Instant Pot Ham with Pineapple Honey Glaze
Smoky-savory ham brushed with a well-balanced sweet-tangy glaze. We use hams from our own garden hogs, which makes it extra incredible!!! It can be found at pressurecookrecipes.com. If you're an instapot enthusiast, be sure to check them out!!!
The last time we used this recipe, our pineapple had gone bad. So we did it with oranges instead and it worked fine!
This recipe is specifically designed for an 8 quart Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi pressure cooker. It won't work for an extra large ham, but as long as you can fit it in the pressure cooker you're good- just adjust the other ingredients.
You can certainly take this delicious recipe and convert it to traditional oven baking. Just be sure not to overcook your ham by using a meat thermometer. Cooking times will depend on type of ham, so be sure to know if you have a pre-cooked or uncooked ham. According to University Extension, any ham that has been smoked, cured or baked is considered pre-cooked and only needs to be heated to serving temperature (or a little above since we all know how long it takes to get the whole family seated at the table!). Generally, for a smoked ham, bake (covered) at 325 for 15-20 minutes/pound. However, let your meat thermometer rather than a chart manage your ham bake. The internal temperature will continue to rise during the first minutes after you take it out.
Remember with any cooked ham you do not need to reach full safe temperature (145)-- only a bit above where you want to serve it. Don't worry, so long as you keep the temp under about 150, your ham will stay juicy and tender. Even with an uncooked ham, you can definitely take it out when it reaches an internal temp of 140 degrees. Pork dries out and toughens up at temps much higher than that, so don't ruin an otherwise great ham by overheating it!
A Centerpiece For Any Great Family Meal
1 (8lb) 7” thick bone-in uncut ham
14oz pineapple (canned or fresh)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
¼ c honey
¼ c brown sugar
Thickener:
2½ tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Instructions:
Pressure Cook Ham: Add 14 oz pineapples and 2 Tbsp dijon mustard to Instant Pot. Give it a quick mix. Layer a steamer rack then place ham on top. Drizzle ¼ cup honey all over the top of the ham.
Close lid and turn Venting Knob to Sealing position.
Pressure Cooking Method:
8 - 9 lbs Bone-in Uncut Ham = High Pressure for 20 minutes, then Natural Release for 30 minutes
6 - 7 lbs Bone-in Uncut Ham = High Pressure for 15 minutes, then Natural Release for 30 minutes
Spiral Ham (Cut Ham): High Pressure for 3 minutes, then Natural Release for 20 minutes will be warm enough
Check ham's internal temperature at its’ thickest part with a food thermometer.
Temperature Tips: 95°F - 110°F is hot enough to serve the ham, especially with the hot honey sauce. Rest ham on a large chopping board or serving plate. The ham's internal temperature will continue to rise. If the ham is at 80°F or less, put the lid back on and pressure cook the ham at High Pressure for another 5 minutes, then Natural Release for 10 minutes.
Pineapple Honey Glaze: Bring the sauce back to a simmer by pressing the "Cancel" button, then "Saute" button. Taste and gradually add in brown sugar to desired sweetness. You'll want the sauce to be fairly sweet to balance the salty smoky ham flavor, roughly ¼ cup.
Mix 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch with 3 Tbsp cold water in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture one third at a time to thicken the honey pineapple sauce to desired thickness.
Serving: Cut the juicy ham with a sharp knife and a fork. Serve it with the Honey Pineapple glaze- drizzled over, on the side, or a little of both!
Glaze-Free: If you want to omit the glaze, you can use 1 cup of cold water and increase the pressure cooking time by 3 minutes.
Brown & Crisp the Skin (Optional Step): Some people enjoy a nice crispy crust on the outside of their ham. It definitely brings out the smoked flavor in the ham. After making the honey pineapple sauce, lightly glaze the ham then place under the broiler for just a few minutes. Be careful not to dry it out.
Oven Method: If preparing the traditional way, first blend pineapples and mustard then add to bottom of roaster. Place ham in roaster, then drizzle with all of the honey. Have cornstarch mix ready when ham is done. Once done, remove ham and set aside. Transfer all of the remaining sauce from the roaster to a saute pan. Heat to medium and add cornstarch as in instructions above, stirring and adding starch mixture until reaching desired consistency.