Last Updated February 15th, 2023 at 10:02 am by Lisa
Kahlua Pineapple Glazed Ham elevates party food for holidays and special celebrations. This one takes a tropical island spin on a classic spiral ham.
This recipe could start a "new tradition" for Easter dinner, Christmas, holidays, family get-togethers, or even brunch.
The heavenly glaze is brushed on both the ham and wedges of pineapple. As it bakes, you get gorgeous fruity, candy, caramelized edges...
Why This Recipe Works
- Buy a spiral-cut ham! These are easy to find in supermarkets and grocery stores year-round. All are presliced and cooked, so all you do for this recipe is add a glaze and reheat. What could be easier?
- Hey, you know those little packets that come in the package? Well, they have nothing on this glaze recipe.
- As you guys know, I love using fresh seasonal ingredients and skipping preservatives and chemicals. So ditch that packet!
- Remember when Candian Bacon and Pineapple pizza was all the rage? This flavor combination is a favorite by so many people.
Ingredients
- 1 8 lb bone-in spiral cut ham
- 2 pineapples
- 1 cup Kahlua (rum & coffee liquor)
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- 1 whole orange
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
How To Make The Pineapple Ham Glaze
- Cut one pineapple into chunks, removing the skin and core. Place ⅓ of the pieces in a high-speed blender, and turn on high for about 15-20 seconds. (1 cut pineapple makes approximately 3 cups of juice if you blend all the chunks, or you can keep the leftover pieces for snacks.) The pineapple juice will be thick, and that is fine for this recipe. Set aside, this will go into the glaze.
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup Kahlua, 1 cup fresh pineapple juice, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup honey, 2 tablespoons orange zest (zest the orange first, then juice it), the juice of 1 orange, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon ½ teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Bring just to a boil, keep stirring with a whisk, reduce heat, and simmer for 3-5 minutes on low heat. Set aside, off heat to cool.
How To Make Kahlua Baked Ham
Cut one pineapple in half, and set aside. This one will bake alongside the ham.
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place spiral ham in a low roasting pan flat side down uncovered. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
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After 1 hour, pull out of the oven, place the 2 pineapple halves on each side of the ham and brush the ham and pineapple halves with the yummy glaze.
Place back in the oven for 1 more hour until the glaze forms a nice crust. Reglaze the ham and pineapples every 20 minutes. You will have some extra glaze let over.
Depending on the size of your ham, it will bake for 15-20 minutes per pound. An 8lb. ham takes about 2 hours. Use a meat thermometer, it is ready at 140 internal temperature.
Carve and take the tops off the baked pineapple, cut into smaller portions, serve warm, enjoy!
Kahlua is a coffee-flavored, rum-based liqueur from Mexico. It is typically used in coffee drinks and cocktails. But I thought it would make a spectacular ham glaze, and went to work putting full fresh flavors together for this recipe, and the pineapple works so well with ham.
First, smell the bottom for sweetness. This is the first tell-tale sign to determine how sweet and ripe your pineapple will be. Sugar comes from the bottom of the fruit, where it migrates to the top as it ripens. The bottom is where it should be most fragrant, so put your nose there (not on the crown).
If it smells sweet, like pineapple juice, it is ripe. If you smell nothing, that means there is insufficient sugar and the fruit will not be sweet ( it has been harvested too early). Pineapples ripen very little after they have been harvested, so you don't want to pick one that is underripe, hoping it will become ripe later. Unfortunately, it won't.
Look at the pineapple before you buy it, is it all GREEN?
The greener the color, the earlier they were picked.
What you want to look for is a yellow-golden color. As the fruit starts to ripen, starting from the bottom, the higher the yellow rises toward the crown, the more sugar (and sweetness) it will have! Yellow on the bottom and green on the top will yield inconsistency in sweetness (i.e., some parts are sweet, other parts are not). Ideally, you want the yellow color to rise all the way to the crown, which means the sugar is distributed evenly through the fruit.
Use the "Press Test." A sweet ripe one will yield slightly to pressure.
Make sure to avoid overripe ones, they usually have reddish-brownish skins and dark dried leaves that crumble when you touch them and have a fermented smell. Pass on that one, it will taste off and be mushy and overripe inside.
More Pork & Ham Recipes
Make a Twice Smoked Spiral Cut Ham just like a smokehouse pit boss. This holiday meal classic has an amazing smoky flavor with an apple cider orange honey glaze!
For something fancier, this Cherry Balsamic Pork Loin takes minutes to prep and is a gorgeous presentation. I have served this holiday meal for New Year's Eve with rave reviews.
Super popular Pulled Pork (made low and slow in the oven, and use the leftovers for these Cuban Pulled Pork Sliders which are perfect for lunch or dinner.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork made with pork loin is so juicy, top with coleslaw, pickle chips, and tangy BBQ sauce all on a golden bun.
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Kahlua Pineapple Glazed Ham Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 8 lb bone-in spiral ham
- 2 pineapples
Ham Glaze
- 1 cup Kahlua (rum & coffee liquor)
- 1 cup fresh pineapple juice *see below
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 whole orange juice
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make Ham Glaze
- Cut one pineapple into chunks, removing the skin and core. Place ⅓ of the pieces in a high-speed blender, and turn on high for about 15-20 seconds. (1 cut pineapple makes approximately 3 cups of juice if you blend all the chunks, or you can keep the leftover pieces for snacks. ) The pineapple juice will be thick, and that is fine for this recipe. Set aside, this will go into the glaze.
- In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup Kahlua, 1 cup fresh pineapple juice, 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup honey, 2 tablespoons orange zest (zest the orange first, then juice it), the juice of 1 orange, 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon ½ teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Bring just to a boil, keep stirring with a whisk, reduce heat, and simmer for 3-5 minutes on low heat. Set aside, off heat to cool.
Bake The Ham
- Cut one pineapple in half, and set aside. This one will bake with the ham.
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Place spiral ham in a low roasting pan flat side down uncovered. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour, pull out of the oven, place the 2 pineapple halves on each side and brush the ham and pineapple halves with the yummy glaze.
- Place back in the oven for 1 more hour until the glaze forms a nice crust. Reglaze the ham and pineapples every 20 minutes. You will have extra glaze let over.
- Depending on the size of your ham, it will bake 15-20 minutes per pound. An 8lb. ham takes about 2 hours. Use a meat thermometer, it is ready at 140 internal temperature.
- Carve and take the tops off the baked pineapple, cut into smaller portions, serve warm, enjoy!
I'm making this for my next Hawaiian themed party. It will be perfect with Mac Salad.
Laura, what a great idea...I love to do this ham out on the grill to get everyone outside during the party! Aloha, sounds like a lot of fun at your house.
Oh good lawwwwddd. Does this ham look amazing!? Such wonderful flavors and a homemade glaze. Who needs that store-bought glaze packet anyway? It's loaded with preservatives. Loving the Kahlua, pineapple, and touches of ginger. YUM!