Filipino-style Pineapple Glazed Ham

Make the holidays extra delicious with this Filipino-style Pineapple-glazed ham! It's the perfect Christmas dinner centerpiece, juicy and flavorful with a sweet, tangy, fruity glaze.

There's been an influx of traffic to Kawaling Pinoy these past few days, mainly from Google searches for party food recipes such as lumpiang shanghai, pork embutido, Cathedral window gelatin, leche flan, maja blanca, and pasta fruit salad. I assume you guys are already in full swing with your holiday preparations.

I love the merriment of Christmas and all its good cheer. Thank you,  everyone, for stopping by and making Kawaling Pinoy a part of your celebrations. To add to your holiday feast, a Filipino-style pineapple glazed ham will make an excellent Noche Buena centerpiece.

Why you'll love Filipino-style hamon

• This sweet-style ham will impress if you're looking for an easy holiday dish that will wow the crowd. It's juicy and flavorful with a thick, fruity glaze that marries well with its savory flavors.
• It makes a delicious and festive dish for holidays such as Easter, Christmas, or a special Sunday lunch with the family. The leftovers can also be used in ham and cheese bread rolls, Filipino-style macaroni salads, and soups like cocido!

Ingredient notes

• Ham- I used smoked bone-in ham in the recipe, but boneless should also work. I don't recommend spiral cut as this pre-cut variety can dry from the two-step cooking process.
• For poaching- a combination of pineapple juice, beer, lime or lemon soda, sugar, and salt.
• Cloves- add warmth and a slightly sweet taste

Pineapple glaze ingredients

• Poaching liquid - reserve about 2 cups of the liquid the ham was simmered in
• Crushed pineapple - Choose pineapple packed in juice instead of heavy syrup so you can use the juice for poaching without making the glaze overly sweet.
• Brown sugar- Use brown instead of white, as the added molasses give it a deep caramel flavor.
• Yellow or Dijon Mustard - adds a nice tang to the glaze

Cooking instructions

The ham is juicy and flavorful, and you'll be happy to know it's super simple to prepare. However, it does take hours to cook, and if you want less time in the kitchen and more out there with guests, try this slow-cooker ham with pineapple and let the crockpot do the work.

1. Poach the ham in pineapple juice, 7-up, and beer to infuse with flavor
2. Make the pineapple glaze by cooking some of the poaching liquid with crushed pineapple, brown sugar, and mustard until nice and thick
3. Score the surface of the ham with a small knife in a diamond pattern for appearance and to help the glaze penetrate the meat. Insert cloves at every intersection.
4. Bake until caramelized. Brush liberally with glaze and baste regularly to boost flavor and add moisture. The sweet glaze tends to burn rather quickly. Tent the ham loosely with foil if it's browning too much before being heated thoroughly. Let rest before slicing and serving with the pineapple glaze.

More delicious Noche Buena recipes

• Steamed Lapu Lapu with Mayonnaise-a traditional Christmas dish made of steamed grouper fish steamed and then topped with mayonnaise, chopped eggs, sweet pickle relish, carrots, and bell peppers
• Lengua with Mushroom Sauce-succulent ox tongue slices simmered in a creamy mushroom sauce.
• Hardinera-Lucban's festive meatloaf is made with diced pork, luncheon meat, liver spread, eggs, and pineapple, steamed to perfection in llanera molds.

How to serve and store

• Serve with mashed potatoes, steamed rice, green bean and mushroom stir-fry, pandesal or sweet potato dinner rolls, and any of your favorite holiday fixings.
• Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container, refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
• For food safety, leftover ham should be reheated to an internal temperature of 165 F. Wrap loosely with foil and heat in a 350 F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes per pound.

More holiday recipes

Kare-Kare

Creamy Pork Steak

Relyenong Bangus

Crispy Pork Shoulder

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Facebook and Instagram!

4.23 from 49 votes

Filipino-style Pineapple Glazed Ham

Christmas ham glazed with brown sugar and pineapple juice is the perfect holiday centerpiece. It's easy to make and sure to be a crowd favorite!

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 hours hrs

Author: Lalaine Manalo

Course: Main Entree

Print Pin It Email Recipe

12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (about 7 to 8 pounds) fully cooked, bone-in ham
• 6 cups pineapple juice
• 3 cups Sprite or 7-up
• 2 cups dark beer
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• whole cloves

For the Pineapple Glaze

• 2 cups poaching liquid (from boiling the ham)
• 1 cup crushed pineapples
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup yellow mustard

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

• In a deep pot, combine pineapple juice, beer, Sprite, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved.
• Add ham and about 5 to 6 cloves, making sure the ham is fully submerged in the liquid.
• Over medium heat, bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and continue to cook for about 50 to 60 minutes. Drain ham, reserving about 2 cups of the poaching liquid.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the pineapple glaze ingredients: reserved poaching liquid (from boiling the ham), crushed pineapples, brown sugar, and yellow mustard. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced and thickened.
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• With a knife, score the surface fat of the ham in a diamond pattern at about ¼-inch deep and 1-inch apart.
• Place cloves at the intersection points of the cuts to form a nice pattern around the top and sides of ham.
• Liberally brush ham with ¾ of the pineapple glaze.
• Arrange ham in a roasting rack and bake in a 350 F oven for about 1 to 1 ½ hours or until internal temperature reaches 140 F. While baking, continue to baste ham every 15 to 20 minutes with the remaining glaze.
• At the last 5 minutes of cooking, increase the temperature to 400 F and bake until nicely browned.
• Remove from oven and brush liberally with the pan juices. Cover with foil and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Notes

• Hams are not created equal, with some more heavily seasoned than others. I recommend nicking off a little piece to taste and decide whether to add salt to the poaching liquid.
• The sweet glaze tends to burn rather quickly. Tent the ham loosely with foil if it's browning too much before being heated thoroughly

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 825kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 66g, Fat: 51g, Saturated Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 187mg, Sodium: 3849mg, Potassium: 944mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 10IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 3mg

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”