The Best Brown Sugar Ham Glaze

Prepare the Ham

1. Unwrap the ham. Remove the rind, leaving the layer of fat underneath. If there is no fat layer in an area do not remove the rind, leave it on. Score the top of the ham in a crisscross pattern, creating little squares of fat. Do not cut through to the meat.
2. Place a rack in a roaster and place the ham on the rack. If you don't have a rack, place little balls of aluminum foil under the ham to elevate it.
3. Preheat your oven to 325℉. Place the oven rack on the second lowest or lowest rack of your oven. Depending on how high your ham is, you want it far from the top element. My ham in my roaster is very tall, so I use the bottom rack.
4. Pour the two cups of ginger ale over the ham, then cover with the roaster lid or tent with aluminum foil. Bake for 90 minutes or until the center of the ham is around 110℉ when tested with an instant-read thermometer.

Prepare the Glaze

1. Place the brown sugar, maple syrup, orange juice, mustard, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Heat the mixture, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for another 5-10 minutes until thicker and reduced to a syrup consistency. Remove from the heat.
2. Remove the lid or foil from the ham. Baste the ham with half of the sauce, covering the top and sides where the fat is scored. Do not use all the glaze now; use about half of the glaze. Add a cup or two of water to the bottom of the pan. This will help keep the ginger ale from burning if you want to make the sauce for the ham.
3. Turn the oven temperature up to 350℉ and continue to bake. Baste the ham with the remainder of the glaze again after 15 minutes, then continue to cook. Re-baste the ham every 10 minutes, using the drippings in the pan, until the ham's internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145°F. If the glaze isn't sticky and dark brown, broil for 4-5 minutes at the end to achieve this.
4. Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for ham for 15 minutes.
5. If desired, take the drippings and place in a saucepan. Add some more ginger ale if needed. Create the cornstarch slurry. Heat the drippings to a simmer, then whisk in the slurry until the sauce has thickened. Remove and place into a gravy boat.
6. Remove the ham and slice.
7. Serve the ham with the prepared sauce.