Sangria Ham
This tasty and tender ham offers a new option for holiday or special occasion meals. Other fruit juices may be added to the basting blend in this recipe, but the acidity of the pineapple juice and wine combination is hard to beat for a moist, delicious main course.
Ingredients
1 (8 pound) bone-in fresh ham with rind removed
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 pound brown sugar
1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
2 cups Rioja or Burgundy wine, LW suggests Gerpgui or Vina Bercio Rioja
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Baking time: 4 hours.
2. Use a sharp knife to score the ham 1/4 inch deep in a diamond pattern. Place in a large roasting pan with the fat side up. Liberally stud in a decorative manner with the whole cloves. Pack the top of the ham with the brown sugar to coat the surface as thickly as possible.
3. Roast, uncovered, until the sugar begins to melt, about 20 minutes. During this time, mix together the pineapple juice and wine. When the sugar has begun to melt, pour one cup of the wine mixture over the ham, and return the ham to the oven for 40 minutes.
4. After one hour in the oven, baste the ham with a second cup of the wine mixture, stirring it into the pan drippings. Return the ham to the oven for 2 more hours, basting after the first hour with the remaining wine mixture.
5. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F, and baste the ham every 20 minutes with the pan drippings for the final hour of cooking. A meat thermometer should read 160 degrees F before serving. Makes 10 servings.
