Equipment
Ingredients
Ham
- 4000 g bone-in spiral-cut smoked ham, room temperature
- 240 ml water
Fresh Pineapple Component
- 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored, and sliced into wedges
Sweet-Tart Glaze
- 240 ml pineapple juice
- 150 g dark brown sugar, packed
- 60 ml apple cider vinegar
- 30 g dijon mustard
- 15 g fresh ginger, grated
- 10 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Remove the ham from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to let it come to room temperature. Preheat your oven to 165°C/325°F.
In a medium saucepan, combine pineapple juice, dark brown sugar, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, grated ginger, whole cloves, and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half and syrupy, about 15-20 minutes. Strain out the solids and set aside.
Place the ham cut-side down in the roasting pan. Pour the water into the bottom of the pan (this creates steam to prevent drying). Cover the ham tightly with aluminum foil to seal in moisture.
Bake the ham covered for approximately 12-15 minutes per 500g (1 lb), or until the internal temperature reaches roughly 45°C/110°F. For a 4kg ham, this is about 1 hour 45 minutes.
Remove the ham from the oven and increase oven temperature to 220°C/425°F. Discard the foil. Brush the ham generously with the glaze. Arrange the fresh pineapple wedges around the base of the ham and tuck a few pieces between the spiral slices if space permits.
Return the pan to the oven uncovered. Roast for 15-20 minutes, basting with pan juices and more glaze halfway through, until the glaze is caramelized, the pineapple is tender, and the internal temperature of the ham reaches 60°C/140°F.
Remove from oven and let the ham rest for at least 15-20 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to redistribute. Serve with the roasted pineapple wedges.
Chef's Notes
- Select a 'city ham' (wet-cured and smoked), not a country ham (dry-cured and very salty) or a fresh ham (raw pork leg).
- Fresh pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which tenderizes meat. While perfect for this roasting method, do not prep this dish the night before and let the raw fruit sit on the meat, or the texture may become mushy.
- If using a spiral-cut ham, avoid glazing between the slices until the very end, or the sugars may act as a glue, making it difficult to pull the slices apart later.
- Save the ham bone! It is culinary gold for making split pea soup or flavoring a pot of collard greens later in the week.
Storage
Refrigerator: 5 days — Store slices in an airtight container with leftover glaze poured over to keep moist.
Freezer: 2 months — Freeze thick slices or the ham bone separately for soup stocks.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a covered pan with a splash of water or broth at 150°C/300°F until warm.
