Being children of the South, my wife and I often think about enjoying a nice ham during the holiday season. As our palates have changed over the years eating Primally, the commercially prepared, overly-sweet, glazed hams made famous by a certain franchise just don’t fit the bill these days.
We have a family favorite mustard-glazed, hardwood-smoked version we’re partial to, though Libby convinced me to try her Honey Thyme Holiday Ham recipe recently, and I have to say, it’s very likely the best ham we’ve ever cooked at home.
She adapted the recipe from one posted in the now-defunct Gourmet magazine years ago, and true to her Southern roots added a bit of creole mustard to the glaze. And yes, this ham has a glaze sweetened with honey; the flavor added, particularly working in concert with the thyme, is well worth the sprinkle of additional carbs in our book, and isn’t cloying (like the above mentioned commercially-prepped hams…).
Give this one a try if you’re thinking about a ham this year; it’s one you’ll come back to again.
12-14 pound fully cooked ham
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup mild honey
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp + 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp creole or dijon mustard
1 and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Optional: fresh ground pepper
Set your ham out at room temp an hour before starting to cook.
When ready to get started, fire your trusty oven to 350 and trim any rind (skin) from the ham, then score the surface ham fat in a crosshatch pattern (just the fat, not the meat).
Place the ham on a roasting rack in a hefty roasting pan, cover with a piece of parchment paper, then cover the entire roasting pan with foil. Bake for an hour and 45 minutes.
While the ham is baking, bring the vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and reduce to roughly 1 tbsp. Remove the pan from the heat, whisk in the butter until melted, then the honey, thyme, mustard, and Worcestershire. Set the glaze aside until the hour and 45 minutes are up.
When the first baking period has passed, remove the foil and parchment paper, brush the ham with half the glaze, pour a cup of water or apple cider into the roasting pan, and bake for 30 minutes.
Reglaze the ham with the remaining glaze and bake another 30 minutes (or until done).
Enjoy.
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