Make the holidays extra delicious with this Filipino-style Pineapple-glazed ham! Juicy and flavorful with a sweet and tangy fruity glaze, it's the perfect Christmas dinner centerpiece.
There's been an influx of traffic to Kawaling Pinoy these past few days, mostly from Google searches for party food recipes such as lumpiang shanghai, pork embutido, Cathedral window gelatin, leche flan, maja blanca, and 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, here's a Filipino-style pineapple glazed ham that's sure to make an awesome Noche Buena centerpiece.
Why you'll love Filipino-style hamon
- If you're looking for an easy holiday dish that will wow the crowd, this sweet-style ham will impress. 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 holiday celebrations such as Easter and Christmas or a special Sunday lunch with the family. Plus, the leftovers can be used in ham and cheese bread rolls, pasta salads, and soups!
Cooking instructions
The ham turns out juicy and flavorful, and you'd be happy to know it's super simple to prepare. You'd be out of the kitchen to mingle with guests in no time!
- Poach the ham in pineapple juice, 7-up, and beer to infuse with flavor
- Make the pineapple glaze by cooking some of the poaching liquid with crushed pineapple, brown sugar, and mustard until nice and thick
- Use a small knife to score the surface of the ham in a diamond pattern for appearance and to help the glaze penetrate the meat
- Brush the ham with the glaze and bake until caramelized, basting regularly
- Let rest before slicing and serve with the pineapple glaze.
Pineapple glaze ingredients
- Poaching liquid - reserve about 2 cups of the liquid the ham was simmered in
- Crushed pineapple - you can omit the crushed pineapple and use pineapple rings instead, secure all over the ham using toothpicks or cloves.
- Brown sugar - use brown instead of white, as it brings a deep caramel flavor due to the added molasses.
- Yellow or Dijon Mustard - adds a nice tang to the glaze
Helpful tips
- I used smoked bone-in ham in the recipe, but boneless should also work. I don't recommend spiral cut as I find this pre-cut variety turns out very dry from the two-step cooking process.
- Hams are not created equal, with some more heavily seasoned than others. I recommend nicking off a little piece to taste and decide if you need to add salt to the poaching liquid.
- To remove or not remove the rind/skin? I keep it on to help maintain moisture but feel free to trim it off, especially if it's very thick.
- The sweet glaze tends to burn rather quickly. Tent the ham with foil if it's getting too brown before completely heated through.
- Baste the ham often to boost flavor and add moisture.
Serving suggestions
Serve with mashed potatoes, macaroni salad, steamed rice, and any of your favorite holiday fixings.
Storage and reheating instructions
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Leftover ham should be reheated to an internal temperature of 165 F for food safety. Wrap loosely with foil and heat in a 350 F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes per pound.
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 version of meatloaf made with diced pork, luncheon meat, liver spread, eggs, and pineapple; steamed to perfection in llanera molds
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
- 20 to 30 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
Instructions
- In a deep pot, combine pineapple juice, beer, Sprite, sugar, and salt. Stir until dissolved.
- Add ham and about 6 to 8 pieces of the 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 1 hour.
- Drain ham, reserving about 2 cups of the poaching liquid. Make pineapple glaze.
- With a knife, score the surface fat of the ham in a diamond pattern at about ¼-inch deep and 1-inch apart.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- 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.
For Pineapple Glaze
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine reserved poaching liquid (from boiling the ham), crushed pineapples, sugar, and yellow mustard. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
- Cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced and thickened.
Notes
Video
Nutrition Information
“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.”
Monette says
Can i use my turbo broiler instead of oven?
Lalaine Manalo says
I haven't personally tried using a turbo for this but I think it would work 🙂
Per says
Can you recommend a brand here ( US) that's similar to the one in the Philippines? Thanks!
Lalaine Manalo says
I use the bone-in hams I find at Walmart or other supermarkets, I think one popular brand is Smithfields?
Berna says
hi! instead of the poaching liquid, what substitute can i use for the glaze? thanks!
Lalaine Manalo says
The poaching liquid has beer and pineapple juice so you can save it after cooking the ham in it. If you don't like to use it, you can use a fresh batch of beer and pineapple juice 🙂
Mae-Anne says
Hi, can I ask if you can leave the ham for refrigerated for 48 hours after poaching before roasting? Thank you.
Lalaine says
Hello Mae-Anne
I've never tried keeping the ham that long in the liquid. I am just worried that the acids in the pineapple juice will break down the proteins and change the texture of the ham.
sasa says
hi there,
if i use a slow cooker, how many hours should i set it to cook?
and also what brand of beer you may suggest that's available here in the US.
thanks
Lalaine says
Hello Sasa,
I suggest 2 to 3 hours on LOW and you keep it warm in there during the party. The ham is cooked so it's just a matter of reheating. You can try Negra Modelo which is pretty close to the San Miguel Negra I used. You might have to adjust amount of liquids, though, as the slow cooker works a little differently than in the oven. Let me know how it turns out!
Happy holidays!
Lynne says
Hi. Did you mean apple cider vinegar as substitute for beer?
Lalaine says
Hello Lynne,
I am sorry, I mean apple juice. You can also use ginger ale or 7 up if you like. This substitution list https://www.thebalance.com/beer-substitute-1388879 recommends apple cider but I've tried it and didn't like the flavor.
Liz says
Hi Lalaine,
Is the recipe applicable for Purefoods Ham?
Thanks,
Liz
Lalaine says
I am not familiar with Purefoods ham but I think it should be fine.
Art says
Hi lalaine!
Can I use any other types of beer like corona, bud light or etc instead of dark beer? You also mentioned in one of your comments that apple cider can also be used is that the vinegar or apple cider juice.
Is it advisable to inject the poaching liquid inside the ham so that the taste will penetrate inside the meat.
I am planning to experiment with your recipe tonight in preparation for the coming Noche Buena next month.
Thanks again!
Evette says
What are some types of dark beer?
Lalaine says
You can use San Miguel Negra 🙂
Diana says
Do you cover the ham when you bake it?
Lalaine says
Hello Diana,
No cover so the sugar caramelizes nicely. You can loosely tent the ham at the later stage of cooking if it's browning too fast.
Jet rada says
Hi. Do Inhave to remove the skin?
Lalaine says
Yes 🙂
Doris says
Hi Lalaine,
If you have spiral cut cooked ham, do you need to still boil it in the poaching liquid for an hour? And then after that you still need to bake it, right? Don't you think it will be over cooked? Thanks.
Desiree says
Hi Lalaine,
I hope you can get back to by today before thanksgiving ... If not it's ok..
Is there a substitute for beer? What kind of brown beer? Please recommend ..
Thank you
Lalaine says
Hello Desiree
You can substitute apple juice if you like 🙂
Desiree says
With a knife, score the surface fat 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.
What do you mean score the surface fat? Also, make the diamond patter everywhere ?
Lalaine says
Hi Desiree
I meant, to make shallow cuts on the surface fat. Yes, make shallow cuts all over the surface of ham 🙂
Toni says
what is a poaching liquid?
Lalaine says
Hi Toni
Poaching liquid is the mixture of pineapple juice, Sprite, brown sugar etc. used to "boil" the ham first.