Favorite Ham Story, And The Recipe

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This is the best recipe ever to cook the perfect ham for Easter. It was by luck that I stumbled on this compelling story about feeding a sophisticated crowd via a cheap ham, called the “Ham Gambit.”  Most likely, the use of the word CHEAP got my attention because there are few people who are cheaper than me when it comes to entertaining.

But I tweak his glaze recipe, just a tad.  Monte’s Ham temperatures and cooking times are fine. But I prefer spiral cut because carving is not fun (cheap this time of year at Smart & Final, the Farmer John brand, toss the packet of glaze out).  This is how I make a 7-1/2 lb. ham to serve 17 for Easter ($9.55).  Big or small ham, this works great.

One problem I ALWAYS have is the “resting” part. Letting it sit is important for juiciness, but unfortunately, my family is programmed that when a big hunk of hot meat comes out of the oven, buffet now!  Step away… let it sit… quite juicy.

Best Ham

• 7 lb. spiral cut ham
• 1 cup apricot jam
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Heat the oven to 300 degrees F, place the ham bone end up and roast for 2 hours.  Increase oven heat to 350 degrees F.  In a small bowl, stir together jam, mustard and brown sugar and glaze the ham.  Cook additional 1 1/2 hours, brushing with the glaze three times.

Tagged as: crowd, dinner, easter, entertain, frugal, ham, savory