The Perfect Holiday Attraction
Though we enjoy deli ham all year long, we usually reserve serving a spiral-sliced ham for the holidays. Simply because it yields so much. There are many ways to prepare this tasty treat, but I hope you like the results of this recipe.
It has the perfect balance of sweet and savory with cherry juice and spices. The sugar in the juice along with the juices of the ham give the outside a nice glaze. If you like your ham sweeter than salty, you can open up the slices and let the glaze go in between them.
When to Serve Spiral Sliced Ham
You can serve this ham at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Your family and friends will love it. It makes great sandwiches later as well as a breakfast meat fit to go with steam-fried potatoes in a cast iron pan or grits.
The heartiness of the steam-fried potatoes matches the presence of the ham flavor profile. They are 2 complimentary flavor profiles. The sliced ham also serves well grits as a supporting role, even cheese grits. The edge that the cheese gives the grits goes great with the flavors of the ham.
You can also make a great hash with it on Black Friday before you head out shopping.
The leftover ham slices also make a great sandwich meat. Serve with lettuce, tomato, and your favorite cheese. Use Dijon mustard and mayonnaise with salt and pepper as your dressing.
Picking the right bread is crucial though. It needs to be hearty enough to hold the sandwich together but not steal the show. I like rustic Italian bread or French bread, toasted.
In the end it comes down to what you like. Just make sure that the bread can hold the weight of the meats, cheese, and other ingredients you put on it.
Conclusion
You can also serve this ham any time of the year. So enjoy anytime you like.
Cherry Glazed Spiral Sliced Ham
Though we enjoy deli ham all year long, we usually reserve serving a spiral-sliced ham for the holidays. Simply because it yields so much. There are many ways to prepare this tasty treat, but I hope you like the results of this recipe.
Ham
Glaze
Instructions
Glazed Ham Instructions
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Preparing the Ham
Line the roasting pan with foil to prevent a not-so-fun clean-up if the glaze bakes into your pan.
About 3 hours before cooking, remove ham from the refrigerator and packaging (including the plastic bone protector) and let it rest on a small rack with the face of the first slice down in the roasting pan that you will cook it in.Â
Pat the ham dry.
Make the glaze by combining all of the glaze ingredients in a small pan and bringing it to a simmer for 5 minutes. It will thicken and be easier to apply to the ham as it cools.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Allow about 15-18 minutes of cooking time per pound.
Estimate backward from the time you want to eat and place the ham in the oven at the appropriate time. Add 30 minutes for resting and time adjustments.
Cook uncovered. This will prevent the ham from sweating and drying out.
Insert a probe thermometer in the thickest part without hitting the bone, and cook until the internal temp is 145, or whatever the packaging recommends. Smoked spiral-sliced hams are usually fully cooked, so you are only reheating it and caramelizing the glaze. However, if you are cooking a raw ham, cook until the internal temperature is 165.
When the ham reaches about 135, brush the glaze all over the ham coating the entire surface except for the bottom.
Increase the oven temperature to 425 and cook until the internal temperature reaches 140 and the surface is nicely caramelized.
Note
Take note of the time needed to prepare and cook the ham. 3 hours to sit out after being removed from the refrigerator, 2-3 hours of cooking time, and 30 minutes to rest and allow for additional cooking if the ham is large. A total of 6-7 hours before serving.
To serve, display the ham on its side with the best-looking array of slices facing up.
Partially fold over the first couple of slices as a suggestive starting point for your guests.
