Crack Ham

Raquel Grinnell's Note:

This recipe is from "Forking Fantastic"; a hilarious cookbook by Zora O'Neill and Tamara Reynolds. Also known as Ham with Bourbon and Brown Sugar Glaze, it's quite addictive, hence the name!!!! Great, EASY way to class up a store-bought ham for the holidays. I have added 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of cayenne pepper to the glaze with yummy results - gives it a sweet-spicy crust - mmmmmmmm :)

• Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs 15 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8-10

Yield: 8.0

• 10 lbs cooked ham , preferably bone-in shank portion
• 2 cups Bourbon
• 2 cups orange juice
• 3 cups dark brown sugar , equivalent to one pound
• 1⁄3; cup Dijon mustard
• ½ cup molasses
• salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Rinse the ham and slice off the tough outer skin, taking care not to remove too much of the fat along with it. Score the ham, cutting long crisscrossing lines at least ¼ inch deep and 1 inch apart all over. Place the ham in a heavy nonreactive (glass or stainless steel) roasting pan or baking dish and slowly pour ½ cup bourbon over the meat, letting it sink in as much as possible. Place the ham, uncovered, in the oven.
2. In a saucepan, boil the orange juice until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, mustard, molasses and the remaining 1½ cups of bourbon.
3. After the ham has baked for about 45 minutes, remove it from the oven and cover with the glaze, making sure you get into all the crevices that have now opened up; pour the remaining glaze into the pan. Return the ham to the oven and bake for at least 1½ hours longer, brushing it with glaze very 30 minutes or so (if the top of the ham begins to burn, cover it with aluminum foil). When the glaze is well-browned, remove the ham from the oven, place it on a serving platter and cover loosely with foil.
4. Taste the juices from the roasting pan and season with salt if needed. Pour some of the sauce over the ham and place the rest in a serving bowl. Serve immediately, carving the ham at the table.

Reviews

[Mysterygirl]

I am hoping this recipe turns out tasting as good as they say but I have to rate it now based upon safety. I followed the directions and it almost caught my house on fire. At step 3 after pouring the sauce for the glaze over our Christmas ham, I went back to the living room. After a few minutes we heard an explosion in our kitchen. The alcohol had caught fire and blew open my oven door. Thankfully I have an electric oven and not a gas one. We might not have had a house if it had been gas. I let the alcohol flames burn out then put the ham on the stove to cook more of the alcohol out before putting it back in the oven.

[JJS360]

I felt compelled to write a review to put people at ease regarding the threat level of this defenseless and delicious ham. I have a gas oven and made this dish according to directions with not a single explosion, blow out, or eruption of any kind. Except an eruption of FLAVOR. Honestly though, this was a tasty ham, a ham lauded by most of my guests as the best ham in the land. Make the ham. Eat the ham. Love the ham.