My son, Robert, loves the glazed ham that I bake every year, usually at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Actually I’ve been baking this ham for the holidays as long as I can remember. It was also a favorite when we all gathered at my mother and daddy’s house for the holidays in Tennessee.
Imagine, four girls and my mom gathered in a tiny kitchen, talking simultaneously and laughing all the way. Of course when I pulled the ham out of the oven, they were all there to do a taste test. We used to tease my sister Angela because when the ham was baked to perfection, she would open her mouth as if she were going to eat the whole thing. We called her the Ham Queen and one year we actually constructed a Ham Queen crown from a paper plate. Wish I could find a picture to show you. It was hilarious. Those were some of my favorite memories!
The recipe for the ham is simple. The glaze can either be cooked in a saucepan on the stove or in the microwave. I would advise you to make extra glaze because it’s that good and you don’t want to run out before the leftover ham is gone.
Ingredients for the glaze:
1 and 1/2 cups of orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsps. onion powder
1 tbls. powdered mustard
A dash of ground cloves
Add all ingredients and microwave for about 4 minutes or simmer in a saucepan for about 10 minutes until orange marmalade is dissolved.
Meanwhile trim away excess fat from ham. Score and add whole cloves. Pour about 1/2 of the glaze over ham. Bake at 325 degrees for about an hour and a half, brushing with glaze or adding more as needed.
As ham begins to brown, cover with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Total baking time is about 2 and 1/2 hours depending on the size of the ham.
There’s something about the aroma of this recipe, especially the cloves and citrus, that conjures up sweet memories of every holiday with family. I hope you enjoy it as much as Robert and the rest of my family have over the years.
Incidentally, the ham leftovers are great cubed and added to breakfast casseroles or omelets. It also makes delicious sliders with some melted swiss or smoked gruyere cheese.
Happy eating! Happy Christmas!
