Glazed Smoked Ham

Oh Thanksgiving!!! I'm just going to tell you right now I am SO looking forward to the feast this year! I'm not sure if it is because I can play the excuse... but I'm eating for two... and go for thirds and fourths!!! Man-oh-man! I'm pretty positive that our little blueberry will not mind!! : )

Basically I just want the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and bread!!! Yummy! But I don't want any tricks played... just Grandma's mashed potatoes where she puts a little more cream in mine and Stove Top stuffing baby!!! For some reason that is the only stuffing that satisfies me! : )

Alright... back onto this recipe. I'm going to give you a recipe that I tried last year for Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit! For some reason I volunteered myself to make the ham last year and I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I never made a ham before! I went to my trusty foodnetwork.com and found a recipe that said "easy" and gave it a whirl. It was easy, looked and smelled amazing, and actually was so good! I don't eat ham... but I ate this ham!! I don't even think I had leftovers!!

Glazed Smoked Ham
Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

1 large onion, quartered, root end intact
1 (5 to 7 pound) smoked ham (shank end)
3/4 cup apricot jelly
1/4 cup water
8 sprigs fresh thyme, stripped
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons molasses
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch ground cloves
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Score the ham with a cross hatch pattern through the thick layer of skin and fat. Arrange the onions in the center of a foil lined sheet pan or large roasting pan and set the ham on top of them. Bake for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, stir together the apricot jelly, water, thyme leaves, mustard, 3 tablespoons of the vinegar, the molasses, Worcestershire, allspice, and cloves in a saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until the jelly has dissolved and sauce is smooth, about 4 minutes. After the ham has been baked for 1 hour, brush with the apricot mixture every 15 minutes for another 45 minutes or until nicely glazed. Transfer the ham to a serving platter, tent with foil and set aside while making the sauce.

Discard the onions, remove the foil and pour the sauce into a skillet. Add the broth and bring to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, mix the butter and flour together until you form a paste. Whisk in to the pan juices and let sauce simmer until thickened like gravy. Finish with the remaining tablespoon of vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Thinly slice the ham and serve with the sauce.

Um, I think I need to go get a snack. My stomach is growling big time! I might even have some Stove Top Stuffing in my pantry.... hmmm.... is it to early to eat stuffing...

foodnetwork.com