Crisp Holiday Ham
Well the holiday season is finally here, along with all the food. And this is how I make our holiday ham.
I know what your thinking. “It’s burnt, not crisp! Way past burnt.” That’s what I said as well when I first saw how Mama ruby ( my mother-in-law) made the holiday ham. I was very young and I did not really know how to cook. I did know how to dance, I was a really good dancer at parties, I do remember that.
When I first got married almost 19 years ago, I was fascinated with Ruby’s cooking. Her techniques are very old school and its done by eyeballing it. She don’t do recipes. She just tastes until its good. Sunday dinner at her house was at 2 pm sharp and if you weren’t there, you were in trouble. When my husband’s brother and his family comes to town, they call ahead and say ” I’m coming in town tomorrow. I will be there around 3 pm. I want fried chicken and mom the kids want poofé.” ( almost like beignets.) It was announced to everyone in the family That charlie was coming in town and “I’m cooking so be here at three.”
I must admit I was never happy getting the whole family together. It was nothing but fake friendliness, jealousy, and sarcasm left and right. Everyone felt uncomfortable except for Ruby and Butch. ( my father-in-law) But one thing was for sure. The food was unreal. Fantastic. It was like her food was laced with happy serum. Everybody liked each other for a few minutes. It was strange. So she has passed a lot of her cooking ways down to me and I will never go back. After I tried her holiday ham the first time, I was a true believer in crispy, sweet ham.
This ham may seem burnt to others, but to my family, this is the only way it is fit to call it holiday ham. If I cook it any less, they call it lunchmeat. I’m sure that the sugars have something to do with it, or the fact that I cook it for two hours.
Either way, it’s awesome. So if you decide to give this a try, please let me know what you think.
8 pound half ham shank
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup pineapple juice
Sliced pineapples
Maraschino cherries
I begin by scoring the outside skin of the ham in a diamond pattern.
I then mix the sugar, syrup, and pineapple juice in a bowl until glaze is combined.
I then brush on the glaze with a pastry brush, making sure to get it all over the ham and I give it two coats.
Place ham in oven that is set at 350 degrees for two hours.
After the first hour, I take out the ham and baste it again with the glaze, then I place pineapple slices and cherries on the ham, securing them with toothpicks.
Place ham back in oven for remaining hour. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
I will be making a few more leftover meals using this ham. First up: Ham and string bean stew. Then ham bone and butterbean soup. So stay tuned, I will keep you posted!
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