Cider Baked Ham
- Serves: 6 – 8
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes
- Total Cooking time: 18 minutes to the pound (about 3 hours for a 10 lb ham)
This is a delicious and simple way to prepare a baked ham when you find yourself tired of the classic brown sugar and pineapple baked ham. Baking the ham in a dry hard cider, which can be found in the beer and wine section of most markets, produces a flavorful, and mildly sweet ham that is sure to wow your family. This recipe can be used on a boneless ham but I highly recommend using a bone in ham as it produces a much better flavored ham.
| Amount | Measure | Ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| 8-12 | lb | half ham, bone in shank or butt half |
| 3 | cups | hard cider such as Dry Blackthorn or Hornsby’s dry |
| 2 | tbsp | coarse ground black pepper |
To prepare:
Place the ham cut side down in a roasting pan large enough to fit the ham. Score the ham then rub the black pepper into the cuts and skin. Pour the hard cider into the roasting pan and cover the ham with tin foil. Place in a 350 degree oven 18 minutes to the pound until a meat thermometer reads 140 degrees, removing the foil at least 1 hour before the ham is done to baste every 15 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 20 minutes before carving to let the juices re-absorb into the meat. Carve into thin slices and serve with potatoes au gratin, steamed carrots, and a good stone ground spicy mustard.
