Good Ol' Ham

Ham is one of my favorite meats but I only eat it a few times a year. Maybe it’s because it seems ‘too special’ to me to just eat any old time. I need to work on changing that because not only is it good as a main course but what’s left over can be used in thousands of other dishes.

This ham recipe is another one courtesy of Surfie at Synaptic Interlude and boy does it sound good! She says you can add a cup of dark brewed coffee to the pan juices to add to the gravy if you desire and let me tell you: you should desire.

If you remove the ham to a warm platter first, turn the heat on under the pan the ham baked in, then add the coffee while stirring up the brown bits you’ve got yourself some red eye gravy. Good stuff, that.

Thanks again, Surfie.

Large Ham Recipe

1 (8-10 pound) fully cooked bone-in ham
As many cloves as you need.
1 (16 ounce) package of brown sugar
1 cup spicy brown mustard
1 cup apple cider
1/2-3/4 cups bourbon (the rest is for you..:)

Trim fat were needed. Make shallow cuts in a diamond pattern. Place cloves in the center of each diamond and where every one sees “fit” to make it “pretty.” I usually do this the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight, covered, in one of the “throw away” foil baking pans with a cookie sheet underneath.

Mix the next four ingredients and pour over the ham in the morning/afternoon.

Bake on the lowest oven rack at 350 for about two hours or until thermometer reaches 145 degrees. Baste with the pan juices every 20 minutes or so with a brush or baster.

Remove from oven and let cool.

One can also add a cup of dark brewed coffee to the pan juices to add to the “gravy,” if one so desires.