Mouth-Watering Glazed Ham & Pineapple Brown Sugar Gravy

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This mouth-watering Glazed Ham & Pineapple Brown Sugar Gravy recipe is a cherished family recipe, the best ham recipe you will ever make!  Perfect for Christmas or Easter dinner, you can make this ham with any kind of smoked ham, but spiral ham is best. I should warn you though, the gravy is addictive, especially on mashed potatoes!  Oh my!  

Glazed Ham & Pineapple Brown Sugar Gravy

Every year while growing up, my whole family looked forward to my Mom making this for Easter Sunday dinner.  The tangy-sweet pineapple brown sugar gravy compliments the salty-rich flavor of the smoked ham perfectly.  In fact, as good as it is for Easter Sunday dinner, it is even better the next day, when the flavors have a chance to settle.  (Who doesn’t love leftovers, right?!)  I make extra gravy to freeze and use with any ham leftovers. 

The only difference between the way I make it and the way my Mom made it is that she used to put whole pineapple rings on the ham as she added the glaze (before baking).  My husband and son are not fans of baked pineapple, so I make it with the crushed pineapple, but if your family likes pineapple, go ahead and add some rings to the ham.  

Perfect side dishes to go with this glazed ham & pineapple brown sugar gravy are mashed potatoes, fresh green beans or asparagus, and fresh-baked rolls.  

Key Ingredients

• Ham:  I like to use a bone-in spiral ham for the best flavor but you can use any type of boneless or bone-in smoked ham. 
• Pineapple:  You use pineapple on the ham and in the gravy.  If you like the flavor of baked pineapple, add a few slices to the ham before baking. 
• Brown Sugar:  Brown sugar gives the gravy that incredible sweet flavor.  I use dark brown sugar but light brown is fine too.  Pack the brown sugar on the ham after pouring the ginger ale and pineapple juice on it, otherwise, all the brown sugar will slide off the ham and not bake into it. 
• Ginger Ale:  This may seem like an odd ingredient for ham but it adds an irresistible tangy flavor to the ham and gravy.  If you don’t have ginger ale, you can use 7Up but ginger ale is best.  
• Clove:  Whole clove adds just the right amount of spice the ham needs to balance out the saltiness.  

A Few Cooking Tips

• Be sure to wrap the ham in aluminum foil or cover it with a roasting pan lid so the ham does not dry out while baking. 
• Don’t forget to use the juices from the can of pineapple too!
• Keep basting the ham with the pineapple juices at the bottom of the roasting pan while it bakes.
• Don’t bake the ham too long, it will dry out.  Remove at the designated time and it will continue to cook on the counter for 10-15 minutes. 
• Stir some of the juices from the pan into the gravy to give it a rich flavor. 
• Make the pineapple brown sugar gravy just before serving. The longer the gravy sits on a warm burner, the thicker it will be.   
• If the gravy gets too thick, whisk in a little more pineapple juice.  
• You can use a boneless or a bone-in spiral ham; I find the bone-in ham adds more flavor for the gravy.  
• If you use a larger ham, double gravy recipe.  Trust me, it will go fast! 
• Save the ham bone for soup! 

Continue to Content

Yield: 8-12

Glazed Ham & Pineapple Brown Sugar Gravy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Additional Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes

A mouth-watering tangy-sweet glazed ham with pineapple brown sugar gravy.

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Ingredients

• Spiral Ham (About 8-10 pounds) 
• 4-5 Whole Cloves
• 1/4 c. Pineapple Juice
• 4 oz. Ginger Ale (or 7Up)
• 6 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Pineapple Brown Sugar Gravy

• 4 Tbsp. Butter
• 4 Tbsp. Wondra Super-Fine Flour
• 3/4 c. Brown Sugar 
• 1 (20 oz) Can Crushed Pineapple
• 1 (8 oz) Can of Pineapple Juice
• 2-3 oz of Gingerale (or 7Up)

Instructions

Place the spiral ham in a large roasting pan.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Score the ham with a knife, creating criss-cross cuts into the ham. Spike the ham with 4-5 cloves. 

Mix together the pineapple juice and ginger ale and pour 1/2 of it over the ham.  Pat the brown sugar on the ham, pressing to crust the brown sugar onto the ham. Place in the oven and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes per pound.  While the ham is cooking, continue to baste it with the remainder of the juices in the bottom of the pan.

When the ham is almost done baking, make the glaze.  Pour the pineapple juice and ginger ale into a medium bowl and microwave for about 45 seconds.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and mix with the flour to make a roux.  Slowly stir the juice mixture into the roux, whisking briskly to stir out the lumps. 

Turn the heat up to medium-high.  Stir in the brown sugar and crush pineapple and heat to boiling.  Allow it to boil 3-4 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken, stirring constantly.  Turn to low and simmer for about five minutes until thickened.  Although it is called a glaze, it is more like gravy that you can drizzle on the ham and mashed potatoes. Yum!

Notes

• If you like baked pineapple, add a few slices to the ham before baking. Secure the pineapple slices with toothpicks.
• Using a roasting pan without a rack so the ham sits in the juices. It will help keep the bottom moist.
• Pack the brown sugar on the ham after pouring the ginger ale and pineapple juice on it, otherwise, all the brown sugar will slide off the ham and not bake into it. 

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