First, let’s whip up the glaze! In a saucepan, combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, sliced ginger, chili garlic sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cloves, and cumin. Heat this mixture over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it starts boiling, let it bubble away for about 5 to 10 minutes until it thickens slightly. Make sure you don’t drift off during this part—nobody wants burnt sugar! After it thickens, set it aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 325°F (162°C). As your oven warms up, grab a roasting pan and insert a wire rack. You’ll want that ham to sit elevated above the juices for even cooking.

Pour 1 cup of pineapple juice into the bottom of the roasting pan. If your ham has a thick skin layer, you might want to slice it off to help the glaze penetrate better. Just make sure not to cut too deep into the meat. After that, make diagonal incisions on the surface of the ham about 1 inch apart, just deep enough to allow the glaze to seep in and create a lovely crosshatch pattern.

Place your prepared ham on the rack above the pineapple juice. Generously brush it with the cooled glaze, making sure to get into all those crevices.

Now comes the fun part—baking! For a fully cooked ham, plan for about 10 minutes per pound, which means around 1 to 1.5 hours for our 6 to 8 lbs ham. Alternatively, if it’s only partially cooked, that's about 25 minutes per pound, totaling 2 to 3 hours. Whatever the case, keep an eye on it!

Every 20 minutes, open the oven and baste your ham to keep it moist and flavorful. If you run out of glaze, don’t be shy—use the pan juices for basting. If the drippings start getting too thick, splash in a bit of water to loosen them up.

Once the internal temperature reaches 135°F (57°C), take it out of the oven! You should see that beautiful caramelized glaze. To intensify the flavor even more, spoon the drippings from your pan generously over the ham.

Let the ham rest for about 10 minutes before slicing. This helps everything settle, ensuring you get juicy slices rather than a drippy mess.

You can prepare this ham up to 4 days in advance. Just skip the final glaze and store those delicious pan drippings in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve, cover the ham loosely with foil and reheat in a 325°F (162°C) oven for about 5 minutes per pound. Keep an eye on it, so it doesn’t dry out! Warm your glaze in the microwave just before serving for that finishing touch!