Connie's Country Ham

I have been trained by many good cooks over the years, and one of the most influential of them is my husband's baby sister. She is the contributor of this most favorite way to do a whole ham. It is nice for a large crowd and is tradition around our Christmas morning breakfast, along with cheese grits, biscuits, and cranberry casserole. Having baked slowly all night, nobody has a hard time waking up to this outstanding aroma. And don't forget to save the bone and all bits that don't slice so well. I put all remnants in a giant zip bag and freeze, drawing from it all year long when doing green beans, red beans and rice, black-eyed peas, etc. Don't wait until Christmas nor breakfast: good for dinner, too. Your guests will love you forever.

whole country ham
brown sugar
mustard

1.Scrub whole ham, if needed. (To some of you city types, country ham ages & therefore sometimes has mold on the outside. It’s O.K. Just wash it off with cold water.) Soak whole ham in a sink of cold water for 12-24 hrs. (I usually do 12 hrs. because I can’t give up my sink for longer than that).

2.Put ham in oven fat-side up under a tent of aluminum foil 375 for 1 hr. Turn oven down to 250 & bake 45-50 min. per pound. For the average ham, you will bake it approx. 12 hrs. Internal temperature should be 170 degrees when done. It will continue to bake when removed from oven.

3.Let ham cool so that you can handle it without burning your hands. Cut off fat. This is the messiest part. Score ham with knife.

4.Brown sugar/mustard glaze: spread regular mustard over the ham. Pat brown sugar over it thoroughly. Return ham to oven at 350 degrees for 30 min.

5.Country hams usually carve better when they are almost cooled. However, if your house is like mine, your family will not be able to stand smelling it bake for 12 hrs. & have to wait another minute once it is done.