Growing up, few holiday family feasts were complete without a beautiful baked ham. That is why I want to show you how to bake a ham shank in the oven.
As an adult though, I primarily cooked ham steaks until last year. My family was at a gathering at the home of Aunt Beulah, my husband Reggie’s aunt. Her ham was one of the best ones that I had ever tasted so I asked her how to make a glazed ham in the oven.
When asked, she responded, “I don’t have a recipe.” Since she is originally from the south, I was not surprised so I took out my phone and recorded her telling me how she prepared it. I made some changes to her directions (leaving out the cloves and changing her syrup, brown sugar and water glaze) but I kept the preparation instructions the same for how to bake a ham shank in the oven.
For the sauce for the baked ham recipe, I use the ingredients from a (now archived)“Honey and Brown Sugar Ham Glaze” recipe from my friend Dawn’s PartyBluPrints.com site.
Many people prefer to glaze their ham during the entire time that the ham is baking or at the last 30 minutes of the ham cooking while turning the oven heat up to a higher temperature. I like sweet ham, so I do both and have a double glazed ham. It has now become one of my most popular holiday dishes and everyone (who eats pork) looks forward to it.
How to Bake a Ham Shank
Aunt Beulah’s Baked Ham
Yield: 8 – 10 servings
Ingredients:
Glaze (If you want to double glaze your ham like I do, simply double the ingredients.)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp prepared mustard
Ham
- 6 to 8 lb. fully cooked, bone-in ham (preferably the shank end portion)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 300° Fahrenheit.
2. Score (make shallow cuts forming a crisscross pattern) the ham.
3. Put 1/3 cup of water in the bottom of a large pan (a roasting pan if available) so that the pan won’t burn.
4. Place the ham (cut end down) on top of heavy duty aluminum foil. Glaze the ham with the brown sugar, honey and mustard mixture. Wrap the glazed ham in the aluminum foil and place it in the pan with the water on the bottom.
5. Bake the ham for 3 hours (or 20 -25 minutes per pound). Uncover and baste the ham each hour. (If you are using a meat thermometer, check for a minimum internal temperature of 145˚ F in the thickest part of the ham.) Add additional water to the bottom of the pan if needed to prevent burning.
6. Unwrap the ham and remove it from the aluminum foil. Place it back in the pan, glaze it and bake uncovered at 400° Fahrenheit for an additional 15 minutes.
Recipe Notes:
-Scrub and soak the ham in water in the refrigerator for 12 to 36 hours (changing the water every 4 hours) for a less salty ham.
-Once you take the ham out of the oven, wait at least 15 minutes before carving and serving it.
-If you are looking for baked ham dinner menu ideas to go along with the ham, my family often asks for collard greens, macaroni and cheese and sweet potato casserole.
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