Making the juciest bone-in, whole holiday ham is easier than you think. It all starts with the ham itself. I'll admit, I am a bit a ham snob. It has to be quality and it HAS to be bone-in. Now, almost five years ago, I wrote about a making a Baked Ham with Rum and Coke Glaze. It is an amazing recipe using a smaller ham, but still bone-in. Please tell me you have stopped buying the pre-sliced spiral ham. If you haven't, call me and I'll talk you off the ledge, or I'll talk to your family member who's still doing it.
Anyway, I have to admit I am so, so lucky to have one of the most quality places to buy meat. This particular bone-in, whole ham is from Carlton Farms, my local go-to place for all things meat. To all of my local friends, these hams are the best I have ever tasted. No exaggeration. And no one is paying me say that. My mom, who has been cooking hams for YEARS visits and can't believe how lovely these turn out. A good ham requires little intervention.
My point is, you have to start with an excellent ham, to get the best and juiciest flavor. And don't be afraid of the carving, it's not hard. This particular ham weighed in at 19.5 pounds. It would, without a doubt, feed 20-25 people, or better yet, a smaller crowd with lots of leftovers.
Remember, the ham is already cooked, so basically you are warming it up. It does take a while and I recommend doing it slowly. This ham was in the oven for about five-and-half-hours at 300 degrees F.
The whole ham comes in a sort-of cheesecloth bag, remove it and place the ham on your roasting rack, fat side up. The pan should be shallow and free of any water on the bottom. In other words, It should be completely dry.
How to Make and Carve the Juiciest Bone-In, Whole Holiday Ham
Recipe Created by Noble Pig | Serves: Feeds 20-25 people
Ingredients:
1 (18-20 lb) bone-in, whole ham
For the Glaze:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 2 Tablespoons crushed pineapple, drained
For the Garnish:
Pineapple chunks or rings and marachino cherries, optional
Directions:
For the glaze, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside until ready to use. You could wait to do this until the ham has been cooking a few hours.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Remove any coverings or wrappings from the ham itself. Place the ham on your roasting rack, fat side up. The pan should be shallow and free of any water on the bottom. In other words, It should be completely dry.
You'll want to score the ham before baking. Scoring not only looks beautiful but allows any fat to render from the ham and lets the glaze seep in. Score the ham's fat in diamonds, going only a 1/4" deep with a knife. I use a strip of heavy paper, 12 x 2 inches, as a guide to cut perfectly parallel lines.
Insert meat thermometer deep into the ham and bake until internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F. Remove ham from the oven and brush with glaze, making sure to get into the all of the crevices made by scoring. Add pineapple chunks and cherries at this time if desired, securing with toothpicks. Place ham back into the oven until internal temperature reaches 150 degrees. Remove from oven and let ham rest 15-20 minutes before carving.
Remove the ham from the roasting rack and place it on a sturdy cutting board. A towel underneath the cutting board will help it not to slide across the counter. You will need a very sharp knife. I prefer a 9" carver for this type of job and a carving fork. First, trim a couple of slices from the ham parallel to its length. This will allow the ham to rest flatly on it's side while carving the rest of the meat.
Now that your ham is resting on the flat side you created, use your carving fork to hold the ham firmly in place. Start at the shank end and cut slices downward until you hit the bone. You can make the slices as thick or thin as you like.
To release the slices you already cut, use your knife and cut parallel along the bone. Continue this around the ham until you have the amount of slices you prefer.
Cathy owns a vineyard and winery in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She is a food writer for Davis Life Magazine and blogs daily about wine, food and everyday living. She lives with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at noblepig.com.