Cooking is hard work

How to successfully cook a pineapple honey-glazed ham

Make+sure+that+you+thank+the+people+who+do+the+cooking+in+your+house.+

Chloe Houwman

Make sure that you thank the people who do the cooking in your house.

Chloe Houwman, Entertainment Editor

This past Sunday, I decided that I wanted to do something different: cook dinner for my extended family. Now, most people might begin with an easy meal like spaghetti and meatballs, but I wanted to challenge myself and rise to the occasion. I wanted to cook an 18-pound ham. It could not be that hard right? Wrong. 

I began by doing what anyone would do: look up a recipe on the internet. I found exactly what I was looking for thanks to Food Network. However, I made some modifications that did not work out in my favor regarding the time that it took to prepare and complete this meal.

 

What you will need:

  • 10-pound fully-cooked ham
  • Two 20 ounce cans of sliced pineapple (the kind that looks like thin donuts)
  • 20 maraschino cherries
  • 2 cups honey
  • 2 cups brown sugar

 

Instructions for Pineapple Honey-Glazed Ham:

          1. Set your 10-pound ham out to thaw for 30 minutes.

*I did not follow this step. Not complying with this instruction added about an hour and a half to my total cooking time. This most likely had to do with the fact that my ham was eight pounds heavier than the one the recipe called for, and the fact that I put my ham in the oven when the center of the meat was at 30 degrees instead of the recommended room temperature.

 

          2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

 

          3. Cut the netting off the ham, and place the ham flat-side down in a roasting pan with a rack on the bottom. Make sure that you fill the pan with about a fourth of an inch of water. It is important to make sure that once the water evaporates you continue to fill the pan with some water. This makes the ham moist. Put the ham in the oven.

 

          4. Drain the pineapple juice from the cans and save the juice for later. Arrange the pineapple slices all over the ham and secure each piece with toothpicks. In the center of each pineapple slice add a maraschino cherry and secure it with a toothpick. Cover the pan with a tinfoil tent to retain moisture.

 

          5. Put the ham in the oven and let it cook until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees. Measure the temperature by using an instant thermometer, inserting it into the thickest part of the meat. This will take roughly 2 and a half hours for a ten-pound ham. (For larger hams, note that it takes roughly 15 minutes per pound). *If you don’t follow the first step, this step will take roughly three and a half hours. I highly recommend planning ahead. I decided that I was going to take on this project 15 minutes before I started cooking. 

 

          6. Place the pineapple juice, brown sugar, honey and any remaining pieces of pineapple that did not fit on the ham (cut those remaining pieces into small chunks) into a medium-sized saucepan over medium to low heat. Simmer and stir occasionally until the mixture is thickened and has a syrup-like consistency. This will likely take 30 minutes.

 

          7. After the ham has reached 130 degrees, take the ham out of the oven and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees. 

 

          8. Brush a third of the glaze over the ham. Put the ham back into the oven for 15 minutes; then, repeat this process 2 more times until the glaze is gone. 

 

          9. The ham is completed once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees.

 

This might not have been how I initially planned on spending my Sunday afternoon (and evening if we are being honest), but it was an opportunity for me to show my family that I appreciate them. And let me tell you, it was delicious. Maybe I should be a chef. Just kidding, I do not have enough patience for that.