Ham Glaze Recipe

An Inexpensive and Tasty Guide to the Perfect Baked Ham

Welcome. When Christmas gets closer, you know it’s ham time! To be very honest however, store hams might be dry and bland. Relax, because this book will turn you into a hero of the ham-baking world!

Baking Ham Fearlessly

Away with those dry, tasteless hams! This dish yields a juicy, delicate perfection covered with a sticky-sweet glaze and crispy edge. If you use these tips, your guests will be begging for more (and the recipe!).

Glaze, the boss:

Ham and just one glaze go together. The key is to balance the salty and sweet just so. Wonderful choices include honey, brown sugar, or maple syrup. Smashed garlic, honey, brown sugar, butter, and Dijon mustard (for a great tang) go into a glaze I prepare.

Feel free to use extra celebratory spices like cinnamon and cloves or not if you’d like a more plain flavor profile. And those decorative cloves some recipes ask for? I ignore them; nobody likes to bite into an unexpected clove.

The Three Step Process of Ham Mastery:

Incredible simplicity in preparation, this recipe:

1. Get rid of the Rind; it peels off quite easily!
2. Brush the ham with my easy Brown Sugar Ham Glaze.
3. Bake and Baste: Give that beautiful ham a little brushing every fifteen minutes.

Picking Your Champion Ham

For the finest flavor and juiciness, go for a bone-in, well cooked ham. Given its ease of carving and plenty of flesh, the shank end, or half leg, is the best cut. The butt end, or opposite half leg, is less fleshy but very soft. Speak up!

Though they are less common here, spiral-cut hams are popular in the US, so I can’t comment to them.

Rinds Discussion:

Is the rind should be removed or not? Such the question! That’s the reason I suggest taking it down

• Gumpy and Chewy: The rind becomes bad as the ham cools.
• Taste Barrier: The glaze cannot penetrate the skin of the ham, so it tastes bland.

I swear that ham rind that has been cooked through will never crisp. I’ve experimented with broiling, high heat baking, and deep-frying (not recommended).

Cleaning the Rind Like an Expert

Keep calm; you can succeed! This is how (watch the movie for a visual guide as well):

1. Circularly cut the skin surrounding the shank end.
2. Cut apart: To separate the fat and rind, slide a sharp knife between them.
3. Peel: Using only your fingers, gently remove the rind and fat. Work your fingertips deeper for easier peeling.
4. Peel, then discard the rind.
5. Score the fat layer gently in a diamond pattern with your knife.

Glaze Like an Expert

My best piece of glazing advise is to boil it for a short bit. A pain to spread on your ham, the overcooked glaze becomes hard caramel. Reduce the heat and simmer it for a little period.

Fabulous Basting Bonanza:

Repeat: glaze, baste. You will taste and have richer ham the more you bast. Go crazy; this is, after all, the season!

Following these tips can make you a master ham baker! And this Brown Sugar Mustard Glazed Ham smells just like Christmas magic. Merry Christmas and a wonderful eating season!

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