Homemade Glaze For Kirkland Master Carve Ham

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Our recipe for the perfect glaze for the Kirkland Master Carve Ham. The glaze is a copycat of the glaze that used to come with the ham. Also a bonus glaze that is a brown sugar-Dijon mustard glaze.

📋 What's New In This Post (12/9/25) - Added links and updated formatting to make the post easier to read.

Slices of Kirkland Master Carve ham on a white plate with homemade red currant glaze on top. The plate is sitting on a piece of burlap.

✍🏻 Featured Comment - Margaret says "I just bought the ham at Costco and was sorry to see the glaze missing. Thank you for the replication (I came specifically online looking for it)."

What Happened to the Original Glaze?

Your comments came pouring in.

What happened to the glaze?

Oh Costco how could you take our glaze away? Ok, maybe not as dramatic as that last one sounds.

When they first came out with the Kirkland Master Carve Boneless Ham it came as a whole ham that has been carved off the bone. No one shaped it into an unnatural log shape like the traditional boneless ham.

This ham also came with a glaze - a red currant one. I prefer to make glazes myself but I used the one that came with it for review purposes.

It was a good glaze. Not too sweet. But sometime in 2016, Costco decided to get rid of the glaze and go to selling the ham in only half size portions.

Looking back at the ingredients to the original glaze, I came up with one of my own that I think beats the original. Let me share it with you.

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Jump to:

What Happened to the Original Glaze?
🛒 Shopping List
⏲️ When to Apply Glaze
🍴 Mustard & Brown Sugar Glaze
🔥 Tips for Cooking the Ham
📧 Join Our Email List
Red Currant Glaze for Kirkland Master Carve Ham

Red Currant Glaze showed up close on slices of Kirkland Master Carve ham on a white plate.

🛒 Shopping List

Here is what you will need to make the glaze.

I went back to the ingredients that appeared in the red currant glaze Costco use to provide. That glaze included currant juice, dried zante currants, Worcestershire sauce, and a few other ingredients.

Red currant jam - Since it's easier to find I chose red currant jam. The pectin in the jam would give the glaze some body.
White or red wine vinegar - In order to balance out the sweetness, I added some white wine vinegar (you could use red wine for a more intense flavor).
Worcestershire sauce - The Worcestershire sauce may seem strange but it goes really well and you only need a little. It just enriches the glaze without screaming their Worcestershire sauce in it.
Cloves - I also decided to add some ground cloves. Cloves and ham are a classic combo. You often see some old school ham recipes with whole cloves stuck right into the ham. Pemba Cloves from Burlap & Barrel are my favorite. Buy them whole and grind them up yourself with a mortar and pestle.
Dried currants - If you liked the dried currants that were in the original Costco glaze you add about ¼ cup of them. The zante currants that were in that glaze are actually dried Champagne grapes, which are not made from Champagne. Lots of confusing marketing going on here. Dried zante currants are easier to find, but if you can get actual dried red or black currants by all means use them.
Salt

⏲️ When to Apply Glaze

In the last 20 minutes or so of cooking your ham is when you need to apply the glaze. This should give it plenty of time to setup without burning. If you are tracking the temperature of your ham, add the glaze when the ham hits around 120 degrees.

Remove it from the oven. Brush with the glaze and return until your ham is done.

If you have any leftover glaze, save it to add to slices when serving.

💡 Tip - The best tool I have found for applying glazes or brushing on any sauce is the Oxo Good Grip Silicone Pastry Brush.

🍴 Mustard & Brown Sugar Glaze

If you want to try a different glaze - the simple combination of Dijon mustard and brown sugar. Add some ground ginger if you want to spice things up a bit. I like to make my own brown sugar so I can control how dark it is.

To make this glaze just mix together in a bowl:

2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¼ teaspoon of ground ginger (optional)

Then apply the glaze as I directed in the red currant recipe. It is enough for one half ham.

If you like using ground ginger it's a nice addition to this glaze. I recommend Burlap & Barrel Buffalo Ginger - best ground ginger I have found.

Check out some other ham glaze recipes on the blog - both of these glazes I use for making ham in the Instant Pot but you can use them in any situation - Cheerwine (Soda) Glaze & Pineapple Brown Sugar Glaze.

🔥 Tips for Cooking the Ham

I have an entire post dedicated to cooking a Kirkland Master Carve ham that you can read for full instructions.

Some of the highlights include:

Place the ham in a pan with a rack that elevates the ham to allow hot air to flow around the ham.
Cook the ham at 350 degrees.
Monitor the temperature with a thermometer. When it reaches 120 degrees take it out and then apply the glaze.

📧 Join Our Email List

Are you a super Costco fan? Then you've got to join our email list. Every Saturday we send out tips about buying and cooking meat from Costco. You can also look at our guides to buying pork at Costco or buying beef at Costco.

Red Currant Glaze for Kirkland Master Carve Ham

My replication of the red currant glaze that used to come with Costco's Kirkland Master Carve Ham. This glaze is enough for half ham with a little leftover to use at the table. 4.42 from 17 votes Print Pin Rate Prep Time: 3 minutes Cook Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 8 minutes Servings: 0 Author: Eric Samuelson

Ingredients

6 ounces red currant jam
2 teaspoons white or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ cup dried currants optional
pinch of salt

Instructions

In a small saucepan, add all the ingredients. Stir to combine.
Put the pan over medium heat. Cook until warm. Set aside.
When the ham is about 20 minutes from being done or at 120 degrees. Remove the ham from the oven and apply the glaze with a pastry brush.
Return the ham to the oven and finish cooking. Internal temperature needs to be 140 degrees.
Save any leftover glaze to be used at the table.

Tried this recipe?Mention @eatlikenooneelse or tag #eatlikenooneelse « How is Boneless Ham MadeWhat is a Good Price for New York Strip Steak? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

Awesome sauce, I missed out on the currant glaze to :/ I got this ham on an impulse buy for new years dinner at costco, glad it reviewed well and look forward to some yum yum piggy!
I would love to know how it turns out for you. It's my go-to ham now. It's so easy to carve and you get 100% useable meat. I think you will like the glaze too.
I just bought the ham at COSTCO and was sorry to see the glaze missing. Thank you for the replication (I came specifically online looking for it).
You're welcome!
We really enjoyed your version! I used the Kirkland ham, left ham on counter for 1 hour to take the chill off, sous vide for 2 hours at 120 degrees, 20 minutes in oven with your delicious glaze, and it was the best ham yet. Thanks so much.
I am so glad you enjoyed it.
Always looking for way to free up my oven on holidays and would love to know if I can heat this ham half in my crock pot....the internet seems to think so.
Absolutely. As long as it's heat through your good to go. I would throw it in hot oven at the last moment if you are using a glaze.

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Nice to Meet You,

Hi! I'm Eric : Father of 4, living just south of Ann Arbor, MI. I'm a reformed picky eater finding a new way to not conform. Eating what's in season is my jam (I also make it!)