Bourbon-Glazed Ham

From the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart

Introduction

At one time, ham meant a hand-salted, smoked, bone-in rear leg of pork. It took several days of soaking, then long, slow cooking, to produce its world-famous flavor. Country ham like that is long gone, except by mail order, for most of us. If you can, find a bone-in ham without the words water added on the label. Specialty-meat shops and even warehouse clubs can be sources for better-quality bone-in hams. If a bone-in ham is not easy to find, or if you prefer to avoid the challenge of carving, then buy a quality boneless ham. Even a “picnic ham” or “smoked pork shoulder” (the same cut) makes very good eating, and they are much smaller than a whole ham. Nearly all hams are sold and labeled as “fully cooked” today, and need only enough time in the oven to warm them through to 130°F.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Use a sharp boning or chef’s knife to make parallel cuts ½ inch deep and ½ inch apart all over the ham, then give it a quarter-turn and repeat to produce a diamondlike appearance. Mix the sugar, mustard, and bourbon into a paste and rub it all over the top of the ham. Stick a clove in the center of each of the diamonds. Set the ham on a rack in a roasting pan and add the water.
2. Bake, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer registers 130°F, about 90 minutes. During roasting, baste the ham at least twice, removing it from the oven and closing the oven door while basting to avoid losing oven heat.
3. Use a very sharp carving knife to cut thin slices and serve 2 to 3 slices per plate. Pour the basting liquid into a gravy boat and serve as a sauce for the ham. Wrap and refrigerate the remaining ham for up to 6 days. Freeze in freezer bags any ham that is not used the following week.

Notes

• Serves 4 (8 to 12 slices total), with the rest reserved for Cheddar Macaroni with Ham, Ham, Shrimp, and Sweet Potato Jambalaya, Asian Noodle Bowl with Ham, and Ham, Sweet Potato, and Swiss Chard Frittata

This content is from the book Cooking for the Week by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, and Kathleen Taggart.