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!
Check back tomorrow to find out what else is on the plate!
Bourbon Gingersnap Crusted Ham
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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Suzer says
February 6, 2009 at 1:11 amLunch 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?
Robin Sue says
February 6, 2009 at 1:19 amFantastic recipe! So very unique. The sandwich has to be the best though.
Sara says
February 6, 2009 at 2:01 amThis sounds so good, I love the idea of using gingersnaps!
Paula says
February 6, 2009 at 2:06 amI 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!
Anonymous says
February 6, 2009 at 2:44 amI’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!)
Mrs Ergül says
February 6, 2009 at 3:14 amThat sandwich looks tantalizing!
Indeed, weekends are best for recipes like this!!
Chris says
February 6, 2009 at 3:26 amThat sandwich does look fantastic.
Kevin says
February 6, 2009 at 3:26 amSuzer: 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.
Elra says
February 6, 2009 at 3:37 amKevin,
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
Beachlover says
February 6, 2009 at 5:12 amI never cook ham b4..Must try toy method one day! Thanks for sharing! look great!
Jan says
February 6, 2009 at 5:26 amLooks lovely – I like the idea of gingersnaps!!
Nina Timm says
February 6, 2009 at 5:32 amI once had a calamari bake done in gingersnaps and it was surprisingly delicious. I love the look of that sandwich!
Mila says
February 6, 2009 at 5:52 amKevin, 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 🙂
Helene says
February 6, 2009 at 5:53 amOh Kevin that looks good. I could have ham every week, not only on Holidays. I always like the leftovers in sandwichs also.
Rosa's Yummy Yums says
February 6, 2009 at 6:01 amA scrumptious way to prepare ham and to eat leftovers! Wonderful!
Cheers and have a great weekend,
Rosa
Pam says
February 6, 2009 at 6:33 amI love the gingersnap crumbs – it’s such a great idea. I really want to try this recipe. The sandwich is making me hungry.
ksuicide says
February 6, 2009 at 8:38 amSounds fabulous.
~cheers
Jennifer says
February 6, 2009 at 10:53 amWOW I cannot think of a better idea for ham, I love this!!!
pigpigscorner says
February 6, 2009 at 12:41 pmThis is one of my bookmarked recipes too! Looks really delicious!
Steph says
February 6, 2009 at 1:20 pmYour ham looks so good! A perfect dinner and lunch!
Cheryl says
February 6, 2009 at 1:48 pmWow even your sandwiches look too good to eat!
Dana McCauley says
February 6, 2009 at 2:07 pmginger snap crumbs – neat idea! I think this combo might be good on a piece of peameal bacon, too.
lisaiscooking says
February 6, 2009 at 2:24 pmI saw Alton making his city ham just recently, but I missed the part about the gingersnap crumbs. Sounds great!
Amy says
February 6, 2009 at 2:35 pmI 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…
Debbie says
February 6, 2009 at 2:37 pmLooks delicious. I love that it uses gingersnap cookies!
Dawn says
February 6, 2009 at 2:42 pmthat 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.
Rosie says
February 6, 2009 at 4:36 pmThis is fantastic Kevin, my family adore ham and the idea of gingersnap crumbs is so appealing!
Rosie x
lisa (dandysugar) says
February 6, 2009 at 4:48 pmWow, 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.
Joie de vivre says
February 6, 2009 at 4:55 pmAlton’s recipe made the best ham I’d ever had! I love spritzing the bourbon on…somehow, it seems so dangerous…:)
Sylvie says
February 6, 2009 at 4:57 pmBoth the dinner and also the sandwich with the left-over ham look fabulous, Kevin.
Elizabeth says
February 6, 2009 at 5:45 pmYum, that sandwich looks delicious!
chuck says
February 6, 2009 at 6:28 pmKevin, you should open a sandwich shop!! That sandwich is a killer. Yummy!
mikky says
February 6, 2009 at 6:29 pmwhat a sandwich!!! i’m getting hungry and it’s already 230am here… lol… 🙂
Jennifer says
February 6, 2009 at 6:43 pmKevin, 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.
