Planning on hosting Christmas dinner? Here is a great recipe for a traditional Christmas Ham with a few small modern twists that takes the flavor to a new level. I found some great recipes ideas for Christmas Dinner from the latest issue of Bon Appetit. I plan on trying several of the recipes prior to Christmas so stay tuned if you are planning a holiday party and looking for a dinner menu.
I decided to start with a classic, the Christmas Ham, before I delve into some more recipes that may be outside of my comfort zone. Overall this recipe is fairly straightforward and hassle free. I am a much bigger fan of the Christmas ham than the Thanksgiving turkey. I used a Smithfield bone-in ham because I am familiar with the brand. I have also used Smithfield brand pork tenderloins and have been satisfied with the product. Please share if you have a favorite brand. I was really torn on what to buy and just went purely on familiarity. Good cuts can really make the difference in a piece of meat. In my opinion, it doesn’t matter how good of a cook you are if you have a bad piece of meat your dish is not going to be successful. I chose to use the bone-in ham because I feel it adds a greater depth of flavor and the ham bone can be reused in a pot of beans.
On a side note anytime I can multi-purpose ingredients, I am happy. I experimented with this ham and invited my parents over for dinner. The ham was a hit but my father made sure to tell me to save the ham bone for beans. My father then told me when I was done with the ham bone send it to him. My parents told me back in the day during the depression that families used to pass the ham bone around so everyone could get use from it. I had no idea but it reminded me how families back in the depression could really find a way to make something from nothing, and there is no substitute for simple, sustainable ingredients. It was a great reminder to be thankful.
Bon Appetit’s Pineapple-Glazed Ham Recipe is a great traditional ham recipe with a few additions to enhance the flavor. If you are a fan of the traditional Christmas Ham, this recipe is for you. The additions of hot sauce and apple cider vinegar to the glaze add just enough kick to give this ham a new depth of flavor without overpowering the traditional flavors. Don’t be afraid of the hot sauce. It does not make the ham hot and spicy. However, I would not add more than the recommended amount of hot sauce unless you do want to add some heat to your ham.
The prep on this dish could not be easier but you need to plan ahead because you will need at least 4 hours and then some for resting. This ham sits on top of the fruit, wrapped up in aluminum foil, and baked in the oven for several hours. I started my glaze about 40 minutes prior to the end of the initial cook time so it would still be warm for glazing. I baked my 10 pound bone-in ham for 4 hours, and it was at temp and ready to glaze. The only active time was the making of the glaze which is simply and straightforward and actually glazing which is only 15 minutes. The ham finished with a perfect brown glaze and great flavor. While the ham rested, I used the time to put together a couple of quick sides to serve.
Here is my fail. It was not a fail for the recipe but rather a personal fail. Many of you have already spotted it in my photo. I had grandiose plans of how my ham would look but turns out I cannot carve a ham. I tried to watch a few quick YouTube videos but to no avail. I usually have pretty good results looking for how to videos on YouTube but I panicked because I had guests waiting. I didn’t realize that I didn’t know who to carve ham until it came time to actually carve the ham. Typically, I have already planned ahead and have a game plan in place which is how I prepared for deboning and carving turkeys. If you don’t know how to carve a ham, I recommend doing some research prior to game time so that you are not scrambling right before serving Christmas dinner. If you do know how to carve a ham, please feel free to post helpful tips to share. It would be greatly appreciated!
Great recipe for those cooks who love the traditional ham. Definitely a must try! Enjoy!
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