Not Your Mother's Cookbooks

Whether you are serving the glamorous or casual at home or taking it to a friend’s, a whole or half ham is a delight on the buffet table. Even people who never eat ham will indulge at a party. It is “special” and the hunk looks very impressive sitting on a platter or carving board in all its glistening glory. Make the accompanying Garnet Cumberland Sauce up to a week ahead; it keeps nicely in the refrigerator.

What makes a ham special? There is a moist glaze that will be brushed on; be sure to get a brush from a cookware shop (do not use a brush designed for house painting please). You will be brushing on the glaze two to three times, so it will set and build up.  The sweetness of the glaze is counterpoint to the savory saltiness. You can substitute apricot or a chunky pineapple jam if you like, but I like the orange the best. The ham is best cooked slowly, 12 to 14 minutes per pound; otherwise you will have a dried out ham.

And then the big question–what type of ham to buy. There are canned hams (formed from bits and pieces melded together with gelatin), mail-order country hams, picnic hams, aged hams, partially cooked hams, bone-in, and boneless; each has its own texture and flavor. First, unless you are familiar with expensive aged regional hams, such as a Smithfield, don’t bother. A smoked, bone-in ham from the supermarket (it can be pre-packaged and water added is okay), specialty meat shop, or warehouse clubs are excellent as well as more economical. All hams I see are labeled “fully cooked.” I prefer a half ham, bone-in shank portion or a boneless spiral-sliced. If using a 15-pound bone-in whole ham (for a party of 40 to 50), double the glazing ingredients and cook for double the time, or make two half hams.

Rarely are there leftovers, but if there are, you might want to cast lots as to whom will take home the bone for split pea or a bean soup.

Have the bowl of sauce and the jars of mustard on the side; guests can choose what they are in the mood for, a dab of mustard or some pooled Garnet Cumberland Sauce around it. Serve with fresh sliced light or dark rye bread, potato rolls, or biscuits. Good alongside scalloped potatoes and a choice of salads (including coleslaw).

new years eve

Serves 16 to 20

Overview

Preparation Timeline: Can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated overnight
Serving Equipment: Large platter or decorative carving board with meat fork and ong knife; deep bowl with ladle or pitcher for sauce, serving spoons for mustards
Onsite/Reheat: Optional
Onsite/Refrigeration: No
Serving Temperature: Warm or room temperature

Ingredients

• 1 7- to 9-pound bone-in smoked ham or fully cooked boneless ham

• 2 bay leaves

Orange Honey Mustard Glaze

• 3/4 cup orange marmalade

• 3/4 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 tablespoon whole cloves (optional)

• Garnet Cumberland Sauce (recipe follows)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300º. Set the oven rack on the lowest position.  Cut off netting, if you have it and rinse under running cold water. Cut off and discard the tough outer skin and excess fat from the ham, leaving a 1/4-inch thick layer. Put it in a large roasting pan, about 4 inches deep, and, with a boning knife or sharp chef’s knife on the fatty side, make long parallel cuts 1/4-inch deep and up to 1-inch apart all over the ham, then give it a quarter turn and repeat, making crosshatch incisions all over the ham; it will make a diamond effect. You want the pattern on the side that will be facing up on the platter. Lay the bay leaves on top.

Place in the oven and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour. For the glaze, stir together the marmalade, Dijon, and brown sugar in a bowl with a fork or whisk.

Remove the ham from the oven and increase the heat to 350º. Stud the ham with the cloves, inserting one at the intersection of each crosshatch or as many as you like; this makes the ham look beautifully festive, but you can skip this if you are not the decorating type. With a wide pastry brush, brush the entire surface of the ham generously with about half the glaze all over the visible surface and return to the oven.

Cook the ham for another 45 to 60 minutes, brushing with the glaze 1 to 2 more times (about every 20 minutes). The internal temperature will be 120º at the thickest part of the ham without touching the bone.  Remove from the oven, tent with foil, and let rest at least 30 minutes; serve within 2 hours of roasting. If making in the morning or day before, remove from the roasting pan, wrap the ham in foil, then chill the ham until serving.

Transportation Notes: No special precautions as long as tightly wrapped in foil. I transport in a large paper or canvas shopping bag with handles. Carry the sauce in a covered container or screw-top jar, and bring along one or two jars of mustard.

Onsite/Preparation: Heat the sauce in a saucepan or microwave. For the ham, leave wrapped in the foil, place directly on the oven rack, and reheat in a 300º oven for about 30 minutes, or unwrap and transfer cold to a cutting board or platter with a meat fork; I place the ham au naturale on the cutting board but use a bed of curly kale or watercress for a platter to keep it from slipping. Serve warm or at room temperature. An elegant touch is to wrap a clean white napkin around the end to conceal the shank bone. Carve into thin slices at the table (pre-cut spiral cut hams are really the easiest to serve a large crowd). Arrange 2 to 3 slices per person.

Recipe

Garnet Cumberland Sauce

too much to drink for Kate in The Philadelphia Story