Filipino-style Pineapple Glazed Ham

4.24 from 50 votes

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 Time20

Cook Time2 40

Total Time3

Course: Main Entree

Cuisine: Filipino

Servings: servings

Calories: 825kcal

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.

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