America's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated LogoAmerica's Test Kitchen LogoCook's Country LogoCook's Illustrated Logo

Crumb-Coated Baked Ham

By Diane Unger

Published on March 19, 2013

Time

3 hours, plus 1½ hours tempering and 30 minutes resting

Yield

Serves 12 to 14

Crumb-Coated Baked Ham

Ingredients

8 - 9 pound ham, bone-in spiral-sliced1 cup packed brown sugar ½ cup spicy brown mustard ½ cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons dry mustard 2 teaspoons ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs ½ cup minced fresh parsley 3 tablespoons vegetable oil ¼ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper

Before You Begin

This recipe requires a turkey-size oven bag. Serve the ham with Hot Mustard Sauce.

Instructions

  1. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set wire rack inside sheet. Place 12-inch square of foil in center of rack. Set ham on foil, flat side down, and cover with oven bag, tucking bag under ham to secure it. Let ham sit at room temperature for 1½ hours.
  2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake ham until it registers 100 degrees, about 2 hours. (Lift bag to take temperature; do not puncture.)
  3. Meanwhile, combine sugar, brown mustard, vinegar, dry mustard, ginger, and cloves in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to ¾ cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool while ham cooks.
  4. Combine panko, parsley, oil, salt, and pepper in bowl. Remove ham from oven, remove and discard oven bag, and let ham cool for 5 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
  5. Brush ham all over with brown sugar–mustard glaze. Press panko mixture against sides of ham to coat evenly. Bake until crumbs are deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer ham, flat side down, to carving board and let rest for 30 minutes. Carve and serve.
Crumb-Coated Baked Ham
Photography by Keller + Keller. Styling by Catrine Kelty.

Crumb-Coated Baked Ham

Headshot of Diane Unger
By Diane Unger
Save

Time

3 hours, plus 1½ hours tempering and 30 minutes resting

Yield

Serves 12 to 14

Ingredients

8 - 9 pound ham, bone-in spiral-sliced
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup spicy brown mustard
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
½ cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

8 - 9 pound ham, bone-in spiral-sliced
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup spicy brown mustard
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
½ cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

8 - 9 pound ham, bone-in spiral-sliced
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup spicy brown mustard
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
½ cup minced fresh parsley
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

To get crispy crumbs and moist ham, we start by using an oven bag. We bake the spiral-cut ham under—not in—the bag so we can easily pull it off and apply the coating once the meat is warmed through. Cooking down the spicy-sweet glaze on the stovetop makes it super-concentrated—all the better to cling to the crumb coating. We found that panko bread crumbs stayed the crunchiest, and we season them simply, with salt, pepper, and fresh parsley.

Before You Begin

This recipe requires a turkey-size oven bag. Serve the ham with Hot Mustard Sauce.

Instructions

  1. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set wire rack inside sheet. Place 12-inch square of foil in center of rack. Set ham on foil, flat side down, and cover with oven bag, tucking bag under ham to secure it. Let ham sit at room temperature for 1½ hours.
  2. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake ham until it registers 100 degrees, about 2 hours. (Lift bag to take temperature; do not puncture.)
  3. Meanwhile, combine sugar, brown mustard, vinegar, dry mustard, ginger, and cloves in medium saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to ¾ cup, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool while ham cooks.
  4. Combine panko, parsley, oil, salt, and pepper in bowl. Remove ham from oven, remove and discard oven bag, and let ham cool for 5 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.
  5. Brush ham all over with brown sugar–mustard glaze. Press panko mixture against sides of ham to coat evenly. Bake until crumbs are deep golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer ham, flat side down, to carving board and let rest for 30 minutes. Carve and serve.

Gift This Recipe

Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.

Keep Exploring

This is a members' feature.