Cherry Glazed Ham (With Step By Step Photos)

This Cherry Glazed Ham Recipe is sure to become your next favorite for holiday entertaining. As simple to prepare as it is delicious, I promise this recipe will let you kick up your dinner party game while also saving you time in the kitchen - as this recipe requires just ten minutes of active prep time! But don't think that simple prep means we're skimping on flavor - just the opposite. This recipe features layered flavors of hickory smoke, cherry sweetness, and a hint of background spice - carried on moist and succulent ham, that comes out of the oven with a gorgeous lacquer-colored finish.

This cherry-glazed ham is your answer for Easter dinner, a Christmas feast, or Thanksgiving turkey alternatives. Even better, the leftovers are absolutely delicious - arguably even better. The ham reheats beautifully without drying out, and leftovers are great either as is or for things like fried eggs or hearty sandwiches.

The secret is in how we've formulated the cherry ham glaze itself. We're using cherry pie filling for a decadently thick consistency, Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce for tang, spice, and chili pepper goodness, and a handful of simple spices to create the perfect combination of sweet, tangy, smoky, and just a hint spicy. This really is not your ordinary glazed ham - but it still manages to keep things blissfully simple.

Read on for a complete ingredient checklist, a printable recipe card, recipe overview, and tips for getting creative with the cherry glaze. Now, without further introduction, let's make some cherry-glazed ham.

Cherry Glazed Ham - Recipe Overview

Taste and Texture

Balance. Balance in the flavor and balance in the texture. Balance is king here. The recipe starts off sweet and savory, with background tang and a hint of spice, transforming this ham into a delightful holiday centerpiece. The cherry pie filling brings fruity sweetness, punctuated by cherry chunks, which caramelizes to create a jewel-toned glaze, while Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce works as our secret ingredient and the star of the show - bringing tangy heat and banana pepper goodness. The Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce is fruity, vinegar-forward, and gently spicy, and rich in chili goodness. In terms of texture, the ham cooks up juicy and tender, coated in a sticky, caramelized skin. Visually, the glaze gives us a beautiful mahogany coating, punctuated by visible cherry pieces, while the ham remains moist and succulent thanks to the water bath cooking method.

Difficulty Level

Easily beginner-friendly. This recipe looks and tastes far more impressive than the effort needed to produce it would suggest. In other words, maximum payoff for minimal effort. Really, the most challenging part of this recipe is managing the cook time of a large piece of meat and making sure that the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F. That said, since you're using a pre-cooked, spiral-sliced ham, all you're really doing here is adding the glaze and warming it through. This recipe involves no butchering, no raw meat handling, and no complex cooking techniques. For a large piece of meat, this recipe is as 'set it and forget it' as it gets.

Prep Process

This recipe takes about 2 and a half to 3 and a half hours total for an 8-10 pound ham - assuming a cook time of 15-20 minutes per pound at low to medium heat. That said, this recipe involves only about 10 minutes of active prep time, and I'm not exaggerating - this recipe is very hands-off. We start the recipe by prepping the cherry ham glaze in a bowl or small saucepan (five to ten minutes), and then we place the ham in a prepped roasting pan (or a rack set in a pan) with water (3 to 5 minutes). After that, we roast until nearly done (2-3 hours), and then brush the glaze onto the ham, and finish cooking (30 minutes), and then let the ham rest (15-20 minutes). Don't be shy with the glaze either, as there's really not much to do with any remaining glaze, so be sure to use it up. And that's it. We're done.

Sides for our Cherry Glazed Ham

• Sides: Creamy mashed potatoes, homemade bread, or stuffed mushrooms are all delicious pairings.
• Salad: I would opt for something simple yet hearty, such as a Caesar salad with a homemade vinaigrette.
• Desserts: Aim for rustic desserts, such as a brandy apple caramel pie or apple crisps.

More Roast Pork Goodness

• Oven Roasted Fresh Ham: Featuring a garlic-and-herb crust with an apricot glaze, this roast cooks up with a crisp, garlicy skin and a deliciously tender, moist interior that's perfect for dinner parties and holiday tables alike.
• Brown Sugar and Spice Pork Roast: A boneless pork roast prepared with ginger and brown sugar. Simple to prepare, lusciously flavorful, and using just six simple ingredients, this roast is perfect for Sunday dinners and busy weeknights alike.
• Slowed Roasted Pork Butt: Rich and flavorful, with a crispy crust that is sweet, savory, and sticky. The marinade is simple to prepare, and the slow roasting process is a mostly hands-off affair.

