Recipe: Bourbon and Mustard-Glazed Country Ham

BOURBON AND MUSTARD-GLAZED COUNTRY HAM

1 good-quality smoky ham about 15 pounds, brought to room temperature
1/2 cup whole-grain mustard
1/2 cup packed golden-brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon Tabasco Pepper Sauce
1 1/2 cups bourbon

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

If the ham has a rind, pull it away with your fingers.

With a thin, sharp knife, slice away all but 1/4 inch of any fat on the upper surface. Score a diamond pattern about 1/4 inch deeper into the upper surface of the ham.

Set the ham, scored side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan just large enough to hold it. Add 3 cups water to the pan.

Set the pan in the oven and bake the ham for 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the mustard, brown sugar, honey and Tabasco.

Pour off the water from the roasting pan. Spread the mustard mixture evenly over the upper surface of the ham, using it all. Add the bourbon to the pan.

Bake the ham, basting every 10 minutes with the bourbon and the accumulated pan juices, until the ham is richly browned and thoroughly heated through, another 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer to a cutting board. Let the ham rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Serve it hot, warm or at room temperature.

Makes 12 servings
Source: Flavors by Pamela Morgan