Graham-Crusted Baked Ham

This baked ham gets a crust you won’t find on most holiday tables: graham cracker crumbs mixed with brown sugar and Dijon mustard, pressed into scored diamond cuts and baked until caramelized and crunchy. It’s a brilliant riff on the traditional mustard-brown sugar glaze that adds a whole layer of buttery, cookie-like crunch.

Scoring the fat side into diamond patterns before glazing serves two purposes. It lets the rendering fat escape so the crust crisps rather than steams, and it creates grooves where the glaze mixture can settle and caramelize. Whole cloves pressed into each diamond intersection add peppery, warming bursts of flavor.

The high-heat finish at 425°F (220°C) for the last 15 minutes is what turns the graham crust from soft and sticky into shatteringly crispy and deeply browned. Don’t skip this step or you’ll miss the whole point.

Pro Tips

• Apply the glaze about an hour before the ham is done. Too early and the sugar burns during the long initial bake. Too late and the crust doesn’t have time to set.
• Press the graham crumb mixture firmly into the scored cuts. A light sprinkle falls off; really pack it into those diamond grooves.
• Let the ham rest 15 to 20 minutes before carving. The juices redistribute and the crust firms up for cleaner slices.
• This works hot or cold. Serve it as a warm main course or let it cool completely and slice thin for sandwiches.

Variations

• Bourbon glaze: Add a few tablespoons of bourbon to the brown sugar-mustard mixture for a deeper, smokier sweetness.
• Honey mustard crust: Replace the brown sugar with honey for a stickier, more caramelized finish with less granular sweetness.