Cider-Baked Ham
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS Ham glazed with sweet apple cider certainly sounds great, but most recipes lack serious
apple flavor, not to mention they call for frequent basting. For a relatively hands-off
ham that was infused with lots of apple flavor, we marinated the ham in apple cider
spiked with warm spices. Baking the ham in an oven bag guarded against dried-out meat.
And to give our ham a crusty, spicy-sweet exterior, we rolled back the bag once the
ham was heated through, slathered on reduced apple cider, pressed a mixture of brown
sugar and black pepper all over, and slid it back into the oven until caramelized.
See the sidebar that follows the recipe.
SERVES 16 TO 20
We prefer a bone-in, uncut, cured ham for this recipe, because the exterior layer of fat can be scored and helps create a nice crust. A spiral-sliced ham can be used instead, but there won’t be much exterior fat, so skip the trimming and scoring in step 2. This recipe requires nearly a gallon of cider and a large oven bag. In step 4, be sure to stir the reduced cider mixture frequently to prevent scorching.
|
1 |
cinnamon stick, broken into rough pieces |
|
¼ |
teaspoon whole cloves |
|
3¼ |
quarts apple cider |
|
8 |
cups ice cubes |
|
1 |
(7- to 10-pound) cured bone-in half ham, preferably shank end |
|
2 |
tablespoons Dijon mustard |
|
1 |
cup packed dark brown sugar |
|
1 |
teaspoon pepper |
|
Large oven bag |
1. Toast cinnamon and cloves in large saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 4 cups cider and bring to boil. Pour spiced cider into large stockpot or clean bucket, add 4 cups cider and ice, and stir until melted.
2. Meanwhile, remove skin from exterior of ham and trim fat to ¼-inch thickness. Score remaining fat at 1-inch intervals in crosshatch pattern. Transfer ham to container with chilled cider mixture (liquid should nearly cover ham) and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.
3. Discard cider mixture and transfer ham to large oven bag. Add 1 cup fresh cider to bag, tie securely, and cut 4 slits in top of bag. Transfer to large roasting pan and let stand at room temperature for 1½ hours.
4. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Bake until ham registers 100 degrees, 1½ to 2½ hours. Meanwhile, bring remaining 4 cups cider and mustard to boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, until mixture is very thick and reduced to ⅓ cup, about 1 hour.
5. Combine sugar and pepper in bowl. Remove ham from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Roll back oven bag and brush ham with reduced cider mixture. Using your fingers, carefully press sugar mixture onto exterior of ham. Return to oven and bake until dark brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer ham to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve.