This 4-ingredient oven sliced ham is the kind of Easter comfort food my Midwestern family has leaned on for decades, especially when the house is full and I want a sure crowd-pleaser with practically zero prep. It’s nothing fancy—just a good, fibrous, bone-in ham that turns tender and almost gelatinous around the edges, bathed in a sticky, amber glaze that bubbles up in the oven. The idea comes straight from old church suppers and small-town potlucks, where the ham went into the oven before chores and came out glistening and fragrant just in time for everyone to gather around the table.
Serve this ham in thick, juicy slices with simple, comforting sides: buttery mashed potatoes or scalloped potatoes, green beans or glazed carrots, and a basket of warm dinner rolls to catch every bit of that sticky pan sauce. A crisp green salad or a tangy coleslaw helps cut through the richness, and leftover slices are wonderful tucked into soft rolls with a smear of mustard or piled next to fried eggs for breakfast the next morning.
4-Ingredient Oven Sliced HamServings: 10-12
Ingredients
1 whole bone-in smoked ham, 8–10 pounds, pre-sliced or spiral-sliced (fibrous, with some fat and connective tissue)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup apricot preserves or peach preserves
1/4 cup Dijon mustard or prepared yellow mustard
Directions
Preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C). Set a rack in the lower third of the oven so the ham will fit comfortably.
Place the ham, cut side down, into a large ceramic or other oven-safe baking dish with high sides. If the slices are very tight, gently fan them open a little with your fingers so the glaze can slip down between the fibrous layers.
In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar, apricot preserves, and mustard until you have a thick, smooth glaze. It should look glossy and spoonable.
Spoon the glaze slowly over the top of the ham, letting it drip down into the slices and pool around the bottom. Use the back of the spoon to nudge some of the glaze between the slices so every layer gets a little sweetness.
Cover the baking dish snugly with foil. Transfer to the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours, basting once or twice by carefully spooning the juices from the bottom of the dish back over the ham.
After 1 1/2 hours, remove the foil. Baste again with the pan juices and any remaining glaze in the dish, making sure the top and exposed slices are well coated.
Return the ham to the oven, uncovered, and bake for another 30–45 minutes, basting once or twice more, until the glaze is thick, sticky, and a deep amber color and the ham is heated through (an internal temperature of about 140°F in the thickest part). The edges of the slices should look caramelized and slightly gelatinous where the connective tissue has melted.
Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10–15 minutes so the juices settle. The glaze will thicken a bit more as it cools, clinging to the fibrous layers.
To serve, lift the ham carefully onto a cutting board or serve straight from the ceramic dish. Separate the pre-cut slices, spooning some of the sticky pan sauce over each portion. Serve hot, with extra sauce from the dish passed at the table.
Variations & Tips
For a smokier flavor, add 1–2 teaspoons of smoked paprika to the glaze before pouring it over the ham. If you like a little heat, stir in 1–2 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes or a spoonful of prepared horseradish; the gentle burn plays nicely against the sweetness of the preserves. Orange or pineapple preserves work just as well as apricot or peach and give the glaze a brighter, more citrusy note. If your ham is not pre-sliced, you can score it in a crosshatch pattern about 1/4 inch deep before glazing; it will still form those lovely, sticky, gelatinous edges as it bakes. For easier cleanup and a slightly looser sauce, pour 1/2 cup of water or apple juice into the bottom of the baking dish before covering with foil; this creates more juices for basting and keeps the glaze from getting too dark. Leftovers freeze beautifully—slice the remaining ham, tuck it into freezer bags with a spoonful of the sauce, and reheat gently, covered, in a low oven until warmed through.
