Glazed Baked Ham

Ingredients

0 of 6 out on the counter

• 4 lb fully cooked, bone-in, spiral-sliced shank-half ham with natural juices
• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground mustard seed
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ½ cup water, for the pan

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Check the label: this recipe is for a ham marked fully cooked, bone-in, shank half. Pick the one labelled with natural juices, not water added, and compare labels: sodium runs from about 800 to over 1,100 mg per 100 g between brands. Take it out of the fridge 1 hour before baking. Heat the oven to 325 °F with a rack in the lower third.
2. 2Stir the brown sugar, ground mustard, vinegar and cloves in a small pot. Simmer 2 minutes, until the sugar melts and it looks like loose syrup. Take it off the heat.
3. 3Line a roasting pan with foil. Put the ham in cut side down and pour the water into the pan. Brush a third of the glaze over the top and between the slices.
4. 4Cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake about 15 minutes a pound for a 4 lb half ham, which is about 1 hour, until a thermometer in the thickest part, away from the bone, reads 120 °F.
5. 5Raise the oven to 400 °F. Take off the foil, brush on half the remaining glaze, and bake 10 minutes. Brush on the last of it and bake 10 minutes more, until the glaze is shiny and brown and the thickest part reads 140 °F.
6. 6The safe number: a fully cooked ham only needs reheating, to 140 °F. If your ham says cook before eating, bake it to 145 °F instead and rest it 3 minutes before slicing.
7. 7Rest the ham 15 minutes. Cut away the rind, the outer fat and the bone; none of that is eaten. Slice the lean thin and weigh out 12 portions of about 2¾ oz (78 g) each, 3 to 4 slices. The slices left over are not part of these servings. The pan juices are not served: they carry the cure, and the 642 mg a serving counts the meat only.
8. 8Cool leftovers and refrigerate within 2 hours. To freeze, pack slices in portions, dated. Reheat leftovers to 165 °F.