My 3-Ingredient Glaze Makes Ham 100 Times Better

I taught cooking classes at Whole Foods Market for four years, and during the holidays, I helped the meat department by taking orders for catered meals, roasts, and ham at a holiday ordering table. “Samples always help the sale,” was the mantra of the store’s marketing director, so I would cook a ham and give out samples to generate interest in our lovely hams.

It was great ham, but it needed a little pizzazz. Around the same time, the cheese department began stocking a delicious Dalmatian fig spread: a thick, dark brown jam with a not-too-sweet fruit and caramel flavor (think Fig Newton filling but better).

I loved it so much I thought, “Why not take that earthy sweetness and plug it into the old ham glaze idea?” Glazing ham is nothing new, but glazes usually add little but sweetness, and I never cared for the marmalade-based kind. My instincts were correct: a ham basted with figgy glaze proved irresistible.

Shoppers would take one bite, immediately preorder a ham, and beg for my recipe. I got so tired of scribbling the recipe on the back of the order pads that I finally printed a stack of recipe cards (though it’s hardly a recipe, more of a formula). It’s been years since my little discovery, but I still make my “famous” figgy glazed ham every year for Easter. It’s easy, it’s delicious, and it makes awesome leftovers.

The Ingredients In My Figgy Ham Glaze

You can find Dalmatia fig spread where gourmet cheeses are sold; you’ll know it by the pot-belly jar and bright orange lid. There are other brands of fig spread (sometimes labeled “fig jam” or “fig preserves”). I’ve used fig spread from Divina, Trader Joe’s, and Stonewall Kitchen with good results. You can also make your own fig jam.

To add a savory counterpoint to the sweetness of the fig spread, I mix in an equal amount of grainy mustard. The tangy, peppery bite of grainy mustard gives the glaze a little unexpected pop of yumminess. You can use Dijon-style mustard in a pinch, though the rustic texture of grainy mustard pairs nicely with the texture of the fig spread.

I also add a little brown sugar to the glaze as it furthers the caramel flavors, and when the ham is blasted with high heat at the end of cooking, the sugar caramelizes and crisps up along the rind of the ham. Depending on the brand of fig jam you use, you may want to adjust the amount of brown sugar, as each brand has a different amount of sugar added.

How To Make My Figgy Glazed Ham 

For a five to eight-pound ham, I mix 1/2 cup of fig spread with equal parts grainy mustard and brown sugar. Brush half of the mixture on the ham at the beginning of cooking and bake it covered until heated through, adding 1/2 cup of water to the baking dish to make sure the glaze doesn’t burn.  When the ham is heated through, uncover it, brush the remaining glaze over the ham, and broil it carefully to caramelize the exterior.

I always keep all the juices in the bottom of the pan for leftovers. Swishing slices of ham in the sweet-salty pan drippings makes for a sandwich you’ll never forget.