Sticky Cherry Glazed Ham

Juicy cherry glazed ham is the perfect Christmas centerpiece. The sticky glazed flavored with ginger and cinnamon is delicious with the smoky, salty ham.

Ingredients

Full cherry glazed ham recipe with instructions can be found in the recipe card below. 

• Ham/Gammon. I used a smoked (uncooked) bone-in ham/gammon but you can use a boneless ham too.
• Fresh cherries. 
• Sugar. 
• Cinnamon stick. 
• Fresh ginger. 
• Lemon juice. 
• Balsamic vinegar. 
• Salt. 
• Onion. 
• Garlic.
• Rosemary. 
• Apple juice. 

How to make cherry glazed ham

1. Bake the ham: Place the ham in a large roasting dish. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, apple juice and water. Cover tightly with foil and place in a preheated oven. Bake the ham for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb.
2. Make the glaze: While the ham is cooking, combine the pitted cherries, aromatics, vinegar, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook the glaze, mashing the cherries with the back of a wooden spoon, until thick and glossy (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from the heat then discard the ginger and cinnamon. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Set aside.
3. Glaze the ham: Once the ham is cooked, remove from the oven. Place the ham on a chopping board and allow to cool slightly then carefully slice the skin off, leaving a layer of fat behind. I use a pairing knife for this but any sharp knife will work. Discard the skin, onions and cooking liquid. Score the fat in a diamond pattern then spoon over the glaze. Place the ham back in the oven and allow the glaze to caramelize and get sticky, spooning the glaze that collects in the pan over the ham every 10-15 minutes. Once the ham is glazed and sticky, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Slice and serve.

Can I make this ahead?

Ham is a great make-ahead dish. The ham can be baked up to 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge before the final glazing and baking until sticky. The glazed ham can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge. Leftovers will last for 3 days if kept in a sealed container in the fridge.

What to serve with ham

1. Easy garlic butter dinner rolls
2. 3 cheese potatoes au gratin
3. Orange brown sugar glazed carrots

Ham recipes

1. Apricot apple glazed ham
2. Leftover Ham and pea pasta bake
3. Sticky apricot baked ham