Root Beer Glazed Ham Recipe

Root Beer Glazed Ham Recipe

The holidays are all about bringing people together around good food, good company, and a little Sprecher cheer. This season, we’re serving up a showstopping main dish that captures the heart of both — our Root Beer–Glazed Ham.

Made with Sprecher’s legendary fire-brewed Root Beer, this recipe turns a classic holiday ham into something truly special.

 

Ingredients 

  • 1 ham (7–10 lb), fully cooked, bone-in 

    • Tip: Choose full-sugar Sprecher Root Beer (not low cal) because the sugars help caramelize the glaze and contribute flavor. 

  • 1 cup packed dark brown sugar 

  • ½ cup ketchup 

  • ¼ cup white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar 

  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard 

  • ½ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes (optional) 

  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves (or a few whole cloves if you like) 

 

Instructions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 325 °F (≈165 °C). 

  1. If you do not have a spiral-sliced ham, score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern for better glaze penetration. 

  1. Place the ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Pour ~½ to 1 cup Root Beer into the bottom of the pan to keep your ham from drying out. 

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine the glaze ingredients: Root Beer, brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, red-pepper flakes, and ground cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half and thickened into a syrup.

  1. Tent the ham loosely with foil and bake until the internal temperature of the thickest part is about 125 °F. (Since it’s pre-cooked you’re warming it rather than cooking it raw.) 

  1. Remove the foil. Brush a generous layer of the glaze over the ham. Continue baking (uncovered) until the ham reaches about 140 °F internal temperature (or according to ham package directions) and the glaze is caramelized and sticky. Brush additional glaze on the ham every 10-15 minutes as desired.

  1. Let the ham rest for about 10-15 minutes before carving. Serve with any leftover glaze or pan juices. 

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