While it may be traditional to eat turkey on Thanksgiving, it’s more important to choose a meal your family truly enjoys. If you and your clan are looking for something a little different this year, preparing a delicious honey-glazed ham is an excellent option. Hams are easy to prepare, fill your home with a mouth-watering aroma, serve as a delicious main course, and then make up tasty leftovers–either hot or cold.
What size ham will you need for your feast?
Well, the good news is that if you buy an excessively large ham, it’s not going to go to waste. There are so many ideas for ham leftovers that you’ll be eating well for days to come! However, most people recommend that you plan on about ¾ pound of ham per dinner guest for a standard bone-in ham. If you want leftovers, up the
amount to one pound per person.
How long will it take to cook the honey-glazed ham?
Assuming you’re cooking your ham in an oven at 350° F, an uncooked ham will need to cook for about 20 minutes per pound of meat.
What should you do with the rind?
Some people prefer to remove the rind before cooking the ham, but the rind will help to hold the juices inside the meat. For that reason, we find it best to keep the rind on the ham for the first part of cooking and then remove it midway through.
Ingredients:
- This recipe is geared towards an 8 to 10 pound TBS uncooked bone-in ham. You can adjust the cooking time for a smaller ham.
- ½ cup pineapple juice
- 1 cup honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup whole cloves
Honey-Glazed Ham Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Rinse the ham under cool water and pat dry. Line a roasting pan with foil. Place the ham on a rack within the roasting pan with the rind side up. Pour the pineapple juice over the ham and into the roasting pan.
- Bake the ham for two hours.
- Prepare the glaze while the ham is baking. Begin by melting the butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add in the honey and the brown sugar. Stir until the brown sugar has completely dissolved. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the glaze begins to thicken. Remove from the burner and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Take the ham out of the oven and allow it to cool slightly. When it’s cool enough that you can handle it safely, cut off the hard rind with a sharp knife. Trim away most of the fat, leaving about a ¼ inch thick layer of fat covering the meat.
- Score the top of the ham with ¼ to ½ inch cuts into the meat. Make a few lengthwise cuts and several crosscuts so that you’re left with 1 to 2-inch squares or diamonds. Place a whole clove into the intersections of the cuts.
- Use a brush to coat the ham with the glaze, making sure that it gets into the scored lines.
- Place the ham back into the oven and set the timer for the remaining amount of time. (Pounds times 20 minutes, minus the two hours that it has already cooked.) A fully cooked bone-in ham should register at 160° F on a meat thermometer.
- After every 20 minutes, baste the ham again with the glaze. Do not use the drippings in the pan to coat your ham! The drippings will water down the glaze and strip it from the ham.
- Place your ham on a carving board and allow it to rest for at least 30 minutes before carving it.
It’s time to Pre-Order Your Thanksgiving Fixings!
Take all the hassle out of Thanksgiving meal preparation by pre-ordering your choice of meats at The Butcher Shop. Simply give us a call at 541-830-3369 on Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 6 PM. The only problem is that your guests will enjoy the meats from TBS so much that you might not get them out of your home until all the leftovers are gone.