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Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham

[heart_this] · Nov 17, 2013 · 69 Comments

Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham

A ham crusted with sweet maple syrup, tangy mustard, bourbon and gingersnaps that makes for a perfect holiday dinner!

Whether you are tired of turkey or you are you want a second roast in addition to the turkey you really cannot go wrong with a tasty ham! Ever since I tried this bourbon gingersnap crusted ham by Alton Brown I have been hooked and I keep coming back to it when I am looking for a ham recipe. Like most hams this one is super easy to make where you bake it, pull it out, remove the skin and fat, brush on some mustard, sprinkle on some brown sugar, spritz it with bourbon and then press on the crushed gingersnaps before baking it for a bit longer. The tangy mustard combined with the sweet brown sugar and the gingery cookies is simply amazing! One variation that I like to do is to bush the ham with some maple syrup before applying the mustard which adds another tasty layer of complexity.
Of course one of the best things about a ham is the leftovers, including the bone, and all of the exciting that you can do with them! Check out some ideas below the recipe!

Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham
Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham
Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham
Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham
Check back tomorrow to find out what else is on the plate!

Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham

Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham

Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 3 hours 45 minutes Total Time: 4 hours Servings: 14

A ham crusted with sweet maple syrup, tangy mustard, bourbon and gingersnaps that makes for a perfect holiday dinner!

ingredients
  • 1 (8 pound) bone in ham, mesh removed, rinsed and pat dry
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup dijon mustard
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons bourbon (or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract)
  • 1 cup crushed gingersnap cookies
directions
  1. Score the ham by spiraling around it with a knife from top to bottom rotating as you go and then repeat in the other direction forming diamonds with a crisscross pattern about 1 inch apart.
  2. Place the ham in a baking dish, insert a meat thermometer, cover in foil and bake in a preheated 250F/130C oven until the temperature reaches 130F, about 2-4 hours depending on the size of the ham.
  3. Remove the diamonds with tongs, dab dry with paper towels, brush on the maple syrup followed by the mustard, sprinkle on brown sugar, spritze on the bourbon and press on the gingersnap crumbs.
  4. Insert the meat thermometer and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven until the ham reaches 140F, about 30-60 minutes depending on the size, before letting it rest for 30 minutes and carving it.
Note: I used a cured and smoked picnic ham as seen n the photos above where the original recipe calls for a city ham and both work well!
Nutrition Facts: Calories 317, Fat 21g (Saturated 7g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 73mg, Sodium 1752mg, Carbs 16g (Fiber 0, Sugars 11g), Protein 17g

Nutrition by: Nutritional facts powered by Edamam
Use in:
Ham and Bean Soup
Split Pea Soup
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Ham and Chickpea Soup
Pasta e Fagioli Soup (Italian Pasta and Bean Soup)
Hoppin’ John
Creamy Cabbage and Double Smoked Bacon Soup
Creole Split Pea Soup
Ham and Mushroom Sauerkraut Soup
Porchetta Chowder
Ham and Leek Tart
Ham and Egg Breakfast Quesadillas
Deviled Ham Sandwiches
Monte Cristo
Ham, Egg and Gruyere Crepes with Maple Syrup
Ham and Cheese Egg Casserole
Cuban Sandwich
Croque Hawaii
Monte Cristo Quesadillas
Roast Turkey Cuban Sandwich
Ham and Egg Breakfast Burritos
Ham and Cheese Quesadillas
Huevos Motulenos
Ham and Pineapple Melts
Eggs Benedict
Cottage Cheese and Egg Muffins with Ham and

Cheddar Cheese
Croque Monsieur
Ham and Eggs au Gratin

Similar Recipes:
Honey Glazed Ham
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6 Ingredients, Food, Ham, Main Course, Pork, Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suzer says

    February 6, 2009 at 1:11 am

    Lunch is still an hour off and you're making me hungry. Hey mate, do you think you might be able to give some recommendations for a morter & pestle? I'd guess you might use that with all of your asian recipes?

