Hamming It Up
What better way to welcome spring than to bake a tasty ham for your family? This
month I’ve included ideas for every ham enthusiast. Those of you with a home smoker
will love the glazed ham with the smoky flavor. And if time is short, try the
slow-cooker recipe for a wonderful ham entreé with little fuss. My favorite is
the Coffee Pecan Glazed Ham, which the photographer and I just couldn’t stop eating.
So welcome spring and ham it up this month!
| GLAZED HAM FOR THE HOME SMOKER | |
| 5-7-lb. fully cooked bone-in ham (shank or butt) 1-1/3 cups maple syrup 1 teaspoon ginger 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon allspice 12-16 whole cloves 8 pineapple slices Maraschino cherries |
|
Score ham. Combine syrup, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Place ham in a large dish and baste with syrup mixture. Let the ham stand in
the syrup for 2 hours until it reaches room temperature, basting frequently
with syrup mixture. When ready to smoke, remove ham from dish and stud with
cloves and place on smoker grid. Baste with syrup at least twice while smoking.
Right before the last hour of smoking, decorate with pineapple slices and cherries.
Baste again. If using a meat thermometer, the fully cooked ham should reach
an internal temperature of 130-140° F. Make certain the thermometer is not touching
the bone.
For charcoal smoker: use 7-8 pounds of charcoal,
3 quarts hot water, 3 to 4 sticks of wood, and smoke 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours; for
electric smoker: use 3 quarts hot water, 3 to 4 wood sticks, and smoke 2 to
3 hours; for gas smoker: use 4 quarts hot water, 3 to 4 wood sticks, and smoke
2 to 3 hours.
| COFFEE PECAN GLAZED HAM | |
| 7-lb. fully cooked smoked ham
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed 1/4 cup crushed pecans 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 Tablespoon instant coffee granules 1 cup water 1 Tablespoon dry mustard |
|
Preheat oven to 325° F. Cut rind off ham to expose
fat. Place ham on rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil and
bake 1 hour and 15 minutes. Mix remaining ingredients to make glaze, stirring
until coffee granules dissolve. Brush glaze on ham. Bake, uncovered, 40 to 50
minutes, brushing every 15 minutes with glaze. When meat thermometer reaches
140° F in thickest part of ham, baking is done. Let stand 15 minutes before
slicing.
| SPRING HAM WITH RHUBARB SAUCE | |
| 4-lb. ham, boneless and fully cooked
1/2 cup water 3 cups rhubarb, cut up (you may use frozen) 1-1/4 cups sugar 1/2 cup orange juice 2 teaspoons orange zest 3/4 teaspoon dry mustard 1 cinnamon stick |
|
Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Add
1/2 cup water. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the ham.
Cover tightly with aluminum foil, leaving thermometer dial exposed. Roast in
a 325° F oven until thermometer registers 135° F, about 20 minutes per pound.
Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients in large
saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes,
stirring occasionally. Remove cinnamon stick.
Remove foil from ham and spoon small amount of sauce
over ham 15 minutes before cooking time ends. Remove ham when meat thermometer
reaches 140° F. Let ham sit 15 minutes before slicing. Serve sauce over ham
slices.
| CROCKPOT HAM WITH MUSTARD GLAZE | |
| 3-5-lb. pre-cooked ham, drained of excess liquid 10 whole cloves 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1 Tablespoon prepared mustard 2 teaspoons lemon juice 3 Tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon grated orange zest 2 Tablespoons cornstarch |
|
Score ham in a diamond pattern and stud with cloves.
Place in slow cooker. Combine brown sugar, mustard, and lemon juice; spoon over
ham. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low and cook 6 hours or until
ham is hot. Remove ham to serving platter. Adjust slow cooker to high. Combine
orange juice, zest, and cornstarch to form a paste, and drizzle very slowly
into juices remaining in Crockpot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce
is thickened. Return ham to cooker and spoon sauce over meat. Serve immediately.
Note: If using a 5- or 6-quart unit, cook on high 1 hour and on low 8 to 10
hours.
