Glazes and Sauces for Baked Ham

I like to do more than just flavor the outside of a ham with glaze. For extra flavor and juiciness, I use the glaze ingredients and pan juices to make a sauce to serve with the ham slices.
Soft drinks, such as root beer, Dr Pepper, ginger ale, and Coke, and fruit juices, such as orange and apple, go really well with ham and provide a great base for glazes and sauces.

ROOT BEER AND MUSTARD GLAZE/SAUCE:

Makes enough for a half ham

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups root beer (don’t use diet)
• ⅓ cup yellow mustard (I use French’s)
• ¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• ¼ cup malt vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with ¼ cup cold water (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour 2 cups of the root beer and enough water into the roasting pan to cover the bottom to a depth of at least ¼ inch as directed in step 3 of Baked Ham with Glaze and Sauce. Add more water to the roasting pan as needed to maintain a ¼-inch depth during the baking process.
2. Make the glaze while the ham is baking: Combine the remaining 1 cup root beer with the mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar in a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the glaze thickens to the consistency of molasses. Set aside.
3. Smear some of the glaze over the ham as directed in step 4 of Baked Ham. (If the glaze becomes too thick while sitting, rewarm gently and stir in a few Spoonfuls of water.) Save the extra glaze to make the sauce.
4. To make the sauce, add the remaining glaze to the degreased pan juices as directed in step 6 of Baked Ham and bring to a boil. Thicken with the cornstarch mixture (if using) as directed.

DR PEPPER GLAZE/SAUCE:

Makes enough for a half ham

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 cups Dr Pepper (don’t use diet), or more as needed
• ½ cup pitted prunes
• ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
• ⅓ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with ¼ cup cold water (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour 2 cups of the Dr Pepper and enough water into the roasting pan to cover the bottom to a depth of at least ¼ inch as directed in step 3 of Baked Ham with Glaze and Sauce ([>]). Add more water to the roasting pan as needed to maintain a ¼-inch depth during the baking process.
2. Make the glaze while the ham is baking: Combine the remaining 1 cup Dr Pepper with the prunes in a small nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the prunes are soft, adding more Dr Pepper if necessary so that the prunes remain covered, about 10 minutes. Remove the prunes with a slotted spoon and set aside. Whisk in the mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring, until the glaze thickens to the consistency of molasses. Set aside.
3. Smear some of the glaze over the ham as directed in step 4 of Baked Ham. (If the glaze becomes too thick while sitting, rewarm gently and stir in a few spoonfuls of water.) Save the extra glaze to make the sauce.
4. To make the sauce, add the remaining glaze to the degreased pan juices as directed in step 6 of Baked Ham and bring to a boil. Thicken with the cornstarch mixture (if using) as directed. Add the reserved prunes just before serving and cook until they are heated through.