Organic ham for Xmas - good recipe?

[nia82]

I bought an insanely expensive small ham for us on Christmas to eat. I really don't want to mess it up so I'd love to hear good recipes from you :) It's 1.8lbs, so really small (yet $11!) and just enough for the 2 adults, barely eating toddler and very interested 10 months old. 

[cristeen]

For me it kind of depends on what other dishes you're planning on serving for dinner, since I like to make sure the flavors mesh.  I'm assuming this is a smoked ham?  In which case it doesn't really need to be cooked, as much as heated up.  I like to add some juice to the pan (apple works well with ham, but so can orange if you want to add a citrus note), and cover the whole thing so it heats in the steam from the juice, keeps it from drying out.  You can add other flavorings, but again for me it would depend on A - what you like and B - what else is going to be on the table.  Cloves, pineapple, orange or lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, etc., are all flavors I've seen paired with ham.  Or you may just want to do something basic like a brown sugar/honey glaze. 

If this is a "fresh ham" - or a raw pork roast, that's another matter entirely.  And skin on or skin off would make a difference to cooking/prep technique.

And honestly, if that's not a typo on the price, you might want to look around here for what other people pay for meat... $11 for 2 lbs of ham is actually a good price in my book.  I paid $8/lb for beef for chili this morning, and that's even on the cheap end of the spectrum (ground beef is usually $6/lb).  I understand it may seem like a lot to you if you don't normally buy for quality, but the way you worded it just made me laugh when I think about what I pay for meat.  Pretty sure that's not the reaction you were hoping to elicit. 

[mommy212]

I've always liked mustard and brown sugar glazed hams. Just mix a couple tables dijon mustard with 1/4 cup or so brown sugar in a small bowl. Cut criss-crosses across the entire top surface of the ham. Rub generously with the mustard mixture, pushing it into the cuts. Sticking whole cloves in the cuts is great too. With a small ones like yours, I would bake at 350 for an hour or so to mesh flavors, basting with any juice that comes out. If there is no juice, add some apple juice or broth.

[nia82]

That sounds yummy, I love mustard. Do you use chicken or beef broth? It's a smoked ham so I wonder if I get away with a lower temp?

Hmm I found the ham quite expensive, but I usually do not buy pork. I stick with beef or chicken, I can get organic ground beef local for $3.75/pound and a whole young organic chicken for $7-8, so I found this pork quite pricey!

[mommy212]

First of all: Where the heck do you live to get these kinds of prices and can you send me some??? :) It was very expensive out here for organic meats. 

I use whatever broth I have on hand, as long as it is not strongly flavored (I would not, for instance, use a chinese-flavored stock)

[cristeen]

Originally Posted by mommy212 

First of all: Where the heck do you live to get these kinds of prices and can you send me some??? :) It was very expensive out here for organic meats. 

LOL!  That's about what I was thinking, too.  A whole chicken runs me about $20 and ground beef like I said before is $6/lb.  I think ground pork is the same, and ground lamb and buffalo (when I can find it) are both $7 IIRC. 

[nia82]

Wyoming? Of course far far away from anything else, but a gazillion beef and buffalo ranchers everywhere....