Holiday meals often center around a show-stopping main course, and a glazed ham is a classic choice. If the thought of preparing a large ham feels daunting, you’re not alone! Many home cooks feel intimidated by the process. However, inspired by a recipe from the iconic Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, this recipe simplifies everything. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to create a stunning and flavorful Pioneer Woman Ham that will impress your guests and become a family favorite. This recipe, with a slight tweak, takes the original pioneer woman ham to the next level of deliciousness. Get ready to wow everyone with what might just be the best ham they’ve ever tasted!
Glazed ham beauty
Choosing Your Ham for Pioneer Woman Inspired Recipe
Selecting the right ham is the first step in creating your perfect pioneer woman ham. You have a couple of options:
Uncut bone-in ham
- Bone-in Ham (8-12 lbs): A large, bone-in ham makes a beautiful centerpiece and offers richer flavor due to the bone. This is ideal for larger gatherings and provides that classic holiday ham presentation.
- Boneless Half Hams: If you prefer convenience or are feeding a smaller crowd, two boneless half hams work perfectly. They are easier to carve and still deliver excellent flavor.
Regardless of your choice, ensure you select an uncut ham. This is crucial because you’ll be creating the decorative diamond pattern yourself, allowing the glaze to penetrate deeply and enhance both flavor and visual appeal of your pioneer woman ham.
Scoring the ham
Preparing the Ham: Scoring and Cloves
To achieve that signature pioneer woman ham look and maximize flavor infusion, scoring the ham is key:
- Diagonal Cuts: Using a sharp chef’s knife or a long serrated knife (a bread knife works well), make diagonal cuts across the surface of the ham. Cut about ½ inch deep. These cuts create channels for the glaze to seep into, keeping the ham moist and flavorful.
Diagonal cuts on ham
- Diamond Pattern: Rotate the ham and make another set of diagonal cuts in the opposite direction, creating a diamond pattern across the ham’s surface.
Whole cloves
- Clove Decoration: Insert whole cloves into the center of each diamond. While cloves add a subtle hint of flavor, their primary purpose here is to enhance the aesthetic appeal of your pioneer woman ham, giving it that classic, festive look.
Cloves inserted in ham
- Prepare for Baking: Place the prepared ham in a roasting pan or a large glass pan. Using a roasting pan is recommended as it allows for better heat circulation. The pan will also collect the ham juices, preventing the ham from drying out during baking.
Ham in roasting pan
- Cover and Bake: Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven at 300-325°F (150-160°C) for 15 minutes per pound. For a 10-pound ham, this translates to approximately 2.5 hours of cooking time. Always remember the “low and slow” method for cooking ham to ensure it remains moist and tender. You can also refer to the packaging instructions on your ham for specific cooking times.
Foil-covered ham
Crafting the Coca-Cola Glaze: The Pioneer Woman Secret Touch
The Coca-Cola glaze is what truly elevates this ham recipe, giving it that signature glossy finish and irresistible sweet and tangy flavor that is reminiscent of pioneer woman ham recipes.
Coca-Cola glaze ingredients
Ingredients for the Glaze:
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
- ½ can Coca-Cola (or Dr. Pepper, or any dark soda – not diet)
Instructions for the Glaze:
- Combine Ingredients: In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, and Dijon mustard.
Coca-Cola added to glaze
- Add Coca-Cola: Pour in half a can of Coca-Cola. The original pioneer woman ham recipe sometimes uses Dr. Pepper, which is equally delicious. The key is to use a dark, sugary soda (not diet) as the sugar is essential for creating the glaze’s glossy texture and flavor.
Simmering Coca-Cola glaze
- Simmer and Thicken: Heat the mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly until it becomes foamy. Immediately reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes. The glaze will gradually thicken as it simmers. It will continue to thicken further as it cools.
Glazing and Baking for a Perfect Pioneer Woman Ham Finish
The glazing process is what creates that beautiful, flavorful crust on your pioneer woman ham.
- Initial Bake: Bake the ham, covered, for the first hour.
- Start Glazing: After the first hour, remove the ham from the oven.
- Glaze Application: Brush a generous amount of the Coca-Cola glaze evenly over the ham, ensuring it seeps into the diamond cuts.
Glazing the ham
- Repeat Glazing: Return the ham to the oven and continue baking, brushing with glaze every 20 minutes for the remaining bake time (approximately 4-6 more times). This step-by-step glazing process is crucial for building layers of flavor and achieving that signature glossy finish of a pioneer woman ham.
Final glazed ham
- Final Glaze: Reserve a bit of glaze to brush over the ham just before serving. This final touch will enhance the shine and make your pioneer woman ham even more visually appealing.
Serving and Enjoying Your Pioneer Woman Ham
Your pioneer woman ham is now ready to be the star of your meal!
Glazed ham platter
- Presentation: For an elegant presentation, garnish the platter with fresh parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, as suggested in many pioneer woman ham presentations.
Pre-cut glazed ham
- Pre-Slicing Option: You can pre-slice the ham for easier serving. Brush some extra glaze between the slices to keep it moist and flavorful. Both whole and pre-sliced presentations are equally stunning.
Serving Suggestions:
Pair your delicious pioneer woman ham with classic side dishes for a complete holiday feast. Some excellent pairings include:
- 3 Cheese Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts
- Apple Broccoli Slaw
- Creamy Pistachio & Coconut Pudding Cake or Carrot and Raisin Cream Cheese Cupcakes for dessert.
Holiday Ham
Enjoy your beautiful and flavorful pioneer woman ham! It’s a guaranteed crowd-pleaser for Easter, Christmas, or any special occasion.
Finished glazed ham
Coca-Cola Glazed Holiday Ham Recipe (Pioneer Woman Inspired)
By Heidi Davison
This Coca-Cola glazed ham recipe, inspired by the Pioneer Woman, will impress your guests with its stunning glossy finish and incredible taste. It’s a perfect centerpiece for any holiday meal and a truly delicious main course.
Rating: 5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10-15
Ingredients
-
1 whole bone-in ham uncut (8-12 lbs) or 2 half hams uncut
-
Whole cloves for decoration
-
For the Glaze:
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 1.5 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 can Coca-Cola
-
Optional: parsley and lemon for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C) or according to package instructions.
- Cut ham diagonally to make diamond shapes, about ½ inch deep.
- Insert whole cloves into the center of each diamond.
- Place ham in a roasting pan or glass pan and cover with foil.
- Cook ham for 1 hour.
- Combine all glaze ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- Heat over medium heat until foamy.
- Reduce to low and simmer for 20 minutes until thickened.
- Brush glaze over ham every 20 minutes after the first hour of cooking.
- Reserve some glaze for serving.
- Decorate ham with parsley and lemon, if desired.
Recipe Notes
*If your ham is larger than 12 lbs, double the glaze recipe. Recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman.
