Glazed Ham

Glazed Ham

One secret to feeding hungry masses of holiday visitors is simple—bake a big ham. It's the most economical, convenient, versatile, and best tasting investment you'll make.

If a whole ham is more than you need, get half—either the butt end or shank end. The butt end is round like a basketball cut in half. The shank is elongated with the bone poking out. I prefer the shank, because it looks great and is easier to carve. You know where you stand with the bone.

Preparation is virtually foolproof: Simply follow instructions on the packaging.

But make it your own with a homemade glaze. My favorite is the ultra-simple blend of brown sugar and coarse-grained Dijon mustard. During the last hour of baking, remove the ham from the oven. Cut crosshatched lines into the fat on the top of the ham and slather with glaze. Return to the oven to finish cooking. Now your beautiful ham is ready, whatever the occasion.

Recipe

Brown Sugar Dijon Glazed Ham

• 1 (7 to 10 pound) bone-in ham (butt or shank end)
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup coarse-grained Dijon mustard

Prepare ham according to package directions, baking it in a roasting pan at 325 degrees, fat side up. Baking time will be determined by how much the ham weighs.

Combine brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl while ham is baking. Remove ham from oven during the last hour of cooking. Using a sharp knife, score the skin diagonally about 1/8-inch deep on the top of the ham, making a grid pattern. Brush with glaze. Return to oven and cook until glaze is bubbly and the ham is cooked through. Remove from oven and let stand 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Wrap in foil and refrigerate leftover portion.

Note: If preparing a whole ham (15 to 20 pounds), double the glaze recipe.

Mindy Merrell is a Nashville, Tenn.-based food writer and cookbook author.

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