This easy oven baked ham is an impressive holiday meal — with just 5 ingredients! The classic glazed Virginia smoked ham is a flavorful entree that’s perfect for Easter, Christmas, or your next Sunday brunch.
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If you’re looking for even more traditional Virginia recipes, don’t miss this oyster stew, Virginia Brunswick stew, crab imperial, and spoon bread, too!
Virginia Baked Ham is a Southern Tradition
If there’s one thing that we know a lot about in Virginia, it’s pork! Here in Madison, Kite’s produces some of the best cured country ham that you’ll ever taste. It’s absolute perfection when paired with flaky biscuits for ham biscuits!
But a couple of hours away, in Smithfield, Virginia, they’re producing pork in just about every variety you can imagine — including beautiful smoked hams that are ideal for your holiday table. Needless to say, Virginians are proud of our pork — and today’s oven baked ham recipe is no exception!
A Classic Baked Ham Glaze
The simple ham glaze really makes this dish special. It’s an easy combination of 4 basic ingredients that were traditionally used on smoked hams in Colonial Virginia. These ingredients were readily available and reflected both English and early American culinary influences. Fortunately, they’re still readily available and delicious by today’s standards! The brown sugar, molasses, apple cider vinegar, and yellow mustard create a sweet, savory, and rich glaze that pairs beautifully with the salty, smoked meat.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- This brown sugar ham glaze recipe works with a variety of different sizes of smoked ham — bone-in or boneless, spiral cut, whole, half, or quarter hams. You’ll just need to adjust the total baking time based on the ham that you choose (see my notes below for more detailed instructions).
- I’ve tested this recipe with both a Smithfield spiral sliced boneless ham (shown here) and the larger Smithfield bone-in smoked half ham. Use a whole bone-in ham to feed a larger crowd. And if you’re not in Virginia and can’t find a Smithfield ham, that’s fine — anything similar will work. Just make sure that you’re using a pre-cooked ham.
- Total cooking time will vary depending on the size and type of ham that you choose. Boneless hams typically require less time than bone-in hams. While the boneless, spiral cut ham in this recipe needs about 12 to 15 minutes per pound in a 300°F oven, a larger bone-in ham requires about 15 to 18 minutes per pound.
- How much ham per person? For boneless ham, allocate about ⅓ to ½ pound per person. For instance, a 5- to 6-pound boneless ham like the one shown here can serve about 8 to 12 guests. If you’re using a bone-in ham, plan for ¾ to 1 pound per person. Obviously, if you’re serving other entrees like a roasted turkey breast or grilled beef tenderloin, you will need less ham per person.
How to Cook Virginia Ham
A baked ham is a lot like a Thanksgiving turkey — it sounds intimidating to a new home cook, but once you prepare one yourself, you realize just how easy it can be! In fact, I would say that a traditional baked ham is even easier than roasting a turkey because the meat is already smoked. In other words, you’re just heating and glazing the ham…the hard work has been done for you. You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Let the ham sit on the counter and come to room temperature. This will help it cook through evenly.
- Place ham flat-side down in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan. Add enough water so that it’s about ¼-inch deep (or slightly less) and cover tightly with aluminum foil. The water and the foil help keep the ham moist during the cooking process.
- Bake the ham in a 300°F oven until it reaches an internal temperature of about 130°F. An instant-read meat thermometer is the key to make sure that your ham reaches the appropriate temperature without drying out.
- While the ham bakes, whisk together the glaze.
- Remove the foil cover and brush the glaze on the outside of the ham.
- Return the ham to a 425°F oven for about 15 more minutes, or until the glaze sizzles and forms a great crust on the outside. While the ham is already fully-cooked when it’s purchased, the meat should come to an internal temp of at least 140°F – 145°F for safe consumption.
- Let the meat rest for about 15-20 minutes before serving. Baste with the pan juices to keep it nice and moist.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the glazed Virginia ham with holiday dinner favorites like cranberry relish, Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient easy potato casserole, this easy potato salad recipe, creamy pasta salad, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, sweet potato casserole with pecans, mashed sweet potatoes, hashbrown casserole, corn sticks, apple salad, Snickers salad, cherry fluff salad, Southern pineapple casserole, our favorite ambrosia salad recipe, this classic Watergate salad recipe, spinach casserole, roasted root vegetables, broccoli casserole, squash casserole, maple glazed carrots, 7UP biscuits, Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn, cornbread dressing, a house salad with candied pecans, creamy baked mac and cheese, creamed peas, Southern collard greens, Jiffy corn casserole, or vegetable casserole. And don’t forget cinnamon pecan cookie bars, cut out sugar cookies, or a chocolate pudding pie for dessert!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Reheat the ham in a 325°F oven until the internal temperature reaches 140°F. If I’m reheating a small portion of ham (such as a few slices), I like to wrap it in foil before placing it in the oven (this keeps it nice and moist). You can also warm individual servings in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
- There are so many great recipes for leftover ham! Favorites include this dump-and-bake ham and egg casserole, scalloped potatoes and ham, a pot of ham and potato soup, ham and bean soup with canned beans, a Virginia ham salad recipe on sandwiches, and this classic ham and noodle casserole.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Brown Sugar Glazed Ham
Equipment
- Roasting pan or large baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 (5- to 6-lb.) fully cooked boneless spiral-cut ham (see notes for bone-in adjustments)
For the Brown Sugar Glaze:
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Bring the ham to room temperature. Unwrap the ham and let it sit on the counter for about 1 hour before baking. Position a rack in the lower-middle of the oven and preheat to 300°F.
