Blood Orange Honey & Bourbon Glazed Ham

Ingredients

1 cup blood orange juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 Sunkist lemon, separated into juice and zest
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup whole-grain Dijon mustard
1/4 cup bourbon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
salt and black pepper to taste
1 bone-in half ham (about 6-10 lbs)

Procedure

  1. Move oven rack to the lower third area of the oven and preheat to 325° F. Line the bottom of a roasting pan with aluminum foil for easy cleanup, and set aside.

  2. In a sauce pot, combine all the ingredients except the ham, and whisk together. Turn the heat to medium-high and allow to cook until the mixture has a glaze consistency, about 5-10 minutes.

  3. Remove ham from package and pat dry if too wet.

  4. Place ham on roasting rack, flat side down, so the fatty side is facing up.

  5. Gently score the ham in a criss-cross pattern, and brush all over with 1/2 cup of the prepared glaze.

  6. Cover ham loosely with aluminum foil to prevent drying out or burning.

  7. Bake for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, until an instant thermometer inserted into the middle of the ham registers 125-130° F.

  8. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and peel back or remove the foil from the top and sides of the ham. Increase oven temperature to 425° F.

  9. Brush 6 tablespoons of glaze over the ham and bake for 20 minutes, brushing the ham with an additional 6 tablespoons of glaze every 6-7 minutes. You'll brush the ham with glaze approximately 3 times during this step. Be sure to watch the glaze so it doesn't burn, but instead turns a rich, deep golden color.

  10. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and place the ham on a large cutting board. Tent loosely with foil and let the ham rest for 20 minutes before slicing.