Is there anything more traditional in a southern kitchen than a baked Easter ham?
I recently stumbled across a facebook profile that noted the author studied rhetoric “at university”. That’s a new major and previously unknown field of study to me. Well, if there is such a thing as a rhetorical question, the above must be a textbook example.
Difficulty Level
Let’s stipulate that baking a city ham for dinner doesn’t require years of culinary training. Start with a fully cooked bone-in ham, whip together a sugared glaze, baste and bake it until you have that gorgeous and delicious centerpiece for dinner.
Your ham will taste better than any other, as attested by the burps, belches and compliments of your family and dinner guests. Slice and serve with some scalloped potatoes au gratin and sunshine salad.
Wine Pairings
Sweet and salty baked ham pairs well with many wines. A gewurztraminer with it’s zesty, acidic flavor is one of my favorites. Not far behind is a good reisling such as Hermann J. Weimer’s 2016 Magdalena vineyard expression from the finger-lakes region of New York.
Reds obviously have their place at the table and a good beaujolais, light bodied and fruity complements the bold flavors of the ham. Zinfandel with it’s dark fruit and spice is another that begs for meat.
Baked Easter Ham Step By Step
Select a ham with an ample fat cap and slice it diagonally in a diamond pattern, then insert a whole clove into each diamond. Whisk together the glaze, heat and reduce to a thick sauce and baste your ham.
After the first basting
After the second basting
Finished ham, ready to carve.
Easter dinner with ham, sunshine salad and scalloped potatoes! Print
Baked Easter Ham
Bone-in ham, in a sugar glaze, baked to perfection!
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 180
- Total Time: 3 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
Ingredients
- One fully cooked half or whole, bone-in ham
- Whole cloves
- 1–1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup brown spicy mustard
- 1 TBL apple cider vinegar
- 6 oz Dr. Pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 325
- Score the ham in a diamond pattern
- Use a sharp pointed skewer to pierce a small hole in the center of each diamond of the ham
- Insert a whole clove in each pierced diamond
- Heat the sugar, vinegar, mustard, Dr. Pepper mixture until it bubbles, about 15 minutes and whisk lightly
- Bake the ham 1 hour, then brush on a coat of the sugar mixture
- Bake another hour and coat again
- Bake 30 more minutes until there is a nice shiny glaze
- Remove from oven, rest for 30 minutes, slice and serve