Port Wine, Citrus and Cracked Pepper Glazed Boneless Ham

This ham’s delicious glaze will wow even the most discerning palates. For a twist, use orange zest instead of lemon. Recipe by Chef Lou Rook III of Annie Gunn’s restaurant in St. Louis, Missouri.

Recipe Ingredients:

Port Wine, Citrus and Cracked Pepper Glaze:
1 1/4 cups Port (Ruby or Taylor)
1 1/4 cups orange juice
1 3/4 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup soy sauce
8 cloves
3 tablespoons peppercorns, cracked*
2 lemon, zested**

1 fully-cooked boneless ham, about 8 pounds

Cooking Directions:

1. For Glaze: In a 4-quart Dutch oven, combine port, orange juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, cloves and peppercorn and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer about 45 minutes or until volume is reduced by half (about 2 cups).
2. For Ham: Loosely wrap ham with foil and place cut-side down in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Bake at 275°F (135°C) for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until ham reaches an internal temperature of 80°F (26.6°C).
3. Remove foil, leaving the foil on the bottom of the pan. Increase temperature to 325°F (160°C) and bake for 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 120°F (50°C).
4. Brush with glaze, bake 15 minutes, brush again and bake 15 more minutes or until internal temperature reaches 140°F (60°C). Remove from oven, brush with glaze and lemon zest.

Makes 40 (1-teaspoon) servings of sauce and 32 to 40 (3-ounce) servings of ham.

*To crack peppercorns, place in baggie and pound with meat mallet or rolling pin to crack easily

**You can use orange or lemon zest.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1 teaspoon sauce; 3 ounces ham): Calories: 130 calories; Protein: 17 grams; Fat: 4 grams; Sodium: 1300 milligrams; Cholesterol: 45 milligrams; Saturated Fat: 1 grams; Carbohydrates: 8 grams; Fiber: 0 grams.

Recipe and photograph provided courtesy of National Pork Board.