An Easter classic with a Sauced twist: Roasted ham coated in a crave-worthy candied glaze composed of sweet peach preserves, brown sugar, and smoky bourbon.

1 Bourbon, 1 Peach, and 1 Ham

Although the ingredients for Just Peachy Bourbon Glazed Ham are not quite as simplistic as implied above (influenced by those classic George Thorogood lyrics), this recipe is sure to wow any dinner guest, with little to no effort on your part.

Sorry About This Wind Thing

Easter is just around the corner, and with it, memories of Easter holidays of the past come blowing in. One of the things I remember most about Easter as a child is the wind. It blew through my hair, threatening to steal the Easter bonnet sitting atop my golden locks. It fought against me as I ran through my grandparents’ yard from tree to tree, bush to bush, competing with my sisters and cousins for each brightly-colored egg. You can even hear it to this day, whipping & whistling over the commentary of whichever adult was holding the heavy, cumbersome camcorder; stealing pieces of our words away on the old VHS tapes that recorded so many of our family moments.

I’ve always liked to dress up, whether it be for play or for real. But as a kid, dressing up for Easter felt even more special. Sure, red and green plaid Christmas dresses with tights were okay; but for Easter, you got to finish your look with a flower-adorned hat. Perhaps it’s because I grew up in the 90s-00s, inspired by TV shows such as “Blossom” and “Clarissa Explains It All.” Whatever, the reason, I have always adored hats. I still do. Although nowadays they often serve as more of a function versus fashion — I mean, how else do you hide the fact that you haven’t washed your hair for several days, to the point that even your dry shampoo isn’t working anymore?

Circling back, I remember my mom letting me pick out a new Easter dress each year, undoubtedly in some pastel floral pattern. My look was made complete with a straw Easter bonnet, lace-trimmed socks, and Mary Jane-esque shoes. I can recall that my mom or dad would always have to help with those tiny buckles on my chosen patent leather footwear.

Gonna Move Out to the Country, Gonna Eat Me A Lot of Peaches

As a kid, we always gathered at my grandma and grandpa’s house for Easter. As previously stated, my family is big on making every holiday special. We have a history of making family gatherings that are “just because,” special. To this day, whenever I plan a trip home to Illinois to visit, I know to expect multiple texts and calls from my mother and sisters discussing menu plans and grocery store requests.

At Grandma’s house, Easter was no different. I remember my grandma, leading me to the narrow closet off my grandpa’s office, where a multitude of Easter basket choices awaited. These were not your typical, dollar store Easter baskets. These were special, or so they seemed to me. She had baskets in every shape, color, and size. I vividly recall her standing next to me, telling me (as well as each of my sisters and cousins) to pick any basket we wanted for the upcoming Easter egg hunt.

Writing about it now, it seems like such a small thing. But knowing my grandma, this was yet another way to make things special, exciting; to inspire autonomy and individualism. She never hid the “good baskets” (or her “good jewelry,” or anything else) from us kids. She was uniquely generous and for lack of a better word: cool, in that way.

As a kid, it seemed like my grandparents lived so far away from “town.” The drive there, and especially the drive home, at night, always seemed to take forever in my 6-year-old brain. Although, in reality, their house is only a mile or so outside the city limits. Still, going to their house always felt like an adventure, an escape “to the country,” where you knew that good food and good times awaited.

Regardless of the potentially incorrect perceptions made by my young mind, my grandparents did have a huge yard. Especially for central Illinois standards, where land (especially farmland) is precious and minimal. They also had a lot of trees in their yard.

Okay, once again, perspective is everything. Now that I’m older, and have visited places in the south, east, and west in the U.S., perhaps “a lot of trees,” is a bit generous when referring to the number of timber that grew around their home. But, to my grandmother’s credit, she actively ensured the addition of various greenery around their home. She planted a special, unique tree for each child and grandchild in our family. A tradition I’d like to carry on, here in the yard of our Kentucky home.

Side note: Over the course of my life (and hers), my grandma planted several different species of willow trees for yours truly (that’s me); which, for some reason or another, continually died. If I were a superstitious person (okay, I am), I’d think that was a bad omen of some kind. However, luckily, at this point, I’m still here (knock on wood).

I Could Eat a Peach for Hours

Coincidentally, my grandma’s maiden name was Easter. Although, looking back, I am not sure that gave her a proclivity to make our Easter feasts any more special than the other dinners she cooked for those she loved; and even for, in her words: “those she didn’t particularly care for that much.” (Don’t you just love her?) But in her words, again, that didn’t make the preparing, cooking, displaying, serving, eating, and enjoying the meal any less special.

Long before Marth Stewart, my Grandma Nancy taught me the importance of presentation. You should feast with your eyes first, a visual appetizer for the flavors to come. Her holiday table settings were thematically on-point: flowers and candles, place cards and cloth napkins, linen tablecloths and so much silverware that I would not know how to use, except for the guidance from that scene in ”Pretty Woman.” (You know the one: Slippery lil suckers.”)

Her classic pineapple-glazed ham was a gorgeous centerpiece for the Easter dinner table. That being said, I wish she was around today to try this variation of a traditional holiday baked ham with my brown sugar & bourbon peach glaze.

Just Peachy Bourbon Glazed Ham
Ingredients

• 1 fully-cooked boneless ham (5-7 lbs.)
• 2 c. peach preserves or marmalade
• 1/3 c. orange juice
• 1/3 c. bourbon of your choosing
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp. chili powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Score the surface of the ham with a sharp knife, making 1/2 inch-deep diamond cuts on the outside of the ham.
2. Place ham on a wire rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover ham with the lid of the roasting pan or aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until internal temperature reaches 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together the peach preserves, orange juice, brown sugar, garlic, and chili powder (if desired) in a small saucepan. Cook on low for 15-20 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat. Stir the bourbon into the sauce mixture.
4. Remove ham from oven and increase oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Brush the ham with some of the peach bourbon sauce and return to the oven.
6. Bake ham, uncovered, for an additional 20-30 min, basting with the peach bourbon glaze every 10 minutes.

This smoky-sweet ham pairs beautifully with a glass of bourbon. The salty, savory flavor of the ham also pairs well with any semi-sweet wine such as Riesling, Rosé, or Grenache.

Serve this Just Peachy Bourbon Ham as this year’s Easter table centerpiece, along with some of the sides from my prior blog posts (included below) and let me know what you think! You can comment in the comment section below or choose the Contact section on this page. There, you can find the links to all of Sauced’s social media accounts on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram; as well as a direct contact form on this site. Also, be sure to share this recipe and subscribe to my newsletter– you’ll be the first to know about upcoming recipes and additional exclusive content.

Did you make too much ham?

If so, find the link to my recipe below for Spaghetti Amatriciana: the perfect way to use up that leftover holiday ham! It’s a relatively unknown traditional Italian recipe passed down to me by my Grandma Nancy, featuring a simple sauce with ham, bacon, tomatoes, garlic, and wine. Once you try it, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without it!

As always, thank you for reading. Hope you have a ham-tastic day!