Apple Cider-Glazed Ham Recipe
When I wanted to try something new with our holiday ham, I created this cider glaze. It's slightly sweet but still has the spicy flavor my family craves.
When I wanted to try something new with our holiday ham, I created this cider glaze. It's slightly sweet but still has the spicy flavor my family craves.
- Carbohydrate 20.0714122687631 g
- Cholesterol 3.0503125013081 mg
- Fat 1.49940412618502 g
- Fiber 0.420020001718249 g
- Protein 0.406585375823577 g
- Saturated Fat 0.7622533003553 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (78g)
- Sodium 81.7591668670213 mg
- Sugar 19.6513922670449 g
- Trans Fat 0.12987962506576 g
- Calories 90 calories
Step-by-step
- Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes 1/2 in. deep. Cover and bake at 325degrees for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cider, honey, vinegar and mustard; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the butter, chili powder and apple pie spice. Set aside 1 cup for serving.
- Cook the remaining sauce until thickened; spoon over ham. Bake, uncovered, 30-35 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 140degrees. Warm reserved sauce; serve with ham
Apple cider drives the chemistry of this glaze by supplying both malic acid and fermentable sugars that react under heat. Reducing the liquid evaporates excess water and concentrates those sugars until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Vinegar introduces acetic acid, which cuts through the dense sweetness of honey and prevents the coating from becoming cloying.
Simmering the cider, honey, vinegar, and mustard for 15 minutes drives off volatile compounds and thickens the base before dairy enters the equation. Butter added late prevents milk solids from scorching during the reduction phase. Chili powder supplies fat-soluble capsaicin, while apple pie spice delivers fat-soluble terpenes like cinnamaldehyde and eugenol. Fats in the butter trap these aromatic molecules and distribute them evenly across the meat.
Scoring the ham surface into half-inch diamond patterns is the singular technique that determines success or failure. These cuts create physical channels that allow the glaze to penetrate muscle fibers rather than pooling entirely on the exterior skin. Without this surface preparation, the viscous honey-cider mixture simply slides off the fat cap during roasting.
Baking the meat at 325 degrees provides moderate thermal energy that warms the interior without burning the exterior sugars. Removing the roast when a thermometer reads 140 degrees ensures the protein retains internal moisture while achieving the target glaze viscosity during the final 35 minutes of uncovered cooking.
