Recipe: Holiday Ham

Mmmmmm...ham....

Ah, the holidays! There are many parts of the holidays I enjoy, but cooking for my family tops the list. And what do they all look forward to each year from me? My Holiday Ham! Moist, salty and oh so sweet, with just a hint of tang, this ham is sure to knock your family’s socks off this season!

What makes this ham so special?

Love. Haha! Well, there may a be a bit more that goes into it than that, although I highly recommend adding a sprinkle of that to everything you cook. 😉 While most hams have a brown sugar glaze base, which this does, what sets this one apart is the mustard. That tang combined with the sweetness of the sugar and the feel-good tastes of cinnamon and cloves that are added is amazing!!

Ingredients:

• 10-pound bone-in cooked ham

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup unsalted butter

• 1 cup dark brown sugar

• ½ cup honey

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp ground cloves

• 5 cloves garlic, smashed

So how exactly is it made? 

For the most part, you will be cooking your ham according to the package directions, usually 15 minutes per pound.

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Remove any plastic packaging or netting from the ham. Be sure to let the ham come to room temperature before cooking.

2. Place your ham cut side down in a deep baking pan with a rack in the bottom. Add the ½ cup of water to the bottom of the pan and tent with foil.

3. Place in the bottom third of the oven and cook until there is 20 minutes remaining on the cook time.

4. Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until golden brown.

5. Add the brown sugar, mustard, honey, cinnamon, and cloves, stirring well to combine and dissolve completely (about 2 minutes).

6. Reduce heat to low and add in the smashed garlic, allowing it to become fragrant, cooking for about one to two minutes until the glaze begins to simmer.

7. Set aside and let cool to lukewarm. The glaze should be the consistency of room temperature honey and easily coat a spoon.

8. With 20 minutes remaining, pull the ham out and turn on its side, separating the slices slightly. Pour and brush your glaze all over the tops and sides, brushing in between the folds.

9. Place back in the oven, uncovered, for the remainder of the cook time.

Remove and cover to retain heat until it’s time to eat!

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• Recipe: Enchilada Casserole