Ham is a holiday favorite, but is an excellent meal year-round. This recipe will create a tender meat with a mouth-watering flavor, which can be eaten fresh from the oven or later in cold sandwiches. The best part is how many ways there are to make a ham just a little different, so that having ham for dinner is never boring. At the end of the recipe, look for suggested variations to the main recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 – 10 pound (or 2 – 5 pound) good quality ham(s), preferably boneless
- 1 – 12 oz jar of clover honey
- 2 medium apples
Utensils
- Large baking pan, 1-2 inches deep
- Aluminum foil
- Carving knife
- (Optional) Bamboo skewers or an apple coring tool (recommended)
Preheat the oven to 400° F (This temperature will be reduced a bit once you start baking, but this high initial temperature will help seal the coating over the ham and also lock in the moisture and flavor). Place the baking pan on a sturdy, level work surface, such as the countertop. In other words – do not place it on the stove top! Cut a small hole in the bottom of the ham’s plastic wrapping, over the baking pan, and allow the juices to drain into the pan, to conserve them for use during baking. Remove the ham from the plastic wrapping and place it into the pan.
Using the skewers, or just your knife, cut deep slits into the ham, at least halfway into the meat. If using the coring tool, cut as deep as the tool allows and remove the “core” of ham*. Place these “cores” directly into the bottom of the baking pan. Using the knife, score the “skin” of the ham all over, as well, making shallow cuts over the entire piece of meat. Open the jar of clover honey** and pour it directly over the ham, paying special attention to the holes you have just created. Make sure the honey gets into the deep cuts, using your knife or skewer to “spread” the openings as you pour the honey, so that it will go inside the holes. If you used the coring tool, completely fill each of the core holes with honey. Use at least half the contents of the honey jar on the ham, but reserve at least one quarter of the bottle for later.
Cut each apple in half and place, cut side up, into the bottom of the baking pan. Apply any of the optional variation ingredients to the ham now. Place the pan into the oven and set a timer for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the ham carefully. Take your foil and create a tent over the ham by pulling off 2 pieces large enough to cover the top of the pan and crimping one side of each to opposite edges of the pan and then rolling the remaining edges together in the middle of the pan, over the ham. Return the ham to the oven and reduce the temperature to 325° F.
Bake for 2 hours, then pull the oven rack out enough to reach the ham easily. Open the foil on one side and uncover the ham enough to pour the other half jar of honey over the top. Reseal and place back into the oven for another 2 hours. Turn off the heat, but allow the ham to rest for 15 minutes, with the oven door open, before removing the pan to the counter. Slice and serve.
*These ham “cores” can be used as “tasters” for the cook or just used as decorative accents when serving. They will also work well for cutting up into smaller bits to use in salads or similar dishes.
** If necessary, the honey can be thinned with some warm water to make it easier to pour. This is particularly a good idea if you used bamboo skewers to make the holes.
Optional Additions
Use one or more of these extras to subtly change the flavor of the meat and give it a fresh twist if you plan to cook ham often. These can also be used when reheating the ham, as a really excellent way to spice up leftovers.
Whole cloves can stuck into the skin of the ham before baking and ground cinnamon can be sprinkled over the entire piece of meat. Cinnamon sticks can be inserted into the knife cuts. For a really interesting variation of this, replace half the honey with warm water and add 1 or 2 Tablespoons of spicy cinnamon candies.
Pineapple rings can be placed all over the top of the meat, and crushed pineapple can be used along with the honey. Unless you use unsweetened pineapple rings, you may want to reduce the amount of honey.
Once the honey has been applied, the ham can be rolled in crushed pecans, walnuts or peanuts and a small amount (1 T) of salt. The nuts can also be sprinkled over the ham, instead of rolling. Pineapple goes well with the nuts, too.
For a spicier meat, crushed red pepper flakes, coarsely ground black pepper or cayenne pepper may be mixed with the honey. Jalapeño slices also may be inserted into the knife cuts. These spices pair particularly well with the pineapple addition.
In addition to the apple and pineapple, other fruits that add a nice complement to the ham include pears and plums, both of which can be sliced and placed in the bottom of the pan like the apples, and also oranges or other citrus fruits, which can be sliced and laid over like the pineapple or simply squeezed over the ham before the addition of the honey.
Optional Honey Substitutions
There is an advantage to these thinner substitutions, since these should absorb a bit more easily into the meat. However, the flavor will likely not be as intense as the honey, so more of the alternate seasoning may be required than is needed of honey.
In place of the clover honey, a mixture of 1 1/2 C brown sugar and 3/4 C water plus a dash of salt, boiled for 3 minutes, may be used.
Maple syrup can also be substituted. However, it can be much sweeter than honey and 1 cup of the syrup should be diluted with 1/4 C of warm water.
Cola is also sometimes used, though this will work better if the soda is boiled for a few minutes first, to reduce it back to a more syrupy consistency, so that the resulting meat is moist, but not soggy and the flavor is more concentrated. Start with about a cup and a half of liquid before boiling. A reduced lemon-lime soda would be a nice accompaniment to replace the honey when oranges or other citrus fruits are being used, but otherwise a caramel colored cola is generally the best choice.