Recipe Background
Mimi's Spring Ham combines tradition with a twist for a memorable meet-the-parents moment.
The first time I met the parents of my partner was a spring Sunday that I’ll never forget. I'd been invited to their annual family brunch, a tradition where everyone brought a dish. The stakes felt high, and I needed something that said impressive but also classic. Mimi's Spring Ham came to mind, an ode to our family’s recipe that everyone loved. I always kept a stash of whole cloves in my kitchen for just such occasions. Their aroma is my time machine back to my childhood holiday dinners. Why not channel that nostalgia into a new family? Scoring the ham’s surface for diamond perfection was a meditative ritual before the big day, marking the ham like it would mark this milestone in our relationship.
As I prepared the glaze, a blend of brown sugar and spicy mustard, my nerves started to melt away. The unconventional addition of Dr Pepper gave the ham a unique twist, echoing my quirky culinary style. And there it was—the culinary fidget that made it truly mine. While the sweet, spiced scent wafted through my apartment, I had my trusty roasting tips ready. Tent the ham with foil to maintain juiciness and let it rest properly after cooking for the cleanest slices. When I presented the ham at the brunch, it was more than just a centerpiece. It became a symbol of new beginnings, a bridge between family traditions. The reception was warm, and from then on, Mimi’s Spring Ham was lovingly claimed by more than just my relatives.
Ingredients
- 1 (15-18-pound) bone-in ham fully-cooked
- whole cloves to taste
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
- 1 can Dr Pepper or Coca-Cola®
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- On a cutting board with a sharp knife, add the ham and score the surface in a diamond pattern with cuts about 1/8-inch-deep.
- Add the cloves in the middle of each point of the diamond pattern on the ham.
- In a large roasting pan with a rack, add the ham and tent it with aluminum foil.
- Bake the ham for about 1 hour 30 minutes.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the brown sugar, the spicy brown mustard, the soda, and the apple cider vinegar and whisk to combine.
- Cook the sauce mixture until it is bubbly, reduced, and slightly thicker, about 15 minutes.
- Remove and discard the aluminum foil and with a pastry brush, evenly brush about half of the sauce mixture all over the ham.
- Bake the ham until glossy, about 20 minutes, then reapply the sauce all over the ham.
- Repeat the basting every 20 minutes while the ham finishes baking, until the ham reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F, about 45 minutes.
- Transfer the glazed ham from the oven to a wire rack and let it rest in the pan before carving, about 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer the glazed ham from the roasting pan to a clean cutting board and, using a sharp or electric knife, cut the ham into serving-size slices.
- Serve.
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