Baked Ham With A Brown Sugar Rum And Cayenne Glaze

This spicy-sweet glaze is brushed on during baking to give the ham a golden brown appearance and to compliment the meat. the drippings are used to make a sauce to serve along side the ham slices. use the glaze partway through cooking to prevent the sugars in the glaze from scorching.

Steps

Preheat oven to 350f.

Using a large knife , cut off the skin and all but 1 / 4 inch of the fat from the ham , leaving the surface as smooth as possible.

Score the top and sides of the ham diagonally in two opposite directions about 1 1 / 2 inches apart , creating a diamond pattern.

Stick a clove into the corners of each diamond.

Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan.

Add the apple cider and 2 cups water to the pan.

Bake for 2 hours , adding more water after an hour if needed.

While ham bakes , combine the brown sugar , rum , salt and cayenne pepper to taste in a bowl.

Stir until smooth.

Let stand for 10 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve partially.

Remove ham from the oven and brush the glaze evenly over the ham.

Reserve the leftover glaze.

Return the ham to the oven and bake for 1 hour longer , brushing with the glaze every 15 minutes.

Transfer ham to a large platter and cover loosely with foil.

Allow to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.

While ham rests , pour the liquid.

Ingredients

ham, whole cloves, apple cider, water, light brown sugar, dark rum, kosher salt, cayenne pepper