    Reply
  2. Robin Sue says

    February 6, 2009 at 1:19 am

    Fantastic recipe! So very unique. The sandwich has to be the best though.

    Reply
  3. Sara says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:01 am

    This sounds so good, I love the idea of using gingersnaps!

    Reply
  4. Paula says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:06 am

    I love ham, and that Alton Brown recipe is great! I bet those au gratin pots were yummy as well. What I really liked, too, is your ham sandwich. YUM!

    Reply
  5. Anonymous says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:44 am

    I’ve seen the episode of Good Eats when he makes this. It definitely sounds delicious. I love ham with pineapple and brown sugar glaze, but maybe I’ll give this one a try.

    (That sandwich looks awesome too!)

    Reply
  6. Mrs Ergül says

    February 6, 2009 at 3:14 am

    That sandwich looks tantalizing!

    Indeed, weekends are best for recipes like this!!

    Reply
  7. Chris says

    February 6, 2009 at 3:26 am

    That sandwich does look fantastic.

    Reply
  8. Kevin says

    February 6, 2009 at 3:26 am

    Suzer: Because of space restrictions I just have a small marble mortar and pestle. I would also like to have a larger one so that I would not have to do some things in batches and I could also do thinks like guacamole.

    Reply
  9. Elra says

    February 6, 2009 at 3:37 am

    Kevin,
    Do you know that I never cooked ham before? How embarrassing is that. Honey glazed ham sounds so delicious. This is what I normally get when I order sandwich at the deli.
    Cheers,
    Elra

    Reply
  10. Beachlover says

    February 6, 2009 at 5:12 am

    I never cook ham b4..Must try toy method one day! Thanks for sharing! look great!

    Reply
  11. Jan says

    February 6, 2009 at 5:26 am

    Looks lovely – I like the idea of gingersnaps!!

    Reply
  12. Nina Timm says

    February 6, 2009 at 5:32 am

    I once had a calamari bake done in gingersnaps and it was surprisingly delicious. I love the look of that sandwich!

    Reply
  13. Mila says

    February 6, 2009 at 5:52 am

    Kevin, that picture is awesome! And the sandwich looks even better than the main dish! I always forget how much I like a nice simple ham 🙂

    Reply
  14. Helene says

    February 6, 2009 at 5:53 am

    Oh Kevin that looks good. I could have ham every week, not only on Holidays. I always like the leftovers in sandwichs also.

    Reply
  15. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    February 6, 2009 at 6:01 am

    A scrumptious way to prepare ham and to eat leftovers! Wonderful!

    Cheers and have a great weekend,

    Rosa

    Reply
  16. Pam says

    February 6, 2009 at 6:33 am

    I love the gingersnap crumbs – it’s such a great idea. I really want to try this recipe. The sandwich is making me hungry.

    Reply
  17. ksuicide says

    February 6, 2009 at 8:38 am

    Sounds fabulous.

    ~cheers

    Reply
  18. Jennifer says

    February 6, 2009 at 10:53 am

    WOW I cannot think of a better idea for ham, I love this!!!

    Reply
  19. pigpigscorner says

    February 6, 2009 at 12:41 pm

    This is one of my bookmarked recipes too! Looks really delicious!

    Reply
  20. Steph says

    February 6, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Your ham looks so good! A perfect dinner and lunch!

    Reply
  21. Cheryl says

    February 6, 2009 at 1:48 pm

    Wow even your sandwiches look too good to eat!

    Reply
  22. Dana McCauley says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:07 pm

    ginger snap crumbs – neat idea! I think this combo might be good on a piece of peameal bacon, too.

    Reply
  23. lisaiscooking says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    I saw Alton making his city ham just recently, but I missed the part about the gingersnap crumbs. Sounds great!

    Reply
  24. Amy says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    I made this ham for Easter a couple of years ago and loved it, too!

    Yours looks awesome! I love leftover ham sandwiches better than the actual slices of ham, I think…

    Reply
  25. Debbie says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:37 pm

    Looks delicious. I love that it uses gingersnap cookies!

