How to Make Glazed Ham With Pineapple and Cherry Garnish
How to Garnish a Ham
This ham is not only festive-looking, but it is also delicious. Still, it's pretty simple to prepare. In fact, it's so simple that even a beginner cook can easily achieve good results. It's an excellent choice for any holiday but is also perfect for any time you have a crowd to feed, such as reunions, birthday parties, and other celebrations.
How to Choose the Perfect Ham
First, choose a whole, bone-in, Hickory-smoked ham. You will never be disappointed.
Now for the size: allow 2 pounds per person. For example, if you're expecting ten people, you would want a ham that is about 20 pounds. Eight people, around sixteen pounds, and so on.
Get Your Baking and Roasting Pans Ready
First, you might want to choose a disposable aluminum roasting pan if you don't have a good stainless steel one. I prefer to use the aluminum ones, simply because of the easy cleanup afterwards.
Next, you will want to place the aluminum pan on a cookie sheet. This is a safer way because the ham is heavy and the cookie sheet will give added strength to the weaker aluminum for easier handling, plus it helps to catch any drippings.
Ingredients
- 1 (20-ounce) can of sliced pineapples
- 1 (10-ounce) jar of maraschino cherries
- 1 packed cup of light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (this will be added to the glaze; while any brand of cinnamon will do, I prefer McCormick's because it's always fresh tasting and flavorful)
- 1/8 teaspoon (a pinch) of ground cloves (a small but very important ingredient for the glaze)
- 1/4 stick of butter or margarine
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
For the Ham
- Place the whole ham and 1/2 cup water in a foil pan that sits atop a cookie sheet.
- Calculate your cooking time. It's about 15 minutes per pound, so if you have a 20-pound ham, the cooking time would be 15 minutes for each pound, which would be 4 pounds per hour, which would equal 5 hours of cooking time.
- Place the ham in a preheated 350-degree oven. Cook for 1 hour.
- Reduce the heat to 325 degrees, then cover ham with foil and cook for the remainder of the calculated cooking time.
Note: While ham is baking, you can make your glaze and have it ready to go. This glaze is delicious and super simple to make.
For the Glaze
- In a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and about 1/8 cup of the juice from the pineapples. Stir together.
- Put this mixture in the microwave for 30 seconds to melt it together. Stir again (use a whisk if desired) to dissolve any clumps. Cover and set aside.
- When the ham is done cooking, remove the foil, pour the glaze evenly over the ham, and continue to cook, uncovered, for an additional 20 minutes.
- Remove ham from oven and garnish with pineapple slices—the glaze will help secure the pineapples in place. Set a cherry inside each pineapple hole. Don't forget to enjoy a little cherry juice, as this will help you to have a very "cherry" day.
There you have it: a beautiful, mouth-watering, and delicious ham.