Creative Cooks

Balsamic and Dijon Glazed Ham

1 8-10 lb ham shank, fully cooked
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Remove the ham from the refrigerator 1-2 hours before it needs to go into the oven. This will allow the meat to come a bit closer to room temperature before it goes into the oven.

Place the ham on a large cutting board and score the ham with cuts, 1/2" deep in a diamond pattern. If that sounds confusing, look down at the ham and start in a straight line from one end to the other making a 1/2" deep cut all the way across and over the top of the ham. Then repeat this cut, about an inch apart, slicing the ham from one side to the other. Then turn the ham 180 degrees and repeat, straight cuts, all the way across the ham. It should resemble a checkerboard when you are finished. This process allows the glaze to penetrate deeper into the ham. It is well-worth the effort and it only takes a few minutes.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a large roasting pan or a heavy rimmed baking sheet with foil and place the ham cut side down in the pan. Roast 45-50 minutes. While the ham begins roasting, combine the sugar, vinegar and mustard in a small cup or bowl. Set aside next to the stove.

Remove the ham from the oven and baste generously with the glaze, using about 1/4 of the glaze. Continue to roast the ham until it is deep brown and glazed, brushing the ham with more glaze every 10 minutes or so.

Roast an 8 lb ham for 50 minutes, then baste it, 10 minutes more, baste again, 10 minutes more, baste it generously with all remaining glaze one last time and finished roasting it for 5 more minutes. An average of 10 minutes cooking time per lb of ham should be just right.

Transfer the ham to a large platter and let rest 10-15 minutes prior to slicing.

Heavenly Citrus Ham
Prep: 15 min. Bake: 1 hour 50 min. + standing Yield: 9 Servings

Ingredients
1 fully cooked bone-in ham (6 to 8 pounds)
Whole cloves
1-¼ cups orange soda
1-¼ cups orange marmalade
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup Dijon mustard

Directions
Place ham on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Score the surface of the ham, making diamond shapes ½ in. deep; insert a clove in the center of each diamond. Loosely cover ham with foil. Bake at 325° for 1-½ hours.
In a small saucepan, combine the soda, marmalade and brown sugar. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Stir in mustard.
Brush ham with some of the glaze; bake 20-30 minutes longer or until a thermometer reads 140°, basting occasionally with remaining glaze. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.
Slice and cube 2 cups ham; save for Ham & Noodle Bake (recipe also in Recipe Finder). Slice and serve remaining ham. Yield: 9 servings plus leftovers.

Nutritional Facts
4 ounces cooked ham equals 345 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 106 mg cholesterol, 1,422 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 36 g protein.

Chipotle Pineapple Jerk Glazed Ham.
Yields: 6-8 Depending On the Size of Your Ham preparation time: 15 MINUTES cook time: 2 HOURS total time: 2 HOURS 15 MINUTES

Ingredients

1 ready-to-eat, cooked ham, bone-in, shank end or butt end, about 9-11 pounds
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2-3 teaspoons cayenne
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ground thyme
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon all-spice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ a small pineapple chopped or one (14 ounce) can
Glaze
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup bourbon or rum (optional)
1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo, finely chopped
¾ cup pineapple juice
Instructions

Remove the ham from the refrigerator (still wrapped) a couple of hours (depending on your house temp) before you intend to cook it so that it can get closer to room temperature. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham in a roasting pan. In a small bowl combine all the dry ingredients for the spice mixture. Rub the spice rub all over the ham, depending on the size of your ham you may or may not need to use all of the spice mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 ½ hours. While the ham is cooking, in a medium sauce pan, combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, bourbon or rum, chipotle chiles and pineapple juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture has come to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until reduced by about half. Remove from the heat and set aside until the ham is done. After the ham has been baking for 1 ½ hours, remove from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees Brush the baked ham with the glaze (you might not use all the glaze), then place the chopped pineapple in the bottom of the dish around the ham. If desired, you may also use toothpicks to secure the pineapple onto the ham. Return the ham to the oven and bake uncovered until heated through and caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove and let sit 5 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining glaze.