This showstopping honey mustard beer glazed ham is slow roasted with ale until meltingly tender and brushed with a sweet and tangy honey mustard glaze made from our homemade beer mustard until deeply caramelized. A centrepiece worthy of a grand dwarven feast! For more impressive glazed ham recipes, try our Mead Glazed Ham Baked in Hay or our Spiced Cherry and Port Glazed Ham for two more stunning ham centrepieces.
If you love Middle Earth-inspired preserves and pantry recipes, try our Hobbit's Pantry e-cookbook for a compilation of many of our favourite recipes from the Shire.
At a Glance: Honey Mustard Beer Glazed Ham
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Baking Time: 2 ½ to 3 hours
- Total Time: ~2 hours 40 minutes to 3 hours 10 minutes
- Servings: 8 - 10
- Flavour: Sweet and tangy, juicy and savoury
- Skill Level: Easy
- Why this Works: Slow roasted with beer, this honey mustard glazed ham is the perfect centrepiece for a lavish dwarven feast.
Honey Mustard Beer Glazed Ham with Beer Mustard
Deep in the cavernous halls under the Misty Mountains, the dwarves are busy preparing for a lavish feast. With the beer and ale flowing and the fires roaring, they set about to slow roasting large haunches of meat. A succulent ham on the bone is slowly baked with ale until meltingly tender and juicy. Reaching into their well stocked pantries, the dwarves pull out jars of spicy beer mustard to make a sweet and tangy honey mustard glaze. The ham is brushed with the glaze and roasted until deeply browned and caramelized. With its sweet and slightly tangy mustard glaze and tender, juicy meat, this honey mustard beer baked ham makes an impressive centrepiece for any hearty feast.
If you're looking for more baked ham recipes then be sure to check out our mead glazed ham baked in hay or our spiced cherry and port glazed ham. Or, if you're looking for more delicious dwarven cuisine then you should try our roasted pork belly with apples.
Ingredients for Honey Mustard Beer Glazed Ham
Ham: Look for a fully cooked smoked bone-in ham. The butt end tends to be more tender and has less connective tissue than the shank end; but both cuts would work well. If present, I like to remove the skin before baking. While it is edible, it can be tough and most people usually cut it off. After putting so much effort into making such a delicious glaze, it would be a shame to lose that delicious flavour by cutting off the skin before eating.
Use a sharp knife to make shallow cuts under the skin. Once you have loosened a piece of the skin, you can pull it up and continue making shallow slashes under the skin. Be sure to leave a layer of fat on the ham – this will add tons of flavour and keep the ham moist while roasting.
Beer: This ham is slowly baked over a roasting pan with beer. The beer creates steam while roasting which results in an incredibly moist and juicy ham. While you can certainly choose whatever type of beer you prefer, I would recommend either an ale or lager. An IPA might impart bitterness into the glaze. To make this recipe non-alcoholic, I recommend using part apple juice and part water. The apple flavour will pair nicely with the honey mustard in the glaze. Otherwise, you could just use water or even chicken broth.
Honey: Honey adds sweetness to the glaze and pairs beautifully with the mustard. You could substitute with maple syrup if desired.
Whole grain mustard: Sharp grainy mustard adds a delicious tangy and spicy flavour to the glaze. Now is the perfect time to use our beer mustard from our dwarven pantry series.
Brown sugar: A touch of brown sugar adds a depth of flavour to the glaze with its hint of molasses. It also provides a great way to add a bit of cornstarch to help thicken the glaze.
Baked Ham Tips
A succulent glazed ham is always a crowd pleaser. Here are some tips to ensure your baked ham comes out perfect every time.
- Cut of ham - Ham is a cut of pork taken from the hind leg of the pig that is usually cured and smoked. While you can purchase a whole ham, it is typically sold cut into two parts: the butt end and the shank end. The shank end is typically leaner, includes the shank bone, and is often chosen for its appearance. The leftover shank bone is also great for making soup stock. The butt end tends to have a more rounded appearance with the bone concealed almost entire inside and tends to have fattier, more tender meat. However, the odd shape of the bone can make carving a bit more difficult. Both cuts can be handled in exactly the same way.
- Scoring the meat - Depending where you source your ham, the skin, or rind, may still be on the meat. While you can certainly leave it, the skin does tend to become tough and chewy and is usually removed before eating. Since you will be glazing your ham, it's preferable to remove the skin before roasting so the glaze isn't wasted on something that will be removed later. The skin should be easy to remove. Use a sharp knife to make shallow cuts under the skin and then you should be able to run your hands under the skin to separate it from the meat.
