Crack Ham

Ingredients

• 10 lbs cooked ham, preferably bone-in shank portion
• 2 cups bourbon
• 2 cups orange juice
• 3 cups dark brown sugar, equivalent to one pound
• 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup molasses
• salt (optional)

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 400°. Rinse the ham and slice off the tough outer skin, taking care not to remove too much of the fat along with it. Score the ham, cutting long crisscrossing lines at least ¼ inch deep and 1 inch apart all over. Place the ham in a heavy nonreactive (glass or stainless steel) roasting pan or baking dish and slowly pour ½ cup bourbon over the meat, letting it sink in as much as possible. Place the ham, uncovered, in the oven.

2. 2

   In a saucepan, boil the orange juice until reduced by half. Remove from the heat and stir in the brown sugar, mustard, molasses and the remaining 1½ cups of bourbon.

3. 3

   After the ham has baked for about 45 minutes, remove it from the oven and cover with the glaze, making sure you get into all the crevices that have now opened up; pour the remaining glaze into the pan. Return the ham to the oven and bake for at least 1½ hours longer, brushing it with glaze very 30 minutes or so (if the top of the ham begins to burn, cover it with aluminum foil). When the glaze is well-browned, remove the ham from the oven, place it on a serving platter and cover loosely with foil.

4. 4

   Taste the juices from the roasting pan and season with salt if needed. Pour some of the sauce over the ham and place the rest in a serving bowl. Serve immediately, carving the ham at the table.