Spice Rubbed Ham Recipes

BROWN SUGAR AND SPICE DRY HAM RUB

Steps:

• Mix together brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, mustard powder, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl until well blended. Makes enough rub to cover one 3 to 5 pound ham. To be sure sugars form a crust, do not cover the ham during cooking. If not using immediately, store in an airtight tin.

TOASTED SPICED HAM DRIZZLED IN HONEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Place ham on an open brown paper bag for easy clean up. With the tip of a paring knife carefully score a 1-inch grid pattern around the outside of the ham. Brush the entire surface of the meat on all sides with some of the honey.
• Season the entire surface of the meat on all sides with the toasted spice rub and thyme. Add about a half cup of water to the base of the roaster. Place ham on several celery sticks in the roasting pan.
• Cook for 1 hour. Every 15 minutes, baste ham with juices that collect in the base of the roaster and the honey. Let rest for 15 minutes before carving as desired.
• Toast the fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and peppercorns in a small, heavy pan over medium heat. (Toasting freshens spices, releases their oils, and makes them more fragrant, as well as adding a new dimension of flavor.) When the fennel turns light brown, work quickly. Turn on the exhaust fan; add the red pepper flakes, and toss, toss, toss, always under the fan. Immediately turn the spice mixture out onto a plate to cool. Put in a blender with the sweet chili powder, salt, and cinnamon and blend until the spices are evenly ground.
• If you have a small spice mill blender or a coffee grinder dedicated to grinding spices, grind only the fennel, coriander, pepper, and chili flakes. Pour into a bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Keep the spice mix in a glass jar in a cool, dry place, or freeze.
• *Chef's Tip: Taste your chili powder and, if spicy and hot, cut back the amount. California chiles are almost sweet, not hot.
• Yield: 1 cup

SPICY MUSTARD HAM GLAZE (NOT SWEET AT ALL)

Steps:

• 1. In a small bowl, wisk all ingredients together.
• 2. Pat ham dry with papertowel.
• 3. Schmear all over ham.
• I put mine in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low, or you could bake, roast, smoke, or grill the ham, depending on your preference. You could also marinate the ham before cooking, but I just didn't think about this until the morning of.
• I made a double batch of this to use as a dipping sauce as well. Delish!

SPICE-RUBBED FRESH HAM WITH CITRUS GLAZE

Steps:

• Score fat on ham in a 3/4-inchwide diamond pattern. Finely grind fennel, coriander, and peppercorns in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder. Transfer to a bowl; stir in zests and salt. Rub mixture over ham, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 to 3 days.
• Unwrap ham; let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine 2 cups water, grapefruit wedges, and lime halves in a roasting pan. Set ham on a wire rack in pan. Bake, basting every hour, and covering with parchment-lined foil after 1 hour, until a thermometer inserted into bottom part (avoiding bone) reads 140 degrees, about 4 hours, 30 minutes (about 20 minutes per pound). Remove from oven; let rest 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, increase heat to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss assorted cut citrus with oil and sprinkle generously with sugar. Roast, turning once, until browned, about 40 minutes.
• While meat is resting, cook honey, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until deep golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; slowly stir in citrus juices. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Brush 3 tablespoons glaze over ham.
• Serve ham with roasted citrus, pomegranate, fennel crowns, and remaining glaze.