The Best Glazed Ham!

First, place the ham in a baking pan large enough to hold it without crowding the sides; Then put it into the refrigerator to chill.

Now, in a 12-inch skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, add the brown sugar, and cook it gently until it dissolves.

Then – over medium-high heat—stir in the honey, Coca-Cola, frozen pineapple juice, ginger, mustard, paprika, peppercorns, and red wine vinegar, and stir constantly until all of the ingredients have become thoroughly blended and smooth (should have a semi-thick sauce at this point).

Next, using a small ladle, generously baste the ham with the sauce (it should thicken to a glaze if the ham was chilled enough).

Lightly cover the ham with plastic wrap and put it back in the refrigerator for at least another hour.

When ready to cook: preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Take the ham and score it in diagonal cuts about a half-inch apart and a half-inch deep.

Now decorate it with the pineapple slices and cherries – pin the pineapple in place with toothpicks and put a cherry in the center of each slice (also push 4 cloves into each pineapple slice).

Generously spoon the basting sauce over the entire dressed ham (you want to use all the sauce).

Cover the ham with a “tent” made of aluminum foil (but do not cover it tightly, otherwise the tent will steam out all the natural juices and cause it to be dry).

Plan to bake it in the oven for 1 hour, basting occasionally with the marinade drippings that collect in the bottom of the pan.

Now remove the aluminum foil tent and bake the ham uncovered for another 35-45 minutes or until beautifully glazed; Continue basting until the marinade sticks to the ham and forms a shiny crust.

When it’s cooked, remove from the oven, allow it to set for 15 minutes on the countertop before slicing, and serve it with generous ladle-fulls of the the"secret gravy.

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