Good Bread Good Meat Good God Let's Eat : Bacon-Wrapped Ham with a Pineapple-Agave Glaze

Monday, December 30, 2013

Bacon-Wrapped Ham with a Pineapple-Agave Glaze

1 fully-cooked,quarter, half, or whole ham (preferably nitrite and nitrate free)
12 ounces bacon
1/4 cup 100% pineapple juice
2 tablespoons agave, or 100% maple syrup if agave is not available
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of paprika
Pinch of garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees.

Place your ham in a baking or roasting dish. For quarter or half hams, cook the ham with the face down. For a whole ham, place the ham face up. Cover the ham, entirely and securely, with aluminum foil, as not to dry it out. Cook the ham in the oven for 12-15 minutes per pound. Do not overcook!

While the ham is baking, combine the glaze ingredients (pineapple juice, agave, Dijon, pumpkin pie spice, and additional spices) in a small bowl. Place the glaze in the refrigerator until the ham is ready. Once the ham is cooked, remove it from the oven.

Turn up your oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the glaze over your ham. Arrange the bacon strips across the shorter side of the ham, forming an arch of bacon over the ham. Secure with as many toothpicks as necessary. Brush the bacon layer with your remaining glaze. Return to the bacon-wrapped ham to the oven, uncovered, for 12-18 minutes. Be sure to check on the bacon to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.