I've had this ham in the freezer just waiting to be cooked. I wanted to do it in my dutch oven, but I don't have one big enough. I was talking to a friend about it and she told me she has this big dutch oven that she got as a wedding gift and has never taken out of the box. So she brought over a 12" deep oven. I'm so jealous! I've been wanting a deep oven forever. Anyway, I seasoned it up and broke it in. I found this ham recipe on the Internet. Most of the recipes I looked at were pretty similar and they all got rave reviews. Just like with most knock off recipes, I really didn't expect this to taste exactly like a Honeybaked Ham. Often the taste is in the method as well as the ingredients. But even if it only tastes a little like a Honeybaked Ham it would be worth it. Any it would save me $60 or $70 bucks every year.
Honeybaked Ham
12" or 14" deep dutch oven
1 cooked half ham, bone in (presliced)
1 cup sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t paprika
1 dash ground ginger
1 dash ground allspice
Mix everything but the ham together in a small bowl. Spread waxed paper on your workspace and place the ham on it. Spread the sugar mixture over the ham with your hands and roll it in the sugar until it is well coated on all sided except the flat side. You won't use all the sugar. Place ham on a plate with flat/cut end down.
Use a blow-torch or créme brulée torch with a medium-sized flame to caramelize sugar on the outer surface of the ham. Wave the torch over the sugar with rapid movements, so that the sugar bubbles and browns, but does not burn. Spin the plate so you can torch the entire surface of the ham. Place the ham inside the dutch oven and cook according to package directions.
If you don't have a torch you can add water to the sugar to form a paste and coat the ham during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
The Finished Product
This ham was so tender it was falling off the bone. I almost couldn't get it out of the pot!
The Review
Sadly, this didn't taste like a Honeybaked Ham. That being said, it was absolutely delicious and I'll make it again. It was fun to watch the sugar caramelize. All my kids gathered around to watch and point out the spots I'd missed. As long as you keep the torch moving you don't have to worry about burning it. I was really surprised at how easy it was to do. Grade A.
You wrote: "Sadly, this didn't taste like a Honeybaked Ham."
ReplyDeleteNot to put too fine a point on it, but the recipe you used doesn't include any honey, which will impart a different flavor than refined cane sugar. If you try it again, use honey instead of sugar, and see if you don't like the results better.
Most of the the recipes I've seen employ citrus too, usually one of: pineapple, orange or lemon (but not lime or grapefruit).