This beer and maple braised ham recipe is one of my favorites, which I’ve been making for years.
It’s a comforting dish, easy to prepare, and above all, absolutely delicious.

This beer-braised ham fits perfectly into a sugar shack-inspired menu.
Paired with baked beans, a quiche, or a frittata, it works wonders for a hearty brunch.
A Made in Quebec braised ham

This beer and maple braised ham recipe is from the excellent cookbook Made in Quebec: A Culinary Journey by Julian Armstrong.
Unlike the traditional maple-glazed ham, this version offers a slow-cooked blend of leeks, carrots, beer, sugar and maple syrup, resulting in a tender, flavorful ham.
And trust me, you won’t even need mustard to go with it!
Maple beer

The recipe uses a maple beer from Ferme Brasserie Schoune in St-Polycarpe.
But if you can’t find one, just use the same amount of beer and add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of maple syrup.

Beer and maple braised ham
A slow cooked ham, braised in beer and vegetables with a touch of maple, that will outshine your average ham.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 leek (white), finely chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) granulated maple sugar
- 1 smoked ham with bone, 2 pounds (1 kg), pricked with 8 cloves
- 1 tomato, peeled, seeded and diced
- 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, a few sprigs of fresh thyme and flat parsley tied together or wrapped in cheesecloth)
- 2 bottles (12 ounces, 341 ml each) of Blonde à l'érable, Schoune's maple beer (see note **)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a deep ovenproof pan with a lid, melt the butter over medium heat and sauté the onion, leek and carrot until soft (about 5 minutes).
- Add maple sugar and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until lightly caramelized.
- Place the ham on top of the vegetables, then add the tomato, bouquet garni and beer to the pan.
- Roast in the oven, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (160°C) and continue roasting for another 45 minutes, brushing the ham occasionally with the beer sauce from the pan.
- Remove the pan from the oven, place the ham on a serving plate and cover with aluminum foil. Let the ham rest for 10 minutes.
- Slice the ham and serve it with the vegetables and beer sauce.
Notes
** Note for the beer: if you don't have maple beer, use 2 bottles of blonde beer and add 2 tbsp (30 ml) of maple syrup.
Recipe from the book Made in Quebec: A Culinary Journey by Julian Armstrong, 2014, by Quebec microbrewer Patrice Schoune of Ferme Brasserie Schoune in St-Polycarpe. Publisher: Harper Collins Canada, all rights reserved
Get the book Made in Quebec: A Culinary Journey