To celebrate the Winter Solstice and the holidays our family often times bakes a lovely, spiced ham. Ham is one of those great dishes that gives you a lot of wonderfully delicious leftover dishes, such as macaroni and cheese (check back tomorrow for that tasty recipe!), omelets, egg bakes or just really tasty ham sandwiches!
Ingredients
- 1 bone-in fully cooked half ham (about 10 pounds), rind removed
- 1 1/2 cups apricot jam
- 1 1/2 cups bourbon
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with rack in lower third. Wrap ham in a large piece of parchment-lined foil and place, cut side down, on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet; bake 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring jam and bourbon to a rapid simmer over medium-high. Cook until reduced by half, about 40 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and pepper and cook 2 minutes. Reserve 1 cup glaze for serving.
- Remove ham from oven and increase temperature to 425 degrees. Unwrap ham, carefully flattening parchment-lined foil against baking sheet. With a sharp knife, score fat with long cuts, 1/2 inch apart. Bake 15 minutes.
- Remove ham from oven and brush all over with some glaze. Bake until ham is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part registers 145 degrees, 45 to 60 minutes, brushing ham with glaze every 15 minutes (wrap tip of bone in foil if it begins to over brown). Transfer ham to a carving board, tent with foil, and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve warm or at room temperature with reserved glaze.
Octavia's Vintage 