Recipe: Rum-Glazed Baked Ham

Rum-Glazed Baked Ham
rec.food.cooking/Richard Cody (1998)

You don't have to score the top, decorate with cloves, or baste for hours with this straightforward recipe. The rum, sugar and orange juice give flavor and aroma without cloying sweetness.

1 bone-in smoked ham butt (half ham), about 7 pounds
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup dark rum, or fresh orange juice
Grated zest of 1 large orange

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Place the ham cut-side down on butcher paper or wax paper. Using a rubber spatula, smear the Dijon mustard in a thin film over all the other (fat) sides of the ham. Sprinkle well with pepper. Place the ham on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the brown sugar, rum and orange zest. After the meat has roasted for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven and spoon about half of the rum mixture over the top and down the sides, spreading it on evenly with the back of the spoon. Return to the oven and continue to roast, basting 2 more times with the remaining rum mixture, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat (but not touching the bone) registers 140 degrees, about 2 hours.

Serves 6 (about 6 ounces per serving), plus leftovers.