- Scoring the meat - If removing the skin, be sure to leave a layer of fat on the meat. The fat will protect the meat and keep it moist while roasting as well as adding flavour. If the skin is not present, then proceed with scoring the fat and outside of the ham. Use a sharp knife to make shallow hatch mark cuts across the surface of the ham.
- Roasting - Ham is typically sold fully cooked and only needs to be heated to an internal temperature of 140°F. If your ham is not fully cooked then it needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. To prevent drying out the ham, you will want to roast it at a low temperature in a covered roasting pan over a layer of liquid. Fill the bottom of a roasting pan with your liquid of choice. Add a rack and place the ham with the cut side down. Place a piece of parchment paper directly onto the ham before covering the roasting pan tightly with foil. If the foil is placed directly only the ham it can cause a chemical reaction and some discolouration on the ham.
- Glazing - Once the ham is nearly fully heated through and reaches about 125 - 130°F, you can remove the cover and raise the oven temperature. Brush the glaze generously over the ham and continue roasting. Repeat the glazing two or three more times every 10 minutes or so. Continue roasting until the internal temperate reaches 140°F and the glaze is well browned and caramelized.
How to make Honey Mustard Beer Glazed Ham
1. Prepare the ham
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Prep the ham by cutting off the skin if present. See instructions above. Leave a layer of fat on the ham. Place the ham with the cut side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham with a shallow crosshatch pattern. Measure out ½ cup of beer and set aside for the glaze. Pour the rest of the beer into the bottom of the roasting pan. Place a piece of parchment paper directly onto the ham and then cover the whole roasting pan tightly with foil.
2. Bake the ham
Bake the ham for about 2 ½ to 3 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 140°F.
3. Make the glaze
While the ham is roasting, prepare the glaze. In a medium saucepan combine the reserved ½ cup beer with the butter. Place over medium high heat and allow the butter to melt. Add the grainy mustard, honey, and kosher salt and whisk to combine.
In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cornstarch, mixing together until there are no lumps. Bring the glaze up to a simmer and then quickly whisk in the brown sugar mixture. Allow the glaze to simmer for another a few minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and reserve until ready to use.
4. Glaze the ham
Once the ham reaches around 125-130°F you can start to add the glaze. Remove the foil and parchment and brush a thick layer of glaze over the ham. Return to the oven uncovered and continue to roast for another 10 minutes. Add another layer of glaze and continue roasting. Repeat as necessary until the ham has reached 140°F and the glaze has begun to caramelize
3. Serve the Honey Mustard Beer Glazed Ham
When the ham is ready, remove from the oven and tent with foil. Let rest for a few minutes before serving. Slice the ham and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon some of the roasting pan juices over the ham and enjoy!
More Pantry Recipes from Middle Earth
- Beer Mustard
- Fiery Roasted Pepper Sauce
- Blackberry Mead Jam
- Rhubarb Shallot Relish
- Chive Blossom Butter
- Spiced Rhubarb Jam
- Raspberry Lavender Jelly
- Pickled Mustard Seeds
- Wild Mushroom Seasoning Salt
- Spiced Apple Butter
Honey Mustard Beer Glazed Ham
Ingredients
- 4 - 6 lb ham shank or butt end
- 2 cans beer *see note
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ¼ cup grainy mustard
- 2 tablespoon honey
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Prep the ham by cutting off the skin if present. See instructions above. Leave a layer of fat on the ham. Place the ham with the cut side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham with a shallow crosshatch pattern.
- Measure out ½ cup of beer and set aside for the glaze. Pour the rest of the beer into the bottom of the roasting pan. Place a piece of parchment paper directly onto the ham and then cover the whole roasting pan tightly with foil.
- Bake the ham for about 2 ½ to 3 hours until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 140°F.
- While the ham is roasting, prepare the glaze. In a medium saucepan combine the reserved ½ cup beer with the butter. Place over medium high heat and allow the butter to melt. Add the grainy mustard, honey, and kosher salt and whisk to combine.
- In a small bowl combine the brown sugar and cornstarch, mixing together until there are no lumps. Bring the glaze up to a simmer and then quickly whisk in the brown sugar mixture. Allow the glaze to simmer for another a few minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and reserve until ready to use.
- Once the ham reaches an internal temperature around 130°F you can start to add the glaze. Turn the oven temperature up to 400°F. Remove the foil and parchment and brush a thick layer of glaze over the ham. Return to the oven uncovered and continue to roast for another 10 minutes. Add another layer of glaze and continue roasting. Repeat as necessary until the internal temperature has at least reached 140°F and the ham is well browned and caramelized.
- When the ham is ready, remove from the oven and tent with foil. Let rest for a few minutes before serving. Slice the ham and arrange on a serving platter. Spoon some of the roasting pan juices over the ham and enjoy!
