Can I make Baked Ham with Cranberry Glaze ahead of time?

Sure. Bake it. Slice it into an oven-proof baking pan. Pour all the pan juices over it. Seal the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. You'll want to refrigerate or freeze the last bit of remaining glaze, too. Set the ham out to come to room temperature before reheating. Keep it tightly covered with foil and bake at 350° until it reaches an internal temp of at least 145°. Move to a serving platter. Thin the glaze with warm pan drippings and drizzle or spoon over the sliced ham before serving.

How long will leftovers keep?

Leftover baked ham with cranberry glaze can be kept sealed in an airtight container in your fridge for 3 to 5 days. The USDA recommends that leftover ham be frozen for up to 2 months.

Baked Ham with Cranberry Glaze, the Best Ham I've Ever Eaten

Ingredients

Units Scale

10 to 12 lb. ham, (fully cooked, smoked or not, as you prefer)
2 cups Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce (or use one 14 oz. can cranberry sauce)
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 to 4 Tablespoons mustard (yellow, Dijon, stone ground, all work)
1 cup of water

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Instructions

To make the glaze, in a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the cranberry sauce, brown sugar and mustard.
Microwave on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Place your ham in a 9×13 baking pan or a roaster.
Cut a shallow (1/8″ deep) cross-hatch pattern across the top and sides of the ham to allow the glaze to easily penetrate the meat.
Brush the top and sides of the ham, every surface you can reach, with 1/3 of your prepared cranberry glaze. Set the remaining glaze aside.
Pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the pan.
Tightly seal the baking pan with foil. It takes me two to three sheets as I try to tent it up over the top of the ham so it’s actually tightly sealed around the pan but leaves a bubble of air space between the ham and the foil. That helps the glaze to stay on the ham and not stick to the foil.
When baking ham, plan for about 15 to 20 minutes per pound at 325°. Ham always needs to cook to a minimum internal temperature of 145°. IMPORTANT NOTE: Ham is typically precooked but still needs to be at a safe temperature before serving. So yes, time it and plan for how long it will take, but always temp check your meat before removing it from the oven. Don’t rely on timing alone. (My Cranberry Glazed Ham was 11.5 lbs so it needed just under 4 hours to be at a safe temp. I actually went slightly over 145° and the ham was still marvelous.)
When 3/4 of your baking time is over (3 hours for me), remove the roasting pan to a wire cooling rack.
Brush your ham with half of the remaining glaze and return it to the oven with no more foil for the last quarter of baking time. Reserve the last bit of glaze.
When your Cranberry Glazed Ham has completed roasting, remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 to 20 minutes before trying to slice and serve it.
Slice the ham and arrange it on a serving platter.
Stir about 1/3 cup of the pan juices into the remaining glaze. Drizzle or spoon the thinned glaze over your sliced ham.

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 4 hours
Category: Main Dish, Pork
Method: Baked
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Instructions

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