Recipe Background
This is more than a ham. It's more even than a traditional Christmas ham. This is Grandma's Favorite Holiday Ham. It's special! It's succulent, juicy, rosy pink, and slathered in a tangy and sweet glaze that's caramelized right onto the meat. Mmm... it takes a little time and patience to make Grandma's Favorite Holiday Ham, but much like a trip to Grandma's house, it is absolutely worth the effort!
This is more than a ham. It's more even than a traditional Christmas ham. This is Grandma's Favorite Holiday Ham. It's special! It's succulent, juicy, rosy pink, and slathered in a tangy and sweet glaze that's caramelized right onto the meat. Mmm... it takes a little time and patience to make Grandma's Favorite Holiday Ham, but much like a trip to Grandma's house, it is absolutely worth the effort!
Ingredients
- 1 (18-pound) whole Virginia honey ham bone-in
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 cup water plus more, to taste
Directions
- Position a oven rack to the lower third position in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Line a roasting pan with a rack.
- Wrap the ham in parchment-paper-lined alumninum foil.
- Transfer the wrapped ham to the prepared roasting pan, with the thicker rind-side facing up.
- Roast the ham on the lower third oven rack for 2 hours 30 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, add the honey, the Dijon mustard, the brown sugar, and the cloves and whisk to combine. Set the glaze aside.
- Carefully unwrap the ham and allow it to cool slightly until it can be safely handled.
- Using a thin-bladed knife, carefully peel the rind from the ham and trim the fat all over to a 1/2 inch thickness.
- With the tip of the knife, score the surface of the ham, creating a diamond pattern about 3/4-inch-wide.
- Roast the ham again, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Continue to roast the ham, while basting it with the reserved glaze mixture every 30 minutes, until it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F at the thickest part, about 2 hours. To prevent scorching, add 1/4 cup of the water to the pan. If the water evaporates quickly during cooking, add the extra water, 1/4 cup at a time, if needed. Make sure to tent the ham with foil if it starts to darken too quickly.
- Allow the ham to rest for 20 minutes.
- Thinly slice the ham and serve.
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