I’ve been nibbling away on my mom’s leftover holiday ham for over a week now. We had slices of the savory sweet ham on Christmas Eve, then she packed it up for each of us kids to take home with us. There was so much leftover – Mom baked 20 pounds of ham – that she carefully used her scale to portion the ham out and then froze lots too. I’m sure we’ll be eating her ham futures during 2010. (The photo above is of her finished products, before slicing.)
But that’s okay because I love ham -- pork is the go-to meat in the Vietnamese kitchen. If it’s not grilled like the Vietnamese restaurant-style lemongrass pork steaks I mentioned last week, then it’s simmered in caramel sauce, or made into cold cuts for stuffing into banh mi. But then there’s the ham – which is nothing but a fore or hind leg of a pig. My family has had a love affair with with American-style baked ham ever since we were first gifted our first Honey Baked ham for Christmas.
Secret to injecting flavor into honey baked ham
That went on for a few Christmases and then one day, my mom decided to make her own. She wanted to figure out how to imbue the ham with flavor. My father, ever the tinkerer, suggested that we inject the ham with honey as that’s what Honey Baked Ham must do.
So my oldest sister, a pharmacist who had access to medical equipment, brought a few giant syringes and needles home. Our family shot, squirted and made a number of Honey Baked ham knockoffs that we enjoyed for practically every occassion – Easter, Christmas, family reunions, birthdays -- over the course of many years. We never tired of it and my mom kept refining her technique.
I’ve been in charge of Christmas Eve dinner for about 10 years now but in 2009, I was too busy to manage the entire meal. My mom took over and she brought back her ham. Ever the frugal Viet cook, she got an 88 cents a pound deal on ham at a local supermarket and came home with 2 butt portions. In the first photo below – she explains that the butt portion doesn’t have as much skin as the shank portion, making it less wasteful and a better cut to use. She used to use the shank portion, as mentioned in her handwritten recipe card. Finally, Mom's organizing the ham for freezing.
The flavor was delicately sweet and savory throughout. I wondered what mom’s secret to making her honey baked ham. “Are you making dad inject the ham these days?†I asked. I stopped doing that long ago, she said and revealed that she soaks, simmers, then bakes the ham.
“Injecting the ham put too many ugly holes in the meat,†mom explained. Her three-part technique removes some of the saltiness from the cured ham, then infuses it with flavor. That’s my brilliant mother. Here’s her honey ham recipe – translated and scaled down from her recipe card (pictured above) -- for you to try out!
Recipe
Honey Baked Ham with Red Wine and Orange Rind
A fancy spiral cut ham won’t work as it’s been precut. If you’re doubling the recipe, my mom suggestes using a roasting pan and putting a metal rack at the bottom to make turning the hams easier. For the wine below, Mom uses Gallo jug wine. Seriously.
Serves 10 to 12 people
1 cured bone-in ham, shank or butt portion, about 7 pounds
½ cup honey
½ cup sugar
¾ cups burgundy wine (e.g., light red wine, such as pinot noir)
½ teaspoon whole cloves
Rind of 1 or 2 Navel oranges (use orange peel and white pith), cut into narrow strips
1. Cut off any skin and fat from the outside of the ham. Soak the ham in water overnight or longer (8 to 12 hours), changing the water midway through. Use a large stockpot or tub for the soaking.
2. Drain the ham, rinse it and pat it dry with paper towel. Put the ham along with the honey, sugar, wine, whole cloves and orange peel in a large pot – big enough to fit everything. The ham will not be fully covered. Bring things to a simmer, then lower the flame to maintain a vigorous simmer for 30 minutes. Halfway through, use tongs to turn the ham to ensure that all the meat is exposed to the seasonings. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 375F.Transfer the ham and all its seasonings to an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil, then roast for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, lower the heat to 300F and continue to baking for another 15 minutes.
Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing. Enjoy warm or cold. Freeze the ham for up to 3 months.
If you have secrets for making honey baked ham, or tips for eating one up, don't hold back. Share your insights!
Rosa says
That looks so scrumptious! a great way of preparing ham.
All the best for 2010!
Cheers,
Rosa
Eve says
The most important tip I know of for baking a ham: do NOT do that thing you always see in cookbooks and magazine covers where they stab the cloves into the surface of the ham to make a pretty pattern. It looks nice, but ends up mouth-numbingly inedible around where the cloves are and not clovey at all elsewhere.
Mary says
I think I love your mother.
Andrea Nguyen says
@Rosa: Happy 2010 to you! Hope you're well.
@Eve: you are so right about the cloves. I've never understood that. Kinda makes the ham look like old vinyl chairs!
@Mary: You're too sweet. My mom will crack up when she sees this post and your comment!
pedestal dining tables says
OMG! The ham looks so sinful but I think it is more of a delicious and heavenly ham! I want a slice of it! Come on!
Mary says
I actually baked a ham for Christmas -- it came out very nice, and the "homemade" chutney with it was excellent. But your mom's recipe looks much better than the one I used. Next year!
Tuty says
We enjoy baked ham.. not only during Christmas but whenever there is a sale, I buy one and bake it.
I will try your mom's method which reminds me of the method that my friend used when he prepared Smithfield cured ham.
Thanks, A,
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Ham with Honey sounds cool!!But I never take wine in my life.Is there any other option for this??But one thing I want to tell its just looks ummmyy.....mummmy!!!lots of love to mummy's recipe.
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I have a secret to tell is a bit Difficult to cut meat , but the rest is easy
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Ham with Honey sounds cool!!But I never take wine in my life.Is there any other option for this??But one thing I want to tell its just looks ummmyy.....mummmy!!!lots of love to mummy's recipe.
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The ham is mouth watery. I bet is so delicious. I'll try to make this at home and check the result. I guess this home-made ham you had here can be delightful treat. Thanks for sharing.
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Jodi says
I have been using this ham recipe for the past two years and it always gets rave reviews - I usually double the cloves and throw in a little extra wine and sugar. This year I used two oranges and a clementine (it's what I had around the house). We use the extra liquid as a glaze to pour over the ham when we serve it. My dad has to watch his salt-intake so soaking it overnight is a real win for him as it removes much of the saltiness while making the ham extra moist. Thank you Andrea for sharing this excellent recipe - it has become one of our family traditions.
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The ham is mouth watery. I bet is so delicious. I'll try to make this at home and check the result.
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Uh oh someones having a great lunch today! I would love to make my self one of those. If you don't mind can you share your recipe with that piece of art?