Aug 30, 2007

Christmas Ham

Bake the ham a day ahead and serve it at room temperature the next day.

14–16-lb. bone-in, skin-on smoked ham
Whole cloves
1⁄2 cup light brown sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons

1. Place ham on a platter and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 425°. Peel off and discard the skin, leaving the fat on the ham. Using a sharp knife, score fat on top side of ham in a crisscross pattern, creating diamonds about 2" long, then stud each diamond with 2–3 whole cloves.

2. Mix brown sugar and lemon zest; rub mixture evenly on the top of the ham. Transfer ham to a shallow roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and continue baking until ham is deep golden brown and a knife inserted into the thickest part comes out hot, about 45 minutes more. Serve with Crab Apple Jelly, if you like.

SERVES 16 – 18