Hamming It Up!

I’m ticked off.  I have been trying to put together a post about cooking a ham and I keep screwing it up.  Last time I made it I didn’t get all the pics I needed.  On Monday I cooked up 2 hams and although I got all the pics I thought the looked they look like crap. Maybe I’m being to hard on myself, but this ham blog is flat out kicking my fat butt.

Glazed Ham

While wallowing in my self-pity and disgust I started perusing on my photo library for something to blog about.  Fortunately, I found a complete set of pics for the Easter Ham recipe I never got around to writing.  As it turns out, it was a better recipe than the one I used on Monday. 

What you need to start, Ham, Pineapple Juice and Box Cutter.

I start with a Cooks ham, a can of pineapple juice and a box cutter.  The box cutter is used to score the ham, I extend the blade out about ¼” or so and cut into the skin of the ham.  I slice down the ham and then cut around to crisscross cuts.  During cooking it will allow the fat to cook out from under the skin and make it easier to remove the skin later. 

Scoring the ham

After the ham is scored place it in a roasting rack and pour some of the pineapple juice over the ham.  I cook the ham at 350º for 3-4 hours, about 20 minutes per pound.  Since the ham is already smoked, I like to use the gas grill.  It cooks a little faster and the dryer heat helps the glaze set up on the ham.  Every 20 minutes I pour more of the pineapple juice over the ham. If you have a spray bottle handy you can fill it with the juice and spritz it down every 20-30 minutes.

Brown Sugar Glaze Ingredients

While the ham cooks I mix up the brown sugar coating. I bag of brown sugar 2-3 tablespoons of my BBQ Rub, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ginger and ½ teaspoon of clove.  The clove is optional; there is some clove in the BBQ rub I just like to a little more.

Brushing the Ham with Pineapple Preserves

About 30 minutes before the ham is done I pull it off the grill for the glazing.  I start by removing the skin from the ham. Once that’s done I heat up 3-4 tablespoons of pineapple preserves and brush it over the ham.  Now I start packing on a thick heavy coating of the brown sugar mix. Now return the ham to the grill for another 30-40 minutes to set the glaze.  Remove the ham from the grill and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Ham almost ready

There is a lot of sweet going on with this glaze but the flavors of the brown sugar and pineapple really compliment the salty smoky flavor the ham.   The drippings in the bottom of the roaster are also quite tasty.   I’m glad I found my photo and was finally able to finish the elusive ham blog.  I hope you all enjoyed it, if you decide to cook your own ham during the holidays don’t forget to take some pictures and send them to me, I might need them for a future blog.