant read thermometer. The meat should be 68C/155F at the centre of the joint.
If starting with a cooked ham joint (North America), just glaze and warm up. But do not overcook or your succulent roast will be disappointingly dry.

Serving suggestions

Serving a festive ham is a welcome relief from all the turkey and trimmings– especially when Christmas comes hot on the heels of Thanksgiving!

Or you could try my friend’s labour-saving tradition of cooking it in advance and saving it for cold cuts on Boxing Day.

It’s definitely a tradition that sounds appealing to me, so this year I’m going to keep some cold smoked ham slices back to serve with thick-cut, homemade bread and butter doorsteps, continental cheeses (like my whisky baked brie), sauerkraut, winter walnut and beet salad, crackers and a hot cheesy, cranberry studded dip.

But the real test is can you resist the glistening glaze and rich aromas of a just-baked bourbon glazed ham fresh from the oven? Will yours even see the light of Boxing Day? Honestly, I’m not sure mine will!

a glazed ham with pieces cut and a festive table in the background

Storage and leftovers

Maple glazed ham will keep covered in the fridge for up to a week. I have to admit that the leftovers recipes are one of my favourite things about a holiday ham!

The beautifully flavoured slices will offer a subtle smoke to a classic Croque Monsieur, a sweet edge to ham and bean soup, or chop and top homemade pizza.