This always saids Christmas at home to me
- 1 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 7 kg whole smoked ham
- 1 20.5-oz can pineapple slices set aside the liquid (if you have a smaller ham use the can)
- 8 teaspoons liquid (i use the red and the green
- 0.25 cup brown sugar (i use dark brown sugar)
- whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon mustard ( keens)
- 2 tablespoon brown vinegar
- wooden toothpicks
- Carbohydrate 16.533855 g
- Cholesterol 193.1776 mg
- Fat 10.863563 g
- Fiber 0.45789999326691 g
- Protein 71.260504 g
- Saturated Fat 3.7440074 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (389g)
- Sodium 4177.5787 mg
- Sugar 16.0759550067331 g
- Trans Fat 0.415211499999998 g
- Calories 446 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to moderate 180c
- Using a sharo knife, cut therogh the rind 6 cm from the shank end. To remove the rind from the ham, run a thumb around the dege, under the rind and carefully pull back.
- Using a sharp knife , score the fat with cuts crossways and then diagonally to form a diamond pattern. (Cut diagional criss crossed lines one inch apart, one inch deep). Do not cut all the way through to the ham or the fat will fall off during cooking. This has to be done all around the whole ham.
- Insert whole clove in each crossed section. Try to push the clove down at least an inch into the meat.
- Push tooth picks through the cherries. Place pineapple rings on top of ham using toothpick with cherries to hold in place.
- To make the glaze, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and spread carefully oner the ham with a plaette knife or the back of a spoon.
- Place the ham on a rack in a deep baking dish. add the juice of the pineapple and cherries into the bottom of the dish.
- Cover the ham and dish securely with foil, and cook for 45 minutes.
- then remove the cover and cook for another 2 hours basting as needed.
- Enjoy and happy Christmas from the Plater Family :)
Understanding the Rind and Scoring Depth
The ingredient list reveals what goes on the meat, but it cannot convey the mechanical precision required to prepare a large smoked ham for roasting at 180 degrees Celsius. When scoring the fat layer into a diamond pattern, restrict the blade depth to approximately one inch so the fat remains intact and anchored during the long cooking cycle. Running a thumb beneath the rind near the shank allows it to peel away cleanly without tearing the underlying fat layer that protects the meat underneath.
Managing Glaze Viscosity and Adhesion
Honey, brown sugar, and soy sauce combine to create a viscous coating that burns easily if applied too early in the cooking process. Pouring the reserved pineapple and cherry liquid into the bottom of the roasting pan generates steam that keeps the cavity moist while the exterior reduces. Basting the surface every thirty minutes during the final two hours deposits sugars incrementally, building a dark, lacquered crust without carbonizing the honey.
Evaluating Doneness Without a Probe
Because whole smoked hams are already cured and cooked through, determining readiness relies entirely on exterior texture and internal heat distribution rather than a target thermometer reading. The meat is finished when the fat renders down around the diamond scores, the inserted cloves soften slightly into the surface, and the exterior glaze achieves a deep amber sheen after roughly two hours and forty-five minutes of total oven exposure. Adaptations for dietary restrictions can easily be managed by substituting standard soy sauce with tamari for gluten-free guests, or omitting the honey in favor of maple syrup if specific flavor profiles are required.