Cherry Glazed Ham - Ingredients You'll Need

For the Ham

• 8-10 lb. Spiral Cut Ham, Hickory Smoked
  • What Ham to Choose? For this recipe, we need a pre-cooked, spiral-cut ham, since this recipe simply does not work with a raw, fresh ham.
  • Hickory Smoked Ham: Use a spiral-cut ham, since it allows the glaze to seep into the meat with every bite. Also, I find that the cherry glaze, with its spicy kick, works best with a hickory-smoked ham.
  • Bone-In: The bone locks in both flavor and moisture, and so I really do recommend using a bone-in ham, especially for the moisture.
  • Whole Hams (full leg): The whole hams are much larger. While this recipe works with a whole ham, this recipe uses a half ham or picnic cut ham.
  • Substitute: Honey-baked ham for a sweeter flavor profile, or a maple-glazed ham for a smokier profile.
• Parchment Paper for the Pan
  • #1 Hack: This recipe is designed to be easy, and parchment is what keeps the cleanup easy. Let's remember, it doesn't matter how easy the recipe is if the cleanup is not.

For the Cherry Glaze:

• 1 cup Cherry Pie Filling
  • Why Cherry Pie Filling? Thick, sweet, and forms a delicious glaze, and has nice cherry chunks. The thick consistency is also important, since it works perfectly to create a thick and decadent cherry glaze texture. Cherry pie filling features both syrup and cherry pieces, which are essential ingredients for the glaze. The mixture of cherries and syrup works to create a glossy, jewel-toned coating.
  • Sweet or Tart?Both work. It's entirely a preference.
  • Substitutes: Cherry preserves, cherry jam, or whole cherry sauce.
• ¼ cup Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce
  • The Star of the Show: The key ingredient for the cherry glaze. Miller's Banana Pepper Hot Sauce works beautifully to create a subtly sweet and spicy glaze, with a lacquer-colored finish. It pairs deliciously with the sweetness of the cherry pie filling and the meatiness of the spiral ham. It also melds beautifully with the other ingredients of the glaze, while deliciously complementing the meatiness of the roast. Its unique, vinegar-forward profile, with subtle fruitiness and copious chili goodness, is the true star of the show.
  • Secret Ingredient Complexity: The Miller's Banana Pepper sauce brings sophisticated complexity, giving the ham rich chili goodness and background spiciness.
• 2 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
  • Complexity: Brings additional acidity and a subtle, caramel-like complexity. Works very nicely alongside the Miller's Banana Pepper and hickory smoke.
• 1 teaspoon coarse Black Pepper
  • Why Coarse? Coarse grind provides texture and visible pepper speckles throughout the glaze.
  • Fresh or Pre-Ground? As always, fresh ground provides richer aromatics, but pre-ground will get the job done just fine.
• ½ Teaspoon Salt
  • What Kind of Salt? You don't need to get fancy with the salty. Plain table salt is really all you need, but your favorite coarse-grind salt will also work just fine.
  • Don't Skip the Salt: The salt is essential for bringing out the complexity in the cherry glaze.
• Fresh Nutmeg, grated (about ¼ to ½ teaspoon)
  • Essential: Freshly grated nutmeg is essential, as pre-ground loses aromatic oils very quickly.
  • Microplane or Fine Grater: We want the nutmeg grated finely, so I suggest either a microplane or fine grater for this.
  • Substitute: If fresh nutmeg isn't available, you can use pre-ground. Cinnamon would also work, but it will change the flavor profile to be somewhat warmer.
• 2 cloves Roasted Garlic, grated
  • Why Roast The Garlic? Roasting garlic brings out its natural sweetness, while muting its natural bite. Essential. Roasted garlic is sweet, mellow, and almost caramel-like. It's also soft and very spreadable, meaning it will combine fully with the glaze.
  • How to Roast: In a pan in the oven at about 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.
  • Let It Cool: Wait for the garlic to cool, and then simply pop the cloves out of the shell. It's that simple.
  • Substitute: If fresh garlic isn't available, combine about one teaspoon of garlic powder with about half a teaspoon of smoked paprika. Is this an imperfect substitute? Yes. Does it get the job done nicely? Also yes.

Getting Creative with the Glaze

To make the glaze your own, here are a few suggestions to get your creative juices flowing.

Add in some Dark Brown Sugar

If the glaze is too spicy for you, or you simply want a little bit more caramel goodness, add in a few tablespoons of dark brown sugar. Not only will this make the glaze sweeter, but it will also enhance the caramelization. This is a particularly good idea if you're using a tart cherry pie filling.

Honey

Similar to the dark brown sugar. Use honey if you want added sweetness and honey flavor without the caramel qualities of dark brown sugar. I would recommend 2-3 tablespoons. That said, honey creates a thicker, more viscous glaze that really clings to the spiral cut ham.

Ground Cinnamon

I mentioned this in the substitutes for the nutmeg, but it might be worth experimenting with cinnamon if you're using this as a holiday ham for Christmas or Thanksgiving, where it really shines as the centerpiece for a holiday meal. As a nice bonus, cinnamon really does work beautifully with the existing ingredients. I'd recommend about ¼ to ½ teaspoons.

Print

And that's our Cherry Glazed Ham Recipe. If you enjoyed this recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below! We always love hearing from you. And, as always, be sure to grab a bottle of Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Happy Cooking!

^{This post has been sponsored by Miller's Banana Pepper Sauce. All opinions expressed are my own.}

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