Baked Ham Recipes

Photo by Photo by William Dickey; Styling: Mary Lyn Hill Jenkins, Southern Living

Baked ham is a classic holiday dish and one that poses several problems for wine pairing. The ham on its own tends to be on the salty side of the flavor spectrum, and tradition dictates that it be coated in a sweet glaze, further complicating the situation.

Let’s start with the salty component of the ham. Salt is one of the basic flavors we taste, along with sourness, bitterness and sweetness. Traditionally, we have found the pairing of sweetness and saltiness to be a successful one. Sourness works well too, as in the case of a margarita served in a salt rimmed glass. This suggests a wine pairing that offers both some sweetness and some acid kick. Indeed, one of the most successful pairings would be a great Alsace Pinot Gris, which has some acidity and some sweetness in addition to a bit of a spicy aspect that plays well with the ham. Vouvray can also work wonders with ham, particularly if it has some age on it as age allows for the development of some meaty fruit flavors.

If you layer a sweet glaze on your ham, shoot for something even sweeter than those two wines. Sugar in food serves as a basis for a complementary wine pairing, so the wine you serve with a sweet dish should have a comparable level of sweetness. Without that, the sweetness of the dish will leave your wine tasting simple and sour. Riesling is an ideal match, though sweeter Pinot Gris and Vouvray still work well. A surprising option would be a sweeter Alsace Gewürztraminer. If you’re feeling adventurous, a Lambrusco, the sparkling red wine from Italy, can also make for an amazing pairing experience.

If you prefer a red wine with your ham, try to leave the sweet glaze out of the recipe and match the meaty, smoky flavors of the ham with meaty, smoky wines like Syrah from the Northern Rhone or other cool climates. Also consider Mourvedre-based wines like those from Bandol in France or Jumilla in Spain.

Comments

All Baked Ham Recipes

Alfredo Potato Casserole
1 Preheat oven to 400°F. 2 In a medium bowl, whisk the Alfredo sauce and milk until blended. 3 Add ham, Swiss cheese and peas to another bowl and...
Apple, Celery, and Smoked Ham Stuffing
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake bread cubes on large rimmed baking sheet until dry and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Place bread in large bowl ...
Apple Glazed Ham with Apple-Ginger Compote
Prepare ham according to package directions, uncovering and brushing with glaze the last 30 minutes of the baking time. Glaze: Mix apple butter a...
Apricot and Sherry-Glazed Ham
Bring sherry and apricot preserves to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook until reduced to 1 1/4 cups (about 20 minutes), stirring ...
Asparagus, Ham, and Fontina Bread Puddings
Preheat oven to 375°.Cut a 3-inch tip from each asparagus spear, reserving the stalks for another use. Cut asparagus tips into 1/2-inch pieces.Heat...
Asparagus, Ham and Mushroom Strata
Melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. each salt and pepper, and cook, stirr...
Asparagus Melt with Pesto Spread
Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Steam, covered, 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Preheat broiler. Combine mayonnaise and pesto in a bowl, and sti...
Bacon, Gruyère, and Ham Strata
Combine milk, green onions, egg substitute, mustard, and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add bread cubes and ham; stir well to combi...
Baked Eggs and Mushrooms in Ham Crisps
Preheat oven to 400â°F. Cook mushrooms and shallot in butter with salt and pepper in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring, unt...
Baked Fig Crostini
Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together bacon or country ham, softened goat cheese, finely chopped toasted pecans, and chopped fresh thyme. Cut figs in...
Baked Grits with Country Ham, Wild Mushrooms, Fresh Thyme, and Parmesan
Preheat oven to 325°. To prepare grits, bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan; gradually stir in grits. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes...
Baked Ham
Remove any extra skin from ham. If not spiral cut, score ham 1/8" deep in diamond pattern. Place ham, fat side up on rack. Stir in preserves, musta...
Baked Ham
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. For a whole 10- to 15-pound ham, allow 18 to 20 minutes per pound; fo...
Baked Ham with Apple Mustard Glaze
Heat oven to 350° F. Place ham sliced side down, if using a spiral cut ham, in a roasting pan and bake in oven 8 minutes per pound. (If you are ba...
Baked Ham with Apricot Brandy Glaze
Preheat oven to 325° F. Place ham in roasting pan fat side up; the melting fat will baste your ham. Turn ham over half way through baking to avoid...
Baked Ham with Bourbon Glaze
Microwave honey and molasses in a 1-quart microwave-safe dish at HIGH 1 minute; whisk to blend. Whisk in bourbon, orange juice, and mustard. Remove...
Baked Ham with Cherry-Pomegranate Glaze & Pan Sauce
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Trim away any skin and external fat to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Se...
Baked Ham with Golden Raisin Glaze
Preheat oven to 325° F. Place ham in roasting pan fat side up; the melting fat will baste your ham. Turn ham over half way through baking to avoid...
Baked Ham with Guava Glaze
Preheat oven to 350°. Trim fat and rind from ham. Score outside of ham in a diamond pattern. Place ham on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. ...
Baked Ham with Maple-Tea-Cardamom Glaze & Pan Sauce
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 325°F. Trim away any skin and external fat to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Se...