Cider Baked Ham
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What is it about sweet and salty? They go so well together, and this ham dish is a prime example. I originally got this recipe from America’s Test Kitchens, but have made a few changes. This recipe takes some time, but it is sooo worth it. Apple cider brings a little more flavor, but apple juice will work just fine.
Cider Baked Ham
Category
Holiday Recipes
Southern Cooking
Prep Time
45 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Total Time
3 hours, 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 Cured Bone in Ham, 7-10#
- 1 gallon of apple cider or apple juice
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp whole cloves
- 8 cups of ice cubes
- 1 oven bag
- 2 Tbsp of brown mustard
- 2 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
Instructions
- Toast the cinnamon and the cloves in the bottom of a sauce pan until they are fragrant. Add 4 cups of the apple cider or juice and bring to a boil. Pour this cider mix into a large bucket or stock pot, and then add to this 4 more cups of cider, 1 cup of brown sugar and the ice cubes; mix and allow to melt and cool.
- Score the ham in one inch squares. This is both for looks, and also to better catch the glaze. Place the ham into the cider mixture (the ham should be covered or nearly so) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 12 hours.
- After the soak, discard that cider mix and place the ham into an oven bag and then into a roasting pan. Add 1 cup of cider to the bag and close it up. Put four slits into the top of the bag. Let stand for 1-2 hours to come to room temp.
- Put the oven rack to it’s lowest position and preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 100-120 degrees F (1.5 to 2.5 hours).
- While the ham is baking you can make the glaze. Mix 4 cups of cider, 2 Tbsp of brown mustard, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp of cracked pepper into a sauce pan. Bring this to a boil and then simmer, stirring often, until this reduces to 1 cup (about 1 hour).
- When the ham is heated through and the glaze is reduced, remove the ham from the oven and turn the oven to broil. Cut down the bag to fully expose the top of the ham. Brush or spoon half of the glaze onto the top of the ham.
- Put the ham in the oven to broil, about 5 minutes. Brush or spoon the remaining glaze on top of the ham and return to the oven for about 5 minutes. Do not let the glaze burn.
- Remove the ham from the oven and place on a cutting board or platter. Tent loosely with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. While the ham rests, you can make gravy from the juice in the roaster pan – a simple way to make gravy is to add 1 can of cream of chicken soup to the juice, whisking it through over a medium flame.
- Carve and serve! We like to cube the leftover ham, mix with some of the gravy and keep to serve over potatoes, noodles or rice.