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Perfect Holiday Ham

Perfect Holiday Ham - A Family Feast
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5 from 3 reviews

Holiday ham smothered in a sweet and tangy glaze is just what your holiday table needs! Try this recipe — it really is the best you’ll ever have.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 bone-in smoked ham (ours was 7 1/2 pounds and was from the butt end) - Using a good quality, name-brand ham is essential for the best results
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup vegetable stock

For the Glaze

  • 1 6-ounce can pineapple juice
  • 1/2 cup vegetable stock
  • 2 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon ground dry ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry sage
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cinnamon stick

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Place ham skin up on a cutting board and make half inch deep cuts in a criss-cross pattern across the top and sides. If using a cut ham, place cut side down into a roasting pan. Pour in wine and stock. Lift ham slightly so the liquid gets under the bottom cut so the ham doesn’t stick to the pan. Also the liquid will keep it moist while it cooks. Tent with foil and cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours depending on the size of your ham. Ours reached 130 degrees at about the 90 minute mark.
  3. While the ham is cooking, place all glaze ingredients into medium sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook to a thick syrup-like consistency. When hot, it should be thick like maple syrup. Set this aside.
  4. Once the ham is at 130 degrees, remove from oven and increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.
  5. Remove foil but do not discard foil yet.
  6. If the glaze has cooled and thickened, heat back to a syrupy state and using about one third of the glaze, slather the ham and place uncovered back in the oven. Set time for 15 minutes.
  7. Remove and use one more third to slather all over the ham. Return to the oven and set timer for 15 more minutes.
  8. Finally slather the remaining glaze on the ham and place just in oven long enough to get desired crispy crust but not burned; maybe about five or ten minutes.
  9. Remove from the oven and tent with the reserved foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Your patience will be rewarded.
  10. Move ham to a cutting board and discard liquid left in pan.
  11. Carve and serve with pineapple raisin sauce, see here.

Notes

For today’s recipe, we used a 7½ pound bone-in butt end ham. Your cooking times will vary based on the size of your ham, but generally you want an internal temperature of 130 degrees (as measured using a probe thermometer) when you pull the ham out of the oven. The temperature will increase to 140 to 145 as the ham rests – which is perfectly done. The ham is fully cooked and smoked when you buy it so really, all you are doing is getting it hot in the oven and creating a nice crust on the outside with the glaze.

Find it online: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/perfect-holiday-ham/