- Bake low and slow. Place the ham flat-side down in a roasting pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 300°F for 12-15 minutes per pound (roughly 1 to 1½ hours for a 5-6 lb. boneless ham), until the internal temperature reaches 140-145°F.
- Make the glaze. While the ham bakes, whisk together the brown sugar, mustard, molasses, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
- Glaze and finish. Remove the ham from the oven and increase the temperature to 425°F. Remove the foil, brush the glaze generously over the outside of the ham, and return it to the oven uncovered. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the glaze is bubbly and caramelized.
- Rest and serve. Let the ham rest 15-20 minutes before slicing. Baste with pan juices for extra flavor and shine.
Notes
- Use a fully cooked (pre-cooked) ham. Look for labels that say “fully cooked,” “ready to eat,” or “pre-cooked.” This recipe is designed for warming and glazing, not cooking raw pork.
- Bone-in ham adjustments: For a bone-in half ham (8-10 lbs.), bake at 300°F for 15-18 minutes per pound. For a whole bone-in ham, use the same 15-18 min/lb guideline. The glaze recipe stays the same for any size.
- Internal temperature: The ham should reach at least 140°F to 145°F. Use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part, away from the bone.
- Keep it covered during the first bake. The foil traps moisture and prevents the ham from drying out. Only remove the foil when it’s time to add the glaze.
- Watch the glaze carefully at 425°F. The high sugar content means it can go from caramelized to burnt quickly. If dark spots form, tent loosely with foil.
- Resting is important. Let the ham rest 15-20 minutes after baking so juices redistribute and every slice stays moist.
- Glaze too thin? Add an extra tablespoon of brown sugar and whisk again. It will also thicken as it caramelizes on the hot ham.
- Storage: Wrap leftovers tightly and refrigerate for 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Warm sliced ham in a 300°F oven, covered with foil, until heated through (10-15 minutes). Add a splash of water to the pan to keep it moist.
- Make-ahead: Prepare the glaze up to 3 days in advance and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Save the ham bone for soups like ham and bean soup or ham and potato soup.
- Recipe adapted from Southern Living.
Nutrition
More Baked Ham Recipes
Pineapple Glazed Ham
2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Bourbon Glazed Ham
2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Baked Ham with Apricot Glaze {5 Ingredients!}
50 minutes mins
Originally published in March, 2018, this recipe was updated in April, 2025.
I’ve never made a ham before, but I definitely need to, now that I have an easy recipe! Sounds delicious with that brown sugar glaze, my favorite way to eat it! This would be perfect for Easter, or any time, really. And I bet the leftovers are amazing, too!
This is such a great one to start with — simple, fast, and delicious! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by, Gayle!
Hi do u live in Madison West Virginia. And will be trying this ham recipe for Easter thanks
Hi Patricia,
No, we’re in Madison, Virginia. We hope you enjoy the recipe and have a very happy Easter!
I love the recipe can’t weigh to try it
We hope you enjoy it, Dorothy!
Here’s my intelligent comment regarding this recipe: “YUMMY”…
Thanks! 🙂 It’s definitely yummy!
Hi, Deb! You can do either the spiral cut or the whole ham. If you’re using a spiral cut ham, you’ll probably want to keep it covered for most of the cooking time so that it doesn’t dry out. I used a spiral cut ham in this recipe, so you can follow those cooking instructions (but still use the brown sugar glaze shown here): https://www.theseasonedmom.com/5-ingredient-apricot-glazed-ham/ If you use a larger ham, just increase the cooking time accordingly.
I hope that helps, and let me know if you have any other questions. So glad that you enjoy the blog! xoxo
This sounds so easy and looks so delicious, but I will need to use the oven for other items. Have you used a crock pot for this recipe? Or would it be better to prepare this ahead of time and just warm it up? Thanks for much for all your wonderful recipes and tips!
Hi Donna,
We would recommend preparing it ahead of time and warming it up. We hope you enjoy!