“You can’t reduce passion and flair and eating ham to numbers, sir!” ~ Gideon Defoe
Indeed! There is just something about a beautiful baked ham to ignite passion! There it sits so full of itself, refusing garnishes and attempts to civilize it. No, the ham beckons without shame for you to give up your respectability and good sense. The ham wants to be eaten and eaten with abandon. Slice or tear as you wish; it is to be devoured.
And that we did. And we licked out fingers, and we let out moans. No sir, no ma’am, ham will not be civilized. It laughs at your breeding and fine education. We had felt so sophisticated as we sat to dine, yet the carcass mocked us in the end, and reveled in what is primal within us all.
I really should have gotten a shot of the remains.
*Recipe from The Joy of Cooking
Brown Sugar Glazed Baked Ham
Ingredients
- 8 lbs fully cooked ham (you can use fully cooked, partially cooked or raw ham, just bake according to package directions)
- For the brown sugar glaze:
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tsp dried mustard
- 2 tbsp orange juice or enough to make a thick spreadable paste
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Bake the ham according to package directions.
- Forty-five minutes before the ham is done pull out of oven and score a diamond shape pattern into the fat portion of the ham cutting through the skin and cover with the brown sugar glaze.
- Return to the oven and finish baking until done with an internal temperature of 140°.
- When done, remove the ham from the oven and tent with aluminum foil for 10 to 15 minutes, then carve.
- Enjoy!
I love food! I read cookbooks like they were novels. I get giddy in a farmer’s market. I find a chicken in a pot surrounded by carrots, onion, and celery a thing of beauty. My favorite sound is Mmmmmmmm!
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