Hybrid Ham

That's right, hybrid ham!  Plug it in, runs on electricity or gas....oh, wait.  I got confused.

My boys told me that calling it a "Hybrid Ham" was dumb.  I told them that since it combines cooking techniques, it is a hybrid.  My kitchen, my rules, right?

HYBRID HAM

1 Ham, semi-boneless
water
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cloves

Put the ham in a large pot, half cover it with water, and cook for 20 minutes per pound, turning every 30 minutes or so, until the ham is just about falling apart.  Remove the ham from the water and put it in a roasting pan.  Remove the rind and fat, if any, from the outside of the ham.  Stir together the brown sugar and cloves, and add 3 to 4 tbsp of the water in which the ham cooked, just enough to make the brown sugar mixture into a gooey paste.  Spread on the outside of the ham, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 325F, just long enough for the sugar to harden. If you want gravy, take 2 cups of the water in which the ham cooked, and boil it down by half while the ham is in the oven.  Stir together 1/4 cup cold water and 2 tbsp cornstarch, and whisk into the reduced ham cooking water, along with one teaspoon of Dijon or other mustard.

Ham is a surprisingly lean meat; the biggest problem with it is the salt content.  Boiling it for most of the cooking time leaches out most of the salt, and the rub for the outside gives it extra flavor.  It was falling apart tender, and everyone loved it.  There was barely enough of a 4 pound ham left for Dan and my dearly beloved to have lunch the next day, if that tells you anything!

Happy Monday, everyone!