    Reply
  26. Dawn says

    February 6, 2009 at 2:42 pm

    that is a good combo. I’m not surprised it worked so well. I love leftover ham fried in a bit of butter with some eggs.

    Reply
  27. Rosie says

    February 6, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    This is fantastic Kevin, my family adore ham and the idea of gingersnap crumbs is so appealing!

    Rosie x

    Reply
  28. lisa (dandysugar) says

    February 6, 2009 at 4:48 pm

    Wow, I almost can’t keep up with your yummy dishes! The gingersnap crust must give the ham another delicious layer of flavor. Looks great. The whole meal looks wonderful.

    Reply
  29. Joie de vivre says

    February 6, 2009 at 4:55 pm

    Alton’s recipe made the best ham I’d ever had! I love spritzing the bourbon on…somehow, it seems so dangerous…:)

    Reply
  30. Sylvie says

    February 6, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    Both the dinner and also the sandwich with the left-over ham look fabulous, Kevin.

    Reply
  31. Elizabeth says

    February 6, 2009 at 5:45 pm

    Yum, that sandwich looks delicious!

    Reply
  32. chuck says

    February 6, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    Kevin, you should open a sandwich shop!! That sandwich is a killer. Yummy!

    Reply
  33. mikky says

    February 6, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    what a sandwich!!! i’m getting hungry and it’s already 230am here… lol… 🙂

    Reply
  34. Jennifer says

    February 6, 2009 at 6:43 pm

    Kevin, that sounds like a great combo to me!

    I had Easter for the first time last year and it was the first time I made a ham. Why does it have to be only for holidays! I may have to put that in my repetoire for next week.

    Reply
  35. Anonymous says

    February 6, 2009 at 7:05 pm

    Saw the picture and thought ‘Wow, that’d be awesome on bread’. And then we scrolled down to your pic. Sooo good!

    Reply
  36. Karen says

    February 6, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    What a great combination of flavors and I guess you’d have a little crunch, too. My hubby would *love* than sandwich!

    Reply
  37. Hayley says

    February 6, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    What an awesome idea for a crust. I’ll have to try this on some tofu. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  38. [email protected] says

    February 6, 2009 at 9:53 pm

    MMM ham is always such a glorious centerpiece and the gingersnaps sound great!

    Reply
  39. Marjie says

    February 6, 2009 at 9:56 pm

    My guys just love ham! Your sandwich looks like a great reason to roast a ham for dinner – to get great lunches afterward!

    Reply
  40. Gloria says

    February 6, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    Nice, very nice Kevin, yummy!! Gloria

    Reply
  41. Maris says

    February 7, 2009 at 12:19 am

    The sweet/salty combination is the best! You’re making me crave ham and cheese sandwich!

    Reply
  42. Culinary Cory says

    February 7, 2009 at 12:46 am

    Yum. I like the added richness of the ginger snaps.

    Reply
  43. Bridgett says

    February 7, 2009 at 12:56 am

    Makes me want to dive right in. We definitely don’t eat enough ham around my house.

    Reply
  44. Anonymous says

    February 7, 2009 at 1:12 am

    you outta try this glaze on a country ham…..

    Reply
  45. Jan says

    February 7, 2009 at 1:32 am

    Wow! great flavor combination here. Looks delish, Kevin, as does that sarnie.

    Reply
  46. ham recipe says

    February 7, 2009 at 4:52 am

    Looks great, definitely going to try out this ham.

    Reply
  47. diva says

    February 7, 2009 at 2:35 pm

    gingersnap crumbs?? that’s genius. i would never think it but i reckon this tastes fab. x

    Reply
  48. Grace says

    February 7, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    oh, mustard. i love it. and what a unique trick, adding gingersnap crumbs–nicely done!

    Reply
  49. cindy* says

    February 7, 2009 at 6:40 pm

    yum! i have made alton’s recipe for ham before…i love the crust, but that is the only part of the ham i like anyway. looks wonderful!

