Friday, April 12, 2013

Food Friday - Maple Glazed Ham

Maple Glazed Ham 
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

I knew I wanted to make a ham for Easter so I went searching for a different recipe.  I've made it in the crock pot before but was 100% happy with how it turned out.  This recipe was sooooo good.  I did make some changes to it which I'll share at the end of this post. 


Note: this recipe calls for a large oven bag.
Ingredients
  • 1 (7- to 10-pound) spiral, sliced ham
  • 1 (12-ounce) jar apple jelly
  • 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1 cinnamon stick, broken into rough pieces
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Directions
  1. Remove ham from the original packaging and throw away the glaze packet and the plastic disk that covers the bone. Place the ham in the large oven bag and tie closed. Cut four slits (about 2 inches each) in the top of the bag. Transfer the bagged ham to a roasting pan and let it sit at room temperature for about 1 1/2 hours.
  2. Heat the oven to 300 degrees and bake the ham for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours (until the internal temperature of the ham is about 110 degrees). About an hour into baking, start making the glaze by combining the jelly, 1/2 cup brown sugar, maple syrup, whole-grain mustard, cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce the heat to low, simmering, until the mixture is very thick and syrupy, about 45 minutes. Stir often while it simmers (it should reduce to about 1/3 cup). Off the heat, whisk in the butter.
  3. Combine the remaining brown sugar and dry mustard together in a small bowl. Remove the ham from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. While it rests, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Carefully cut open the oven bag and let it fall to the bottom of the ham so the entire ham is exposed. Using a pastry brush, paint the glaze onto the top and sides of the ham. Carefully press the sugar mixture onto the outside of the ham with your hands. Return the ham to the oven and bake until it is dark brown and caramelized, 14-16 minutes.
  4. Let the ham sit for 15 minutes before carving.

So, here is what I did differently: 
1) I did not read that I should put it in the oven bag and let it sit for a few hours so I just pulled it out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter in it's packaging.  

2) I could not find Apple Jelly so I just used some of my homemade peach syrup and it worked fine.  I think you could chose any sweet Jelly/Jam and it would work. 

3) I did not want to buy whole-grain mustard so I just used dijon that I had on hand. 

4) Again, I did not want to buy cinnamon sticks so I just added about 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the mixture. 

5)  Finally - that 2 tablespoons of butter?  I have no idea why it is listed and can't find it anywhere in the instructions, can you?? 

It really was supper yummy and I will use this recipe again!