Wishing You The Glory That is Easter

Right on the heels of spring bursting on the scene is Easter. I remember stopping by my MomMom and PopPop's on Easter Sunday to get my little boutonniere of Lilly of the Valley to wear to church services. They lived right next door to our church! My favorite hymns to this day are those we sang on Easter Sunday. "He Lives", "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and " Up From The Grave He Arose".
Well after church it was home to Easter dinner. We had two kinds of ham that were cured and hung months before: Very thin sliced Salt Cured "Country Ham" (not for every taste-LOL) and the traditional Baked Ham. There was always Maryland Beaten Biscuits (also not for every taste), scalloped oysters, Cole slaw, scalloped potatoes, baked pineapple, green beans and homemade 3 layer coconut cake for dessert.
My tastes have changed over the years and much of that tradition is just a memory. I have developed my own ham recipe and humbly I have to say I have tasted nothing better. One thing appealing about it to many is that you start by buying the cheapest fully cooked, ready to eat half ham, preferably a shank end portion. Yes, you are gonna bake it, but a fully cooked ham does not require that you cook it long. You are going to infuse it with flavor you will likely not forget.
Score the ham and poke in some whole cloves at the intersections if you like. Make a paste of brown sugar and yellow mustard. Place the ham with the cut side down, and fat side up into a foil tub that you form inside the baking pan. Smear the brown sugar mustard paste all over the ham, add pineapple and cherries and pour in a can or so of Coke Classic. Pull up the foil so that it loosely surrounds the ham and bake according to the package directions. My ham is usually 8 pounds and went for about 2 and 1/2 hours at 350 degrees, until an instant read thermometer read a little over 140 degrees. Remove the pan from the oven, carefully open up the foil, and baste the ham with the juices periodically during the baking time. When its done, let it rest about 15 minutes before cutting. Make your pan sauce while it's resting. To carve, take a knife and go completely around the bone to loosen the meat away from the bone. Locate the natural seams of the ham. Cut into those seams to loosen the sections. Remove those sections and slice each of them individually. Beautiful. I like to dredge the slices back into the Coca Cola pan juices and let them soak a bit before plating. You can also make a pan sauce with the drippings. To make the pan gravy, plate the ham and drizzle on a few spoons of the juice or gravy. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm. Transfer the pan drippings to a skillet, bring to a boil, stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter to add richness, and let reduce and thicken slightly. Place into a gravy boat to pass at the table.
I learned this years ago when I lived in Phoenix, AZ and it has remained my all-time favorite way to prepare the Easter ham, honey baked, spiral sliced, etc not withstanding!
Have a wonderful Easter no matter how you celebrate it.

Easter Wishes,
Dan