Tips For the Baking The Perfect Ham

(Family Features) Bringing together loved ones with classic seasonal meals is a staple of the holiday season, and few centerpieces call to mind childhood memories like a tender ham cooked to perfection. A longtime hallmark of family meals during the holidays, ham can feed a crowd, complement a wide variety of side dishes and is easily elevated with glazes, spices and rubs of all kinds for those who want to take their hosting up a notch.

While ham can be the centerpiece of your holiday dinner, it’s also a versatile dish that can be served for any special occasion. Ham is also ideal for incorporating into holiday brunches, served as an hors d’oeuvre at cocktail parties and shared at office potlucks.

To help cook the perfect ham for your celebration, consider this advice for a festive feast from the experts at Coleman Natural Foods, which has produced high-quality, all-natural, humanely raised, no antibiotics ever, fresh and prepared meats sourced from American farmers since 1875. Start with a tender and delicious spiral ham, which is pre-cut in one continuous swirl, allowing you to simply cut each piece from the one behind it for even, consistent slices.

Set the oven to 250-350 F, keeping in mind lower temperatures lead to longer cooking times but more tender meat. Bake 10-16 minutes per pound, adding glaze about 15 minutes prior to finishing, until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145 F at its thickest part.

Make your guests’ mouths water with a sweet glaze that mingles with the ham’s natural saltiness, creating a balance of flavors. To achieve a unique

taste, try flavors such as pineapple, honey or ginger. For a classic, delicious ham perfect for holiday gatherings and special occasions, try this recipe below. Find more holiday ham recipes at https://ColemanNatural.com.

Brown Sugar Honey Glazed Ham

Prep time: 12 minutes / Cook time: 90 minutes

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

In medium saucepan, combine ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until butter is melted and ingredients are well combined. Brush 1/2 of the glaze on ham, baste often with remaining glaze until ham is 145F.