- 3 or 4 pound canned ham
- 1/4 cup yellow mustard
- 1 cup brown sugar
- Cloves, whole or ground
Canned hams are usually pretty cheap in
my neck of the woods, especially when they
go on sale. This recipe is a good way to
glamourize a plain canned ham and turn it
into fancy company fare.
Begin by removing the ham from it's can. I
use Hostess hams most often and they come in
round cans. I remove both the top and bottom
of the can and push the ham through like a
push-pop. Place the ham in a baking dish
like a pie-pan or an 8-inch square pan.
Use a knife to score the ham about 1/8-inch
deep on all the sides. You can do the ends
too if you like. This makes the ham pretty
and also allows the flavor of the glaze to
permeate the ham more fully.
Use clean hands to rub mustard all over the
ham. Get the top, bottom and sides. I don't
measure the mustard. I squirt it on and rub
and then squirt on some more and rub some
more. It takes about 1/4-cup to coat the
ham. Now measure your brown sugar into a
cereal bowl. Scoop it up with your hands and
press it firmly onto the ham. Cover the tops
and sides. Don't worry about the bottom of
the ham. Use all the sugar. If there is any
leftover, sprinkle it on top of the ham. If
you have whole cloves, press them into the
diamonds you made when you scored the ham.
This makes it pretty and adds to the flavor.
If you don't have whole cloves then sprinkle
a little ground cloves over the ham.
Now place the ham in a 325° oven for about
1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove it from the oven
every 30 minutes or so and baste it with the
juices in the pan. You do this by scooping
up the pan juices and spooning them over the
ham. I use a small ladle to do this part,
but a spoon or small metal measuring cup
works just as well. Basting the ham gives it
a pretty golden glaze and a deeper flavor.
If the juices in the bottom of the pan get
too thick or seem like they may burn then
add 1/4 to 1/3-cup of water to the pan to
keep the liquid juicy and spoonable. When
the ham is golden brown, well glazed and hot
throughout it is done.
Baked hams are pretty garnished with
pineapple rings. Gently lay a few of them
over the top of the ham right before
serving. Serve the rest of the pineapple on
the side, or save it for a leftover ham dish
later in the week. Serve baked ham with
seasoned potato chunks, spinach salad and
yeast pan bread. Add brussels sprouts too,
if your family likes them (mine loves them).
A good dessert would be pineapple
upside-down cake, made with the leftover
pineapple rings.
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