Holiday Ham

I love the holidays. All holidays, but Christmas is the shining star on top of the holiday tree. The big three (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter) all have one thing in common.

My dad's ham.

I already gave you a mom recipe, and now it's time for a dad recipe. Alright it's not really a recipe, per say, but it is the best, and ONLY, way to make a ham. I'm sure of it.

My dad has to make two hams to meet the demand of the family. And the demand is large. My dad has 15 siblings, and my mom has 8, so the holidays invariably mean a whole lot of family mingling and eating. And this ham is at the center. Even at thanksgiving, when there is a turkey to contend with.

So here it is. The magical, secret, amazing recipe that will make you a popular guest and you will be asked to make it again. So, I guess before you make this ham, think long and hard if you are prepared to make this ham for the rest of your life.

 Here's dad, mixing up the most important part of this ham: the glaze.

Scoring the ham for maximum glaze capacity

 Also-please throw alway that nasty glaze packet that came with your ham. Don't even look at it.

 Pour it on!

 Baste it up! Basting is another key step.

 This ham is literally covered in hammy caramel.

RECIPE:
A ham: you need enough ham to feed your crowd. So whatever ham you choose, just make sure it is spiral cut, bone-in. Smoked or not smoked, it is your choice, but a smoked ham goes really well with the sweet glaze. Less peaked on the top (the one pictured is not ideal!) the better, because the glaze stays on the top better.
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 TbsYellow Mustard (to taste)
2 Tbs flour (this is important, don't forget the flour)
A bit of water (a couple table spoons to start. you want the glaze to be pourable, but not runny)
1 tsp cinnamon (or, however much you'd like. This is all to taste!)

Preheat oven to 325. Spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray. Score ham with a sharp knife before glazing. Wisk all glaze ingredients together and pour over ham, spooning over to cover entire ham. Pop it in the oven. The rule with ham is 10 minutes per pound. You should be purchasing a fully-cooked ham, so you just need to get it hot. 

Baste the ham about every 15-20 minutes. This will ensure your ham will have a nice, caramelized glaze and will keep the ham from drying out. 

Essentially, this is it. Take your ham out when it's done, and carve it up. I can't give you tips on this...I leave this job to the people more comfortable wielding very sharp carving knives.
Save the excess glaze at the top of the ham. After carving, pour a little bit of the sauce over the ham, and pour the rest in a small serving bowl for the table or buffet. We lovingly call the excess "ham sauce."

Please enjoy!