|
Baked Bourbon Glazed Ham
To serve 12 to 14: 1 (12 to 14 lb.) smoked ham, processed, precooked variety
3/4 c. bourbon whiskey
2 c. dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. dry mustard
1/4 c. whole cloves
2 navel oranges, peeled & sectioned
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the ham fat side up on a rack set in a
shallow roasting pan large enough to hold the ham comfortably. Bake in the
middle of the oven, without basting, for two hours, or until the meat can be
easily pierced with a fork. For greater cooking certainty, insert a meat
thermometer in the fleshiest part of the ham before baking it. It should
register between 130 and 140 degrees when the ham is done. When the ham is cool
enough to handle comfortably, cut away the rind with a large, sharp knife. Then
score the ham by cutting deeply through the fat until you reach the meat, making
the incisions 1/2 inch apart lengthwise and crosswise. Return the ham to the
rack in the pan and raise the oven heat to 450 degrees. With a pastry brush,
paint the ham on all sides with 1/2 cup of the whisky. Then combine the sugar
and mustard and 1/4 cup of whiskey, and pat the mixture firmly into the scored
fat. Stud the fat at the intersections or in the center of each diamond with a
whole clove, and arrange the orange sections as decoratively as you can on the
top of the ham with toothpicks or small skewers to secure them. Baste lightly
with the drippings on the bottom of the pan and bake the ham undisturbed in the
hot oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the sugar has melted and formed a
brilliant glaze. I do not use whole clove. I put 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground
cloves into the brown sugar mixture. Instead of using oranges I prefer pineapple
slices and Maraschino cherries (with stems).
|