Baked Ham with an Apricot Honey Glaze is a show-stopping roast that is simple to prepare, tender, and so juicy. We love serving beautiful roasts for the holidays that make people’s eyes light up such as Prime Rib, juicy Roast Turkey, our top-rated Beef Tenderloin, and of course this glazed baked ham. Here is everything you need to know about buying and baking an impressive ham (It’s easier than you think).

Baked Ham Recipe:

The glaze makes this ham! The glaze is simple, and the flavors just work with apricot preserves, honey, brown sugar, dijon mustard, and butter. It comes together fast and creates a beautifully caramelized exterior. It also makes the pan drippings taste incredible which we pour over the ham slices when serving.

How to Buy a Ham:

The ham we purchased was an 11 1/2 lb, bone-in, cut from the shank end, spiral-cut ham. When shopping for a ham, consider the following questions:

• Bone-In or Boneless? Bone-in will give you better flavor and nicer texture. Boneless can be a little spongy because it’s reshaped after the bone is removed to keep it from falling apart and look more appealing.
• Shank end or Butt End? Ham is the back leg of pork. A full ham sliced in half will result in the shank end and the butt end. The butt end is the upper part of the ham and tends to be more tender and flavorful, but the bone also includes the hip bone, making it difficult to carve around. The shank end is the lower part of the ham and has a straight bone, making it much easier to carve.
• Smoked, Cured, or Fresh Ham? Most hams will come fully cooked and just require reheating and an added glaze. Smoked versus cured is based on personal preference.

Whole or Spiral Cut? This is based on personal preference and your ham source. Our local source only sells them as a spiral cut which makes it much easier to serve, but un-sliced ham can be juicier.

How Much Ham Per Person? As a general rule of thumb, if the ham is the primary meat in your dinner, plan on 3/4 lb of ham per person from a bone-in ham or 1/2 lb per person from a boneless ham. The 11 1/2 lb bone-in baked ham shown here will serve 15-20 people.

Where to Buy a Ham?

We have not had good success buying ham in big-box grocery stores. They tend to be overly salty with added water, and you generally get what you pay for. Our advice: buy the best you can afford. It’s absolutely worthwhile for the holidays and special occasions.