Ham - It's What's for Dinner

This time of year, we love to cook meals "that keep on giving" - like a ham. We like the shank half because it's slightly sweeter than the butt half, has less fat and only one bone, making it easier to carve. A dear friend of mine shared her recipe for glazed ham years ago and I've been making it the same way ever since. The flavor of her glaze is what makes me come back to this recipe time after time. Brown sugar, orange juice, dry mustard, ground cloves and ginger, are spiked with a touch of cognac or brandy - tell me that doesn't sound delicious. The recipe is easy. The first and second meals are great: sliced ham served with a tablespoon or two of that wonderful glaze, accompanied by sweet potato fries and green beans, or some variation thereof. Then the leftovers are diverse and wonderful ... Stuffed Green Peppers perhaps, and/or Split Pea and Ham Soup. We don't have ham very often, but when we do we never let anything go to waste.

Carol's Glazed Ham

10 pound smoked ham (Cook's), Shank-end - (NOT an un-smoked Picnic Ham)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 small can frozen orange juice concentrate
1/4 cup cognac/brandy
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Shake of cinnamon
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Glaze Sauce

• Combine the brown sugar, defrosted oj concentrate, cognac/brandy, mustard, ground cloves, ground ginger, and cinnamon in a medium-size bowl or a 16-ounce measuring cup.

Ham

• Place ham in a large dutch oven or stock pot, broad side down. Fill with water, covering the ham as much as possible (¾) without risking boiling over. Cover pot, canted, if possible. Boil ham about 2½ hours. If you cannot cover the pot, add water during the 2½ hours as it evaporates.
• Preheat oven to 350℉
• Place ham in roasting pan with a little water, and put in preheated oven.
• Baste ham with glaze/sauce every 15 minutes. Cook 30-60 minutes.
• Allow ham to rest, carve and serve pouring some of the extra glaze over each portion.

 

Comments

[Claudia]

Thanks Sal!

Sent from my iPhone
Claudia Danforth Ward

[Sally]

I must say this is probably one of the best ham's I have had. When I read about boiling ham, I too had to ask. Thought it odd, but the results were magnificent and the glaze keeps me going back for more! The pan that worked well for me was my stock pot. The 10lb ham I had fit in it perfectly! There were no issues with adding water and my lid went on with no problems. I look forward to all the leftovers!

[Claudia]

Emily, As always your questions are making me be clearer, for which I can't thank you enough. I have redrafted the boiling instructions, which I hope makes everything much easier to understand. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to ask. The biggest challenge I have with this recipe is choosing which pot to use. I like placing a cover on the pot while the ham is simmering, canted slightly, my friend who gave the recipe says she never covers the pot but adds water during the cooking process as it boils away. Hope this all helps.

[Emily Wexler]

I am feeling quite inadequate about baking a ham. Do you really mean boil for 2 1/2 hours? If so, with water completely covering? Or did you mean broil? The glaze sounds amazingly good, but I am struggling with basics. Many thanks for your help.

[Paul Angotta]

My family always had a glazed ham on New Year's Day - - not sure why, just a tradition that carries on to this day.

And all the resulting meals that come from the leftovers never disappoint.

A perfect winter wintertime treat.