Christmas Ham

Christmas hams have long been a loving tradition in our home. While it is nice to have turkey for holiday feasts, for some reason the Christmas ham seems to hit the spot perfectly at our Christmas dinners. Over the years I have become the one to cook the Christmas ham in my family, and it seems like every year the kids get more and more excited to have it. Here is the recipe that I use, I know that you will enjoy it just as much as my family does.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium ham (about 6 to 10 pounds), preferably spiral sliced
• 1 cup pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup honey mustard
• 2 apples, cored and sliced
• 2 large onions, chopped.
• 1/2 cup water
• Aluminum foil
• 1 large roasting pan

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven. Preheating your oven is always a great idea whenever you do any baking. This will allow your oven to heat up to the proper temperature prior to when you actually begin cooking, and will also allow for an even distribution of the heat while cooking the meat. Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and allow it to reach temperature before placing the ham into the oven.
2. Mix glaze. While the oven is warming up, go ahead and begin mixing your glaze. Do this by placing the pineapple juice, brown sugar and honey mustard into a medium mixing bowl. By hand, whisk the ingredients together thoroughly. The glaze should have a thick, grainy, syrupy consistency. Set the glaze into the fridge for later use.
3. Bake. Place your ham into the roasting pan, with the fat side down. Around the ham in the bottom of the pan, pour the 1/2 cup of water. This water will help ensure that the ham does not dry out, and will help keep it moist. Around the ham, spread the onion and apple pieces. Cover everything with some aluminum foil, or pan lid, and place it into the oven. Allow the ham to cook for one hour for every two pounds of ham.
4. Glaze. 15 to 30 minutes prior to completion of baking time, remove the ham from the oven. Using a turkey baster, or a basting brush, spread the glaze you made earlier over the ham. Start at the top, and work your way to the bottom. Spread the glaze as evenly as possible. Replace the ham into the oven and finish cooking. Do not recover.
5. Allow to sit. After the ham has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and allow it to sit. The ham should sit for 15 minutes to allow it to cool down just a little, but also to help ensure that you have a nice and juicy ham when it is carved..

Carve up the ham, and serve while still warm. This recipe will serve a minimum of four people, but can serve more depending on how much ham each person takes. Some great sides for this main dish would be some garlic mashed potatoes, or green bean casserole.