Glazed Baked Ham

Directions

Remove the ham from the refrigerator a couple of hours before you intend to cook it so that it can get closer to room temperature.

Place ham, fattier side up, in a foil-lined roasting pan. If using a non-pre-cut ham, score a diamond pattern in the fat with a sharp knife, about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch deep, and the parallel lines about 1 1/2-inches apart. Do not score the meat itself, just the fat and any skin. You can score the fat to as deep as where the fat meets the meat. If you want you can first cut off any skin that might still be on the ham, but it isn't necessary.

If using cloves , you can either put them in before applying the glaze or after. They look better if applied after, but it is easier to see the lines in the ham as a guide for placement if you put them in first. Place the cloves in the center of the diamonds to form a nice pattern around the top and sides of the ham . Some people put the cloves in the intersection points of the scores. Do as you wish. You just want a nice pattern. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

If using the sweet honey mustard glaze, mix the mustard with the brown sugar in a small bowl. If using the honey thyme glaze, mix thyme in with the hot melted butter and let sit for a few minutes. In a small saucepan on high heat, let the cider vinegar reduce down from 1/4 cup to 1 Tbsp, remove from heat. Whisk in the butter and thyme. Add the honey, the brown sugar, and the Worcestershire sauce.

Using a pastry brush, brush whichever glaze you are using over the ham. Only use about third of the glaze . Try to work the glaze into the scored lines.

Place ham in oven. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours , or about 10 minutes per pound, until the internal temperature of the ham is 110 degrees -120 degrees . If using a non-spiral cut ham, baste the ham with the glaze a couple of times during the cooking. If you check on the ham and think that the glaze is at risk of getting too browned , you can cover with a piece of foil.

When the ham has reached the desired temperature, baste again. If using a spiral cut ham, open up the foil to expose the ham before basting. Place the ham under the broiler for few minutes to get some nice browning on the top. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the ham all over with pan juices. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

To slice a bone-in ham, cut around the bone first. Then use a long, sharp knife to slice off pieces around the bone. Another way to slice the ham is to make first a slice on wide end to get a flat lying surface. Then stand the ham upright on the wide end and make slices down the side, working around the bone. Remember to save the ham bone for soup!.