Ina Garten’s Secret for the Best Glazed Ham

I grew up in New England, and baked ham was a mainstay at most holidays. No matter the occasion, there was usually the familiar red foil-wrapped ham on the menu for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Truth be told, I was never really a fan. I found the ham to be overly salty and lacking flavor, and frankly a little sad.

As the self-declared food snob of the family, I took it upon myself to get a “good ham” the year I was in charge. I had one in mind that was smoked with care and had character, nothing like the sterile spiral cut hams of my childhood. This all felt like the perfect plan—until I went to pick it up.

To say I was shocked by the price would be an understatement. After narrowly avoiding washing dishes to pay for my 250-dollar ham (and this was before inflation hit), the pressure was on to make sure it was prepared perfectly.

At the time, I may not have known anything about the price of ham, but I did know where to turn when I needed a solid, fool-proof, crowd-pleasing recipe: Ina Garten. Luckily, she had a recipe for Orange Marmalade-Glazed Ham in her book, Go-To Dinners. 

The Secret to Ina Garten’s Orange Marmalade-Glazed Ham 

What intrigued me about her take on ham was that instead of the traditional one-note sickly sweet ham glazes I was used to, this one contained added depth from tangy Dijon mustard and jammy Port wine. It had a few familiar ingredients, too, like brown sugar, pineapple juice, and orange marmalade, but I could tell from the ingredient list that Ina’s subtle tweaks on a classic would take glazed ham to the next level.

From the first time I made this ham, I knew it would become my go-to for years to come. The ham is baked in pineapple juice first, which adds sweetness and moisture and makes the surface of the ham nice and tacky, which helps the glaze adhere. Then, a thickened mixture of marmalade, brown sugar, Port, Dijon, and mango chutney is brushed all over the surface of the ham, and it goes back in the oven for another hour.

When it emerges, the outside of the ham is caramelized and nicely coated in a well-balanced sweet yet tangy glaze. Most importantly, the ham is carved by hand, allowing you to control the thickness, which greatly improves the texture. 

My Tips for Making Ina Garten’s Ham

The only issue? I needed to find a slightly less pricey “good ham”. Two years ago, I took a chance on Costco’s Kirkland Signature Master Carve Half Ham, and I’ve never looked back. It was roughly four dollars a pound and came fully cooked.

The hams are applewood smoked as well as boneless, making them very easy to carve. You can pretty much follow Ina’s recipe exactly, except I usually cook it with the pineapple juice for slightly less time. The Costco ham needs about 20 minutes of cooking time per pound, so I usually cook it with the juice for about 40 minutes, then add the glaze and return it to the oven for an additional 40 minutes before serving.

Ina suggests serving the glazed ham with homemade biscuits, and who am I to question with greatness?