Each year I host the family egg hunt/Easter get together so I usually bake a ham. Over the years I have found a few tips from different cook books and articles that have helped to make the job easier and produced a tasty ham.
Sirloin end versus Shank end – Spiral hams are usually 1/2 of a ham so they come in two shapes: the sirloin or butt end which is shaped like a large flat mound and the shank end which is taller and pointy like a volcano. Because of the bone more of the shank end will be sliced for you. The sirloin end won’t be sliced as much, but will have more meat on it. So it is up to you how much you want to work.
Glazing the ham – Most spiral hams come with a glaze mix, but I have found a glaze that I really like and adds a lot of flavor to the ham. I put it on the ham before baking and then baste with it during baking.
Ham Glaze
1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
¼ cup Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Mix together ingredients to form thick paste. Smear glaze onto exterior of ham using rubber spatula.
Soak in Hot Water before baking – In the past it always seemed to take forever to bake the ham. The outside would be well done and the center would still be cold. The hams I buy are in a waterproof plastic wrapping. If not, you would want to put your ham in a waterproof plastic bag. I fill my sink up with warm water and let the ham sit in it for 90 minutes before baking. This raised the internal temperature of the ham and reduces baking time, thus a moister ham.
I usually bake my spiral ham at 325 degrees for 2 – 3 hours with an internal temperature of 110 to 120 degrees.
I hope these little tips help you.
Happy Easter,
Jane
PS. If you are looking for a potato recipe that you can mix up before hand my family likes this garlic mashed potato recipe. Also this crockpot macaroni and cheese recipe is a hit with the kids and frees up your oven for other dishes:
Garlic Mashed Potato Casserole Note, I have always doubled this recipe so it usually takes about 1 hour – 1 1/2 hours to bake when starting cold. Make sure the top is golden brown. That is the icing on the cake with this dish.
The Images are from my pattern Springtime Joy which you can find on my website: https://www.janeallencreates.com/product-p/15008.htm