Bone-in or boneless? Glaze or no glaze? This easy glazed ham recipe + how to cook a small ham in the oven will teach you what you need to know to make a delicious glazed ham for a holiday feast or when you crave baked ham.
Buying a smoked spiral cut bone-in ham, where the smallest ham is around 9 lbs means you will be eating ham for a week! And, still have some left to freeze, maybe never to be seen again until you perform a freezer clean out! Once you learn how to choose a small ham at the grocery store, make a simple glaze and bake it in the oven without drying it out – ham may make it into your dinner for two rotation.
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Selecting a small ham
There’s a ham for every occasion, even if that occasion is tonight’s dinner for two. When that’s the case, select a small, boneless, smoked unsliced or sliced ham that is less than 3-lbs. Bone-in hams are often over 3-lbs which may be more than you want when there are two for dinner.
Boneless versus bone-in
As you might’ve guessed, the biggest difference is the bone. A bone-in ham makes for great table presentation and is perfect for carving. And it’s not just there for show — a ham bone is an excellent starter for flavorful soups and stocks. The downside is the size when cooking for two. You will be eating ham for many future dinners.
Boneless hams are easier to carve and perfect for dinner and sandwiches. But too often, boneless hams aren’t really whole hams, they’re pieces of ham jelled together and canned. Some boneless have been cured with natural juices and smoked over hardwoods. I find there is no real difference in flavor or texture of a boneless cured and smoked ham to a smoked bone-in ham.
To glaze or not to glaze
Glazes, of course, add more flavors to ham and make the meat look gorgeous. Glazes range from a simple brush of maple syrup to a glaze of a chutney and brown sugar.
They should be added during the last 20-30 minutes of heating to avoid burning. If you'd like, you can score the ham surface and insert whole cloves in each score.
Ingredients
This ham glaze is from Barefoot Contessa. Ina Garten recommends this for a fully cooked, smoked, spiral cut ham. I have adapted the measurements to use with a fully cooked smoked boneless ham that is under 3 pounds.
Here is what you need to make a small baked glazed ham.
- Smoked Boneless Ham – Look for a that ham is cured with pure cane sugar and slowly smoked over hardwoods, such as Frisk cured boneless hams
- Garlic cloves
- Mango chutney – purchase a jarred mango chutney often times found in the grocery condiment aisle near the bbq sauces section. You could easily substitute apricot jam if you cannot find mango chutney.
- Orange – We will use the zest and freshly- squeezed juice of the orange.
- Dijon Mustard
- Light brown sugar – if you are in a pinch you can use dark brown sugar.
Note: ingredient measurements are found in the recipe card below.
How to cook a small ham - 3 lbs or less
You’ve got all the fixin’s for a fantastic feast ready to go. All you need to do is cook that ham to a mouthwatering perfection. So how do we cook a small ham in the oven? First, you should know that a cured and smoked ham is already cooked and ready to eat. So we technically are warming up the ham.
The goal is to reheat the ham without drying it out.
The best way is to place the ham on a rack in a small roasting pan or quarter rimmed baking sheet .
Add enough water and package drippings so there is just shy of a ½” in the bottom of the pan. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 325F for 16-20 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer registers 135F. into ball shape with your hands
Remove the ham from the oven, uncover and pour the glaze over the top.
Increase the oven heat to 400F and bake for 15-20 minutes longer until the glaze is well browned.
What to serve with a glazed baked ham
A few of my favorite side dishes to serve with a baked ham
- Bakery buns
- Scalloped potatoes
- A simple green salad with Our Favorite Shallot Vinaigrette
- Asparagus
Top tip
The best way to cook a small ham without drying it out is to place the ham on a rack in a small roasting pan or quarter rimmed baking sheet. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Related
Looking for other recipes for a holiday feast or date night? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with a small glazed baked ham:
Glazed Baked Ham Recipe For Two
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 3 lbs or less fully cooked, boneless smoked ham
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 ounces mango chutney – i.e. Major Grey Mango Chutney
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ½ cup light brown sugar packed
- Zest of ½ orange
- 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove ham from packaging, and netting from ham (if applicable). Place on a rack in a baking pan, add package drippings and ¼ cup water to the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil to retain moisture and bake for 16-20 minutes per pound, until a meat thermometer registers 135F.
- Meanwhile, Mince the garlic in a food processor fitted with steel blade. Add the chutney, mustard, brown sugar, orange zest, and orange juice and process until smooth.
- Remove ham from oven, uncover and pour the glaze over the ham; increase the heat to 400F and bake for 15-20 minutes longer and the glaze is well browned but not burned. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Video
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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