Cider-Soaked Baked Ham with Honey-Rum Glaze Recipe

Cider-Soaked Baked Ham with Honey-Rum Glaze

by Susan Simon from the Nantucket holiday Table

Ingredients:

One 8- to 9-pound smoked picnic shoulder ham
1 gallon apple cider
2 cups dark rum
Whole cloves
1/2 cup pure honey
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

This and many other wonderful recipes may be found in
Susan Simon's the Nantucket Holiday Table from Chronicle Books

In the same letter that Catherine Starbuck wrote to Ben Sharp in 1898 thanking him for the "Pinks,", she described a tradition of the annual Christmas dinner club: ".. we always club together and purchase something silver or cut glass to present to the hostess. This year we bought a silver cold meat fork." Just the right serving piece for this ham. Ham is usually best served at room temperature, and this one is no exception. A cured or smoked ham like the kind used in this recipe can befound in, several different cuts, all with the bone in: the butt end, the shank end, or the "Picnic" shoulder. The latter is the least expenaive cut, and the fattiest, but also the tastiest. It makes super leftovers, too.

1. Remove the rind and all but a thin layer of fat from the ham. Place the ham in a large baking dish or bowl. Cover with the apple cider and add 1 cup of the rum. Let stand at room temperature overnight.

2. Preheat an oven to 300°F. Remove the ham from the cider mixture. Reserve the cider mixture. Make diagonal cuts through the fat on the top of the ham to form a 1 1/2-inch grid. Stud a whole clove in the middle of each diamond. Place the ham on a wire rack fitted into a roasting pan. Add the marinade to the pan until it reaches the rack, but not the ham. Bake for 1 1/2, hours, basting every 20 minutes. Add more cider to the pan as needed.

3. Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Combine the honey, brown sugar, and remaining 1 cup rum in a bowl. Whisk together to thoroughly combine. Spoon all of the glaze onto the ham, completely covering the surface and grid crevasses. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let stand for at least 15 minutes or up to 45 minutes before carving and serving.