Recipe: Durgin-Park Baked Ham with Sherry Orange Marinade and Brown Sugar Glaze

BAKED HAM WITH SHERRY ORANGE MARINADE

"Early in the twentieth century, ham roast with spinach was an everyday dinner at Durgin-Park, where it sold for fifty cents, including mashed potatoes and bread and butter (a nickel extra for sweet potatoes). Today, most people think of a whole ham as a party food. It requires some time and effort to cook, but the results are a delicious meal with leftovers for days, plus a bone for making Ham and Pea Soup or Puree of Split Pea Soup."

1 (5 to 6-pound) ham, fully cooked
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup dry sherry
1 cup honey
Whole cloves
1 cup packed, dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground mustard

Trim the skin from the ham, leaving a thin, even layer of fat. With a skewer, poke the ham allover at 2-inch intervals. Place the ham in a large, resealable plastic bag, and place in a large shallow pan.

In a small bowl combine the orange juice, sherry; and honey; pour over the ham and seal the bag securely. Marinate in the refrigerator for three days, turning the ham every 12 hours.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the ham from the bag, reserving the marinade. In a shallow roasting pan, with the ham fat side up, score the fat in a diamond design and stud with cloves. Insert a meat thermometer, making sure it does not touch the bone. Pour all but one tablespoon of the marinade over the ham.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat thermometer registers 130 degrees F.

In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, mustard, and the tablespoon of reserved marinade and brush the exposed portion of the ham. Cover with a tent of aluminum foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the meat thermometer registers 140 degrees F. Remove from the oven and allow the meat to stand for 10 minutes; then slice thinly and serve.

Makes 10-12 servings
Source: The Durgin-Park Cookbook: Classic Yankee Cooking in the Shadow of Faneuil Hall by Jane Stern and Michael Stern