A whole smoked ham slow-baked with a maple-syrup glaze until the outside is caramelised and the inside juicy. The centerpiece of every cabane à sucre meal, the defining protein of the sugar-shack table.
Sugar shack ham, jambon à l'érable, is the centerpiece of every cabane à sucre meal in rural Quebec and the defining protein of the sugar-shack table. A whole smoked ham is slow-baked with a maple-syrup glaze until the outside is caramelised and the inside juicy. It is eaten alongside baked beans, oreilles de crisse, pickled beets and the other sugar-shack classics, and represents the historic Quebecois pairing of pork with the spring maple harvest.
A glistening, dark-caramelised glaze giving way to tender, smoky, juicy ham, the maple sweetness running through every slice. Eaten with the sugar-shack sides, it is savory, sweet and the heart of the cabane à sucre table.
The ham is scored in a diamond pattern to let the glaze penetrate, then baked low and slow covered to keep it moist. The maple glaze (maple syrup with mustard, brown sugar and sometimes cloves) is brushed on repeatedly in the final stage, uncovered, so each layer caramelises into a sticky, dark crust. The long covered bake keeps the inside juicy; the uncovered glazing builds the crust.
Variations
A spiced glaze adds cloves and allspice. Some cooks stud the ham with cloves.
On the Palate
Where Sugar Shack Ham sits in the Canadian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 10How it's made
6 steps · 15 min
- 15 min
Score a 3kg smoked ham in a diamond pattern.
- 230 min
Place in a roasting pan with 200ml water; cover tightly with foil; bake at 150C for 90 minutes.
Watch outBake it covered and low the first 90 minutes — the foil traps steam so the inside stays juicy while the long gentle heat warms it through.
- 34 min
Mix 200ml maple syrup, 2 tbsp mustard, 2 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tsp cloves for the glaze.
- 418 min
Uncover; brush the ham generously with glaze; bake 30 minutes more, brushing every 10 minutes, until dark caramelised.
Watch outUncover and brush glaze every 10 minutes at the end — each coat caramelizes into a sticky dark crust; brush too little and it stays pale and thin.
- 58 min
Rest 15 minutes covered.
- 64 min
Carve into slices and serve with sugar-shack sides.
Archive tool suggestions — not reviewed
These legacy suggestions have not been evidence-reviewed and are not presented as required tools.
