Barbecue: Mustard-Whiskey-Glazed Ham
Ham is a funny thing in my life. It was the food that I missed most when my parents decided to keep a kosher household when I was 5. After leaving home and its kosher ways behind, I have had no qualms with cooking massive amounts pork, but a whole ham has never graced my kitchen; I suspect there's a place in my subconscious that has kept this super-trafe on the outskirts.
I don't know what triggered the change, probably just getting into the holiday spirit, but last weekend I had a hankering for some ham, went to the grocery store and picked out a bone-in beauty. Even though it was precooked, I heated it up in my smoker, using a mix of oak and cherry wood, for five hours, slathering on a mustard-whiskey glaze in the last hour. Each piece of this ham was pure sweetness, with an added hint of smoke in the glazed ends, which took me back to a more pure time when I had no notions of ham being anything but delicious.
Smoked Mustard-Whiskey Glazed Ham
Adapted from The Virtual Weber Bullet.
- serves 15 to 18 -
Ingredients
1 ready-to-eat bone-in ham, around 10 pounds
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup dijon mustard
2 tablespoons Jack Daniels Whiskey
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Procedure
1. Remove ham from packaging, wash, and pat dry with paper towels. Allow to come to room temperature while preparing the smoker.
2. Fire up your smoker to 225°F. Add 4 to 5 medium chunks of smoke wood. When the smoker is at temperature and the wood is burning and producing smoke, place the ham in the smoker.
3. While the ham is smoking, mix the rest of the ingredients into a thick paste in a medium bowl to form the glaze, set aside.
4. Cook ham to desired temperature, about 4-5 hours for a ten-pound ham to reach 120 degrees. Brush on the glaze during the last hour of cooking. Remove from the smoker, slice, and serve.
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6 Comments:
My go-to ham glaze is basically equal parts brown mustard, brown sugar and marmalade. I've even used it on gammon joints. Works a treat, costs nothing, and you can add whatever you want to it.
NotAmerican at 12:39PM on 12/20/08
I do a ham every Christmas which is an old recipe from the South. The whole bone-in ham is boiled, first in water, then in ginger ale and then left in the pot, bundled up with newspaper and blankets and left to "steep" for 24 hours. The bone is removed, the cavity stuffed with brown sugar and it's roasted in the over for 20-30 minutes, basted frequently with Madeira or Marsala. Then it is refrigerated overnight and cut into VERY thin pieces (using a slicer). We use this ham for dinners, for breakfasts, for ham and cheese souffles, for sandwiches, whatever. It can be frozen. While it doesn't lend itself to a stunning presentation on the table, it tastes great and is not overly salty (thanks to the water and ginger ale treatments). I've been doing this for nearly 30 years and it is one of the most enjoyed of our holiday treats.
Bunnee at 5:58PM on 12/20/08
This ham sounds great. I don't have a smoker so I might use the glaze and bake the ham in the oven.
saraann at 9:19AM on 12/21/08
@saraann: You totally don't need a smoker for this. If I were to bake this in the oven, I'd put it in at 275 degrees, covered in foil, until the ham reached the temperature I wanted, between 110-120 degrees. Then I'd crank the heat up to 450 degrees, brush on the glaze and let it go until the glaze caramelizes. It'll be delicious no matter how it's heated up.
Joshua Bousel at 2:35PM on 12/21/08
You should try a non-sliced ham one of these days. Yes, it's a little more work but that makes all the difference in the world. You can slice it as thin or as thick as you like and the difference in texture is astounding.
paulf at 9:08AM on 12/23/08
I'm going to try this today for Xmas. How long do you think it will take in an oven Josh as opposed to the smoker?
Nehna at 7:00AM on 12/25/08