CIDER-SOAKED BAKED HAM WITH HONEY-RUM GLAZE

1 (8- to 9-pound) smoked picnic shoulder ham*
1 gallon apple cider
2 cups dark rum, divided
Whole cloves
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Remove rind and all but thin layer of fat from ham. Place ham in large baking dish or bowl. Cover with apple cider and 1 cup rum. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Remove ham from cider mixture. Reserve cider mixture. Make diagonal cuts through fat on top of ham to form 1 1/2-inch grid. Stud 1 whole clove in middle of each diamond. Place ham on wire rack fitted into roasting pan. Add marinade to pan until it reaches rack, but not the ham.

Bake 1 1/2 hours, basting every 20 minutes. Add more cider to pan as needed. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Combine honey, brown sugar and remaining 1 cup rum in bowl. Whisk together to thoroughly combine. Spoon all of glaze onto ham, completely covering surface and grid crevices.

Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Let stand at least 15 minutes or up to 45 minutes before carving and serving.

*For this recipe, you can use a bone-in ham labeled a butt end, shank end or "picnic" shoulder. The last is the least expensive cut, and the fattiest, but also the tastiest. It makes super leftovers, too.

Servings: 8, plus lots of leftovers
From: Lucy Barajikian; St. Louis Post Dispatch - December 18, 2000
Adapted from source: The Nantucket Holiday Table by Susan Simon