April 15: National Glazed Spiral Ham Day - a recipe in time for Easter Sunday

Today, April 15th is not only tax day but on a good note...on a delicious note, it is also National Glazed Spiral Ham Day.  Brian and I make the following recipe (included below) each year (sometimes twice a year - Easter and Christmas) but at least once a year for one of the holidays. 

Growing up, we always had the roasted or baked ham with the cloves and pineapple and sometimes maraschino cherries sticking out of it / on it, but this recipe won me over and is our new favorite - not just because it uses our JAVA & Co. products - but because it is so delicious.  Taste comes first, always.  The coffee infused syrup glazes the outside of the ham with a rich, candied crust and the JAVA Spice enhances the crust with the wonderful notes of fennel, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and black peppercorn. 

We are so pleased that Abe's Market wanted to share our glazed ham recipe with their audience - click here for the online feature.  This recipe is not for a spiral ham, but it IS rich, candied, delicious goodness on a plate.  One of the first times we made it, we took pictures, which I've included in this post.  Can't you just taste the goodness? Can you?!

GLAZED SPICED HAM ~

Ingredients:

2 tsp	JAVA Spice – Meat & Seafood Rub
5 oz	JAVA & Co.'s Coffee infused Syrup (French Vanilla or TiRUMisu)
6 to 8 lb.	Ham with bone in
1 cup	Water

Directions:

1.     Preheat roaster to 450º. 

2.     Using a sharp knife, make 1/4-inch-deep slashes in the ham in a criss-cross pattern making 1 inch squares.  Rub the spice rub over the ham and into the slashes and let stand for 5 minutes.

3.     Place ham on rack in roaster flat side down.  Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the roaster.  Roast at 450º for 30 minutes.

4.     Reduce heat to 275º and baste (brush with a pastry brush) ham with JAVA syrup.  Reserve extra syrup.

5.     Continue basting ham with syrup every 20 to 30 minutes until ham reaches an internal temperature of 160º. 

6.     Note:  Once you run out of extra syrup, baste ham from syrup and juices in the bottom of the roaster.

7.     When ham reaches an internal temperature of 160º(according to meat thermometer), then remove from heat.  Let rest for 10 minutes.  Slice and enjoy!