Ham is a very typically main dish during the holiday season. Some people enjoy it at Thanksgiving instead of Turkey, and many will serve it for their Christmas Dinner. We always enjoy a glazed ham for Christmas Eve dinner with my family. It always seems nice to get together a share a delicious meal. Ham is very easy to make, it’s precooked and there a ton of glaze or rub options to give the flavor you love the most. I like many people love a sweet tangy glaze for my ham it pares well with the saltiness of the meat.
When choosing a ham there is a good rule of thumb. Prepare a half pound of meat per person. My gathering is usually 15-20 people and so I got a 10lb ham to make sure there is plenty to go around.
I also prefer a boneless spiral sliced ham, although these can be more expensive so choose whatever option suits you best.
If you purchase a bone in ham shank, before you start to cook it remove the rind. The rind or “skin” does not brown or crisp up and you’ll have a much better result if you cut this away, but leave the fatty layer that’s underneath this will crisp up beautifully and keeps the juices in your meat. To remove the rind cut from the top of the shank at the bone and peel back the top of the rind. Use your fingers between the meat and the rind to separate the rest from the shank. It should come loose fairly easily.
Once your meat is prepped place it in a medium roasting pan lined with aluminum foil and bake at 300°F. Everything you need to prepare your glaze is listed below!
- 1c. Honey
- 1c. Dijon mustard
- 1/2c butter
- 3 Tbsp fresh Tarragon
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 16 whole cloves
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 orange sliced in half
- 1/2c. Water
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- Pepper to taste
Push cloves into the orange rind, and then place all of the ingredients into a large sauce pan. Stir well until sugar is dissolved and the glaze is bubbling well combined. Remove the orange rinds.
Remove the ham from the oven after 30 minutes. Increase oven temp to 425°F. Pour 1/3 of the glaze over the ham making sure to get it into the cuts/slices of ham. Bake for another 30 minutes. Repeat glazing and bake another 20 minutes, glaze one last time and bake for a final 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Barnwood and Baked Goods 