RECIPE: BOURBON BAKED HAM

Being from the South, I can't remember an Easter Sunday without ham. My mom made the best ham; she'd bake it for hours and it would always be so delicious. Sometimes, she'd use pineapple and cherries to garnish the outside for very special occasions. That was when you knew you'd better be on your best behavior! My mother rarely used recipes and it is such a shame I didn't get this one from her before she passed away. Here's my version of my mom's Sunday ham.... with a little bourbon to put my own stamp on the original. Happy Easter and many blessings to you and yours!

Bourbon Baked Holiday Ham Martie Duncan

BOURBON BAKED HAM

INGREDIENTS

1 fully cooked bone-in ham about 10 pounds for a crowd

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup bourbon

2 tablespoons ground mustard

1/2 cup pineapple or apple juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon whole cloves (optional)

dash of cayenne or Tabasco sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Whisk the brown sugar, bourbon, ground cloves, mustard, cayenne, and pineapple juice together and let it sit. Next, prepare the ham.

I usually cook my ham in tin foil on a baking sheet like my mom but you can use a baking pan and a rack if you prefer. Put the ham, fat side up, onto a large piece of tin foil, large enough to make a tent over it-- meaning you close it up but don't let the foil touch the ham when you close it for baking... like a tent.

You don't have to do this next step, but it makes for a nice presentation. Use a small knife to cut a diamond pattern into the top layer of the fat. Just cut on the diagonal one way, then cut another diagonal going the other way to make the diamond shapes. Put a whole clove into each diamond. Or you could decorate the outside with pineapple like my mom did.

Next, brush half of the brown sugar mixture over the ham. Close and bake for an hour.

Open and brush on the remaining brown sugar. Add a 1/2 cup water, pineapple juice, or bourbon to the bottom of the pan. (if you use bourbon, make sure you are not near an open flame when you add it because the fumes can ignite!!) Close it up and bake for another hour or until the temperature reaches 140 degrees. Let the ham stand for at least 15 minutes before carving or it will fall apart.

MARTIE PARTY TIP: BAR ESSENTAILS AND TIPS FOR SERVING DRINKS AT A PARTY

“Where’s the bar” is the first question arriving party guests will ask as you greet them at the door. The bar is the central gathering place for many parties—even if alcoholic beverages aren’t served. Every bar should be equipped with basic tools, mixers, and spirits; when tools are not handy, it is difficult to get drinks out quickly. Lines begin to form and guests stand empty handed—a big party foul. Here’s a guide for building your bar. The quantities you will need will depend on how many guests you are serving, of course. If you’re not offering a full bar but serving a signature cocktail or just beer and wine, you certainly won’t need this extensive set-up; pick and choose what suits your needs from the list below. 

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Here are a few secrets I’ve figured out over the years….

  • Put something under your ice bucket or iced down beverages so you don’t end up with a wet tablecloth.
  • Get two back up bottle openers and put them away. Bottle openers not only break, but they seems to walk away at most parties, especially at outdoor parties and tailgates. If possible, tie the bottle opener or wine opener to your ice chiller or cooler using a pretty ribbon or twine. 
  • I often put an inexpensive plastic backed painter’s dropcloth under my nice tablecloth for the bar just in case there’s a spill. Some dropcloths have a cloth surface so they look great for casual settings.
  • For casual occasions, it is perfectly fine to use or rent one type of glass or stemware to be used for wine, iced tea and water.
  • When serving a signature cocktail, I often mix the base a day in advance and freeze it. Remove it an hour before guests arrive so it can slightly thaw. Add chilled liquor just before serving and stir well.
  • I get large multi-gallon plastic jugs from the restaurant supply store to pre-mix all of my beverages. Store these in the refrigerator, freezer or in a cooler to keep them cold and you won’t need as much ice.
  • Estimate 4.5 glasses of wine per bottle and 4 glasses of Champagne per bottle.
  • Estimate guests will drink approximately 1 drink per hour.
  • Have plenty of water and sparkling water available; pass glasses of chilled water on a tray to make sure guests don’t overindulge.
  • Make sure you are not cooling cans or bottles in the cooler with the ice for beverages. Have one cooler just for “clean” ice and provide a scoop and an ice bucket for service so guests won’t be tempted to scoop with their glass.

TOOLS

Ice Bucket

Tray

Ice Tongs

2 Bottle Openers

2 Wine Openers or Corkscrews

Blender

Juicer

2 Martini or Cocktail Shakers

2 Double Jiggers- the dual cone shaped measuring device

Shot Glass

Measuring Spoons

Muddler- essential for drinks like the Mojito

Cutting Board

2 Paring Knives

Zester

Stirrers or long cocktail spoons

Cocktail napkins

Assorted glassware

MIXERS

Club Soda

Tonic

Sour Mix

Water

Coke

Diet Coke

7-Up or Sprite

Ginger Ale

Orange Juice

Grapefruit Juice

Cranberry Juice

Pineapple Juice

Tomato Juice or Bloody Mary Mix

Horseradish

Tabasco

Worcestershire Sauce

Lime Juice

Lemon Juice

GARNISHES

Lemons

Limes

Oranges

Celery

Olives of all types, stuffed, etc

Maraschino cherries

Bitters

Fresh Mint

Salt

Pepper

Margarita Salt

SPIRITS

Vodka

Bourbon

Scotch

Rum

Gin

Tequila

Triple Sec