Anonymous says
February 6, 2009 at 7:05 pmSaw the picture and thought ‘Wow, that’d be awesome on bread’. And then we scrolled down to your pic. Sooo good!
Karen says
February 6, 2009 at 7:58 pmWhat a great combination of flavors and I guess you’d have a little crunch, too. My hubby would *love* than sandwich!
Hayley says
February 6, 2009 at 8:38 pmWhat an awesome idea for a crust. I’ll have to try this on some tofu. Thanks for sharing!
Jessica@Foodmayhem says
February 6, 2009 at 9:53 pmMMM ham is always such a glorious centerpiece and the gingersnaps sound great!
Marjie says
February 6, 2009 at 9:56 pmMy guys just love ham! Your sandwich looks like a great reason to roast a ham for dinner – to get great lunches afterward!
Gloria says
February 6, 2009 at 11:44 pmNice, very nice Kevin, yummy!! Gloria
Maris says
February 7, 2009 at 12:19 amThe sweet/salty combination is the best! You’re making me crave ham and cheese sandwich!
Culinary Cory says
February 7, 2009 at 12:46 amYum. I like the added richness of the ginger snaps.
Bridgett says
February 7, 2009 at 12:56 amMakes me want to dive right in. We definitely don’t eat enough ham around my house.
Anonymous says
February 7, 2009 at 1:12 amyou outta try this glaze on a country ham…..
Jan says
February 7, 2009 at 1:32 amWow! great flavor combination here. Looks delish, Kevin, as does that sarnie.
ham recipe says
February 7, 2009 at 4:52 amLooks great, definitely going to try out this ham.
diva says
February 7, 2009 at 2:35 pmgingersnap crumbs?? that’s genius. i would never think it but i reckon this tastes fab. x
Grace says
February 7, 2009 at 2:38 pmoh, mustard. i love it. and what a unique trick, adding gingersnap crumbs–nicely done!
cindy* says
February 7, 2009 at 6:40 pmyum! 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!
Kirby! says
February 7, 2009 at 9:04 pmWhat a creative recipe!! I love gingersnaps, and I would have never thought to use them in a savory dish.
Maggie says
February 8, 2009 at 1:34 amI’ve had this on my bookmarked list for ages! Yours looks fantasitic.
Anonymous says
February 8, 2009 at 2:15 amwow, i’m loving the mustard and gingersnap crumbs! i bet those would taste good on anything!
Peter M says
February 8, 2009 at 10:07 pmThat ham looks nice & tasty!
Cooking and the City says
February 9, 2009 at 11:31 amKevin your ham looks & sounds delicious! sandwich looks good too 🙂
Jeanne says
February 16, 2009 at 11:28 pmHoly moly that looks good! I love ham anytime, but that sweet & spicy crust really grabbed my attention. Excellent!
Anonymous says
April 13, 2009 at 11:49 pmMade 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!
Chris says
November 21, 2010 at 6:29 amI'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?
Anonymous says
October 18, 2011 at 4:08 pmSaw this photo on another site – just fyi! http://malli.in/recipes_detail.php?recid=7&cat_name=courid&cat_id=5
Dina says
November 17, 2013 at 9:46 pmlooks delish!
Chung-Ah | Damn Delicious says
November 19, 2013 at 7:45 amThat crust is the BEST! I've been meaning to find the perfect ham recipe for Thanksgiving too and I think I just found it!
Anonymous says
November 23, 2013 at 3:21 pmI 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
kevin says
November 24, 2013 at 7:43 pmChris: I just make sure to press them on so that they stick to the mustard.
kevin says
November 24, 2013 at 7:45 pmJohnny Tarr: Yes, you are removing the skin and fat from the surface.
Emmeline Yeo says
December 20, 2013 at 9:33 pmHey 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.
kevin says
December 21, 2013 at 2:16 amEmmeline Yeo: You could simply omit the bourbon or replace it with the brandy that you have. Enjoy!
Bernard Ber says
March 27, 2018 at 11:21 pmThis 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/