Spicy Honey Cumin Glazed Ham

Spicy Honey Cumin Glazed Ham

What better way to celebrate Easter than with Mary Sue and Susan’s spiced up version of honey glazed ham? The zesty, sweet, and savory glaze is the crowning glory of this dish, but it’s so important to begin with a high quality ham. Look for a bone-in, brined and lightly smoked, fully cooked “ham in natural juices” for the best flavor and texture, avoiding “ham water added” and canned hams altogether. And although many people love spiral cut hams, it’s best to avoid those too because with more surface area exposed to the heat of the oven, they can become dry during cooking. One particularly tasty type of ham to look for is a heritage breed like Bershire, Kurobuta, Gloucestershire Old Spot, or Tamworth. Pork from these fatter breeds stays moist and has better flavor than standard American pork, which is bred to be so lean that it loses much of its wonderful pork goodness.

1 ham, bone-in, lightly brined, and fully cooked (a.k.a. city ham or ham in natural juices)
6 cloves garlic
3 large jalapeno chiles, stemmed and seeded
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons Tabasco
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Remove ham from wrapping, then rinse and pat dry. If necessary, remove rind, trim fat to 1/4 inch thickness, and score ham with a small pairing knife.

Place the ham cut side down in a roasting pan and pour in water to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Insert meat thermometer into ham and tent with foil. Bake until internal temperature reaches 110 degrees F, anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on the size of the ham.

Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine the garlic, jalapenos, cumin, Tabasco, lime juice, and salt in a food processor or blender and puree. Pour into a small saucepan and stir in the honey. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly and being careful not to burn, about 15 minutes.

Turn the oven heat up to 325 degrees F.

Take ham out of oven, remove foil tent, and brush ham generously with the honey glaze. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, until internal temperature reaches 125 to 130 degrees F, about 1 hour more, brushing ham with glaze every 10 to 15 minutes. Remove ham from oven, cover loosely with foil, and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before carving.