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Honey Baked Ham

Honey baked ham with a crackly honey-sugar crust made by repeated high-heat brushing and sugaring. Spiral-sliced, bone-in ham is baked to 120°F, then finished at 400°F until deep golden and crackly.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 14 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ham and roasting
  • 1 fully cooked bone-in spiral-sliced ham 8–9 pounds
  • 0.5 cup honey For honey butter and brushing
  • 0.25 cup butter For honey butter glaze
Spiced honey-sugar crust
  • 1 cup granulated sugar Sugar base for crust
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar Adds depth to crust
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.5 tsp ground ginger
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
  • 0.5 tsp paprika

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Bake the ham
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F, place the ham cut-side down in a roasting pan, and cover tightly with foil. Bake until it reaches 120°F inside, about 12–14 minutes per pound, with the ham still steaming under the foil.
Make the honey butter and spiced sugars
  1. Melt honey and butter together in a small saucepan until glossy and smooth, then keep it warm. In a separate bowl, mix granulated sugar and brown sugar with cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and paprika until evenly speckled (no spice clumps).
Build the crackly crust
  1. Remove the foil and brush the ham generously with the honey butter, letting some glaze pool in the spiral ridges. Pat on a layer of the spiced sugar so it adheres as a dry, sandy coating.
  2. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F and bake for 5 minutes, until the sugar starts to melt and lightly sizzle at the surface. Brush again with honey butter and reapply spiced sugar for a second layer.
  3. Bake for 5 minutes more at 400°F, until the crust begins turning deep golden at the edges and looks more crackly. Brush with remaining honey butter, pat on another layer of spiced sugar, and return to the oven.
  4. Continue baking until the crust is deep golden and crackly and the ham reaches 140°F. Check near the thickest part of the ham for the final temperature.
Rest and serve
  1. Rest the ham for 15 minutes before serving so the juices set and the crust stays crisp. Slice and serve, using the crackly honey-sugar crust as a topping.

Notes

For the best crackly crust, apply the spiced sugar right after brushing so it sticks before the surface cools. Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for up to 4 days; freeze for up to 2 months. For a lower-sugar option, use a 1:1 sugar substitute for the granulated and brown sugar while keeping honey unchanged.