Homemade Honey Baked Ham

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and heat the oven to 275°F. Line a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with 2 pieces of aluminum foil long enough to wrap up and around the ham.

Take a (8- to 10-pound) bone-in, spiral-cut ham out of its wrappings and place it in the pan cut-side down. Fold the foil up and around the ham and seal well. This foil pouch will help keep the ham from drying out in the oven.

Bake the ham until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the ham not touching bone registers at least 120°F, 15 to 20 minutes per pound, 2 to 2 1/2 hours total. Check the temperature after 1 1/2 hours.

After about 1 1/2 hours, check the temperature of the ham in the thickest part of the meat, avoiding the bone. The ham is fully cooked already, so you are just checking to see if the inner part of the ham is warm yet. If the ham has reached an internal temperature of at least 120°F, move on to the next step. If not, seal it back up in the foil and put it back into the oven.

Remove the ham from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving to take the chill off and apply the crunchy coating.

Cut 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter into 4 pieces, place in a small bowl, and let sit at room temperature until softened. Add 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 teaspoon of the kosher salt, and stir to combine.

Place 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon paprika, 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and the remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt in a second small bowl and stir to combine.

Remove the ham from the oven once the ham reaches 120°F if serving warm. Set the oven to broil. Arrange an oven rack as needed to make sure the top of the ham will be 3 to 4 inches from the broiling element, and remove any racks above it.

Unwrap the ham and discard any juices; lay the foil flat in the pan. Turn the ham so it’s sitting on its side. Spread the honey-butter mixture all over the outside of the ham. Coat the ham with 1/3 of the spiced sugar mixture (about 6 tablespoons), making sure to press the sugar into the butter so that it adheres, focusing on the spiral cut areas of the ham.

Broil the ham until the sugar melts and bubbles, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Make sure to watch the ham closely so that it doesn’t burn.

Repeat coating the ham with sugar and broiling two more times. You can use the foil to tilt the ham so that you can add the sugar all over the spiral-cut slices. The sugar will be very hot at first, so make sure not to burn yourself. Applying the additional coatings while the sugar is still hot will help it adhere to the ham. The final broiling time may take 1 1/2 to 2 minutes for all of the sugar to melt completely. Rotate the baking sheet every 30 seconds or as needed to ensure even exposure to the heat.

Remove the ham from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes. The sugary coating will cool and crisp up into a crunchy sweet and spiced coating.

Use a long, thin knife to cut around the ham bone, then cut along the natural fat lines in the ham to separate the spiral-cut slices.

Make ahead: The honey butter and spiced sugar can be made up to 1 week in advance. Store the honey butter in the refrigerator, but bring to room temperature before preparing this recipe. Store the spiced sugar in an airtight container at room temperature.Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.