    Reply
  50. Kirby! says

    February 7, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    What a creative recipe!! I love gingersnaps, and I would have never thought to use them in a savory dish.

    Reply
  51. Maggie says

    February 8, 2009 at 1:34 am

    I’ve had this on my bookmarked list for ages! Yours looks fantasitic.

    Reply
  52. Anonymous says

    February 8, 2009 at 2:15 am

    wow, i’m loving the mustard and gingersnap crumbs! i bet those would taste good on anything!

    Reply
  53. Peter M says

    February 8, 2009 at 10:07 pm

    That ham looks nice & tasty!

    Reply
  54. Cooking and the City says

    February 9, 2009 at 11:31 am

    Kevin your ham looks & sounds delicious! sandwich looks good too 🙂

    Reply
  55. Jeanne says

    February 16, 2009 at 11:28 pm

    Holy moly that looks good! I love ham anytime, but that sweet & spicy crust really grabbed my attention. Excellent!

    Reply
  56. Anonymous says

    April 13, 2009 at 11:49 pm

    Made this for a large Easter dinner party this year. My guests ate all the ham (13lbs!) down to the bone…it was that good. Very easy to prepare (tho cooking a ham that large took about 6 hours to hit 140deg). I would definitely make this again. I have never received that many compliments on a meal.

    Great post Kevin!

    Reply
  57. Chris says

    November 21, 2010 at 6:29 am

    I've made this recipe before. While it turned out great, I have yet to make the gingersnap cookies stick (they've fallen and melted in a type of sauce on the bottom of the pan). How did you get the gingersnap cookies to stick during cooking in order to make crust?

    Reply
  58. Anonymous says

    October 18, 2011 at 4:08 pm

    Saw this photo on another site – just fyi! http://malli.in/recipes_detail.php?recid=7&cat_name=courid&cat_id=5

    Reply
  59. Dina says

    November 17, 2013 at 9:46 pm

    looks delish!

    Reply
  60. Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says

    November 19, 2013 at 7:45 am

    That crust is the BEST! I've been meaning to find the perfect ham recipe for Thanksgiving too and I think I just found it!

    Reply
  61. Anonymous says

    November 23, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    I think I understand what you mean when you say "3.Remove the diamonds with tongs". So we are removing chunks of the surface, right?
    Johnny Tarr

    Reply
  62. kevin says

    November 24, 2013 at 7:43 pm

    Chris: I just make sure to press them on so that they stick to the mustard.

    Reply
  63. kevin says

    November 24, 2013 at 7:45 pm

    Johnny Tarr: Yes, you are removing the skin and fat from the surface.

    Reply
  64. Emmeline Yeo says

    December 20, 2013 at 9:33 pm

    Hey Kevin,
    Looks amazing! – one question, is there a substitute for bourbon? We have vodka and brandy and heaps of other wine and stuff, so it gets a bit much to have to buy another liquor to make this dish – we don't drink bourbon too! Any ideas?? Thanks!

    Emmeline.

    Reply
  65. kevin says

    December 21, 2013 at 2:16 am

    Emmeline Yeo: You could simply omit the bourbon or replace it with the brandy that you have. Enjoy!

    Reply
    • Anthony Boccarossa says

      December 7, 2020 at 7:36 pm

      i HAVE USED APPLE JUICE IN RECIPES THAT CALL FOR BOURBON….ALWAYS BEEN A WINNER

      Reply
  66. Aundrae Palacio says

    November 20, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    Leave it to Alton to come up with something like this. Look delicious though.

    Reply
  67. Bernard Ber says

    March 27, 2018 at 11:21 pm

    This is an interesting and unusual way to prepare ham. I hadn't heard of this before. Thanks for mentioning it. I will post this tomorrow on my Reddit Web page at:

    https://www.reddit.com/r/AskRedditFood/

    Reply
  68. Sally Harman says

    December 9, 2022 at 9:53 am

    The best ham recipe I have ever served. So moist and wonderful flavor. Always on the Christmas table.

    Reply

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Kevin: I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.
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