Got family (or friends that are family) coming for a festive dinner? Or just a Sunday cook up? This ham is always moist, juicy and so delicious. As much as the kids love chicken, when this is on the menu also, they return for more ham!
Ingredients
- One 10-pound, bone-in smoked ham, skin removed and fat trimmed to 1/4 inch
- 3 cups Dr Pepper (not diet)
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup pitted prunes
- 1/3 cup yellow mustard
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water
How to Make It
Preheat the oven to 325° and position a rack in the bottom third of the oven. Set the smoked ham in a large roasting pan. Score a 1/4-inch-deep crosshatch pattern into the fat at 2-inch intervals. Pour 2 cups of the Dr Pepper and the 2 cups of water into the pan and roast the ham for about 2 1/2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the ham registers 120°. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, simmer the prunes in the remaining 1 cup of Dr Pepper until they are plump and the liquid is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the prunes to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Whisk the mustard, brown sugar and vinegar into the liquid in the saucepan and boil until very thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.
Drizzle the syrupy glaze over the ham and roast until glossy, 20 minutes. Carefully transfer the ham to a cutting board.
Pour the pan juices into the saucepan and spoon off the fat. Boil the sauce until reduced to 2 cups, 10 minutes. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry and the prunes and bring to a boil. Simmer the sauce until thickened, 2 minutes. Slice the ham and serve with the Dr Pepper sauce.
Note: I have a mustard sauce I’ve been making for years, which I also make and combine it with this sauce …. that is the key to having lots of juicy, tasty sauce to drizzle over.
Kathy’s Mustard Sauce:
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp dry mustard powder
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 beaten egg, set aside.
In small sauce pan bring vinegar, sugar, mustard and butter to a boil. Remove from heat and EVER SO SLOWLY drizzle into the beaten egg, whisking as you go. When it is all incorporated, return to the heat and stir as it thickens. Remove from heat, and stir into the Dr. Pepper sauce.
Another bonus to this recipe? Today we had a smaller group so I bought a double smoked boneless ham and cooked it at 275 until the internal temperature was 120. Carried on with the rest of the recipe, and it was perfect.
Years ago Rob and Mandy gave us a subscription for Food and Wine Magazine … this recipe is from those issues, and I know the ham is a fave in their home too!
chattykathychatsandcooks 
I get a lot of prunes from the food bank. Thanks for the idea in using them with ham. Your baked ham looks delicious.