Recipe Detail Page

1 When ready to bake ham, preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

2 Use a small sharp knife to score a diamond pattern all over the roast, except on the cut area. Keep scoring shallow cuts about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.

3 Place ham in a roasting pan, fat-layer side up. Pour water into pan to a depth of ¼ inch (5 mm). Brush water over the cut surface of ham. For basting, pour ¼ cup (60 mL) bourbon into a small dish, then generously brush over scored areas. Cover ham with a large piece of parchment paper, then foil. Don’t seal to the pan sides.

4 Bake 1½ hours, basting with the bourbon in the pan every half hour and replenishing water in pan if necessary. Then remove parchment and foil. Baste the entire ham with bourbon. Roast, uncovered, for a final half hour. The ham is already cooked and, to be sure it is heated through, insert an instant-read meat thermometer into the centre of the ham; without touching the bone, it should read 140°F (60°C).

5 Meanwhile, begin praline glaze and sauce. Measure out 2 separate cups (250 mL each) of pecan pieces and set aside. Do not use pecan halves because their weight and size makes it difficult to keep them on the ham when glazing. If you have halves, coarsely chop. Pour syrup into a medium-size saucepan, about 9 inches (23 cm) wide is ideal, with a heavy bottom and high sides. Add brown sugar, ½ cup (125 mL) bourbon, butter and salt.

6 As soon as ham is removed from the oven, transfer it to a platter. Don’t cover. Place the praline saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Then without stirring, but giving an occasional swirl to the pan, bring mixture to a full rolling boil, about 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling vigorously without stirring until mixture reaches the soft ball stage. This will take 10 to 12 minutes of boiling. If testing with a candy thermometer, it should reach 235°F (112°C). Or test by half filling a cup with cold water. Drop about 1 tsp (5 mL) of hot syrup into the water. If it can be formed into a soft caramel ball it is ready.

7 As soon as praline mixture reaches the soft ball stage, pour about a ⅓ cup (80 mL) into a large measuring cup. This will be used as a sauce, so stir in one of the pre-measured cups of pecan pieces, then slowly stir in 2 tbsp (30 mL) bourbon and any bourbon remaining from the basting. Set aside. If it thickens on sitting, warm in the microwave on medium power and add more bourbon if necessary.

8 For the glaze, immediately return remaining praline mixture to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 cup (250 mL) of pecan pieces and stir with a wooden spoon until they are coated. Then as soon as mixture starts to boil, remove the pan from the heat and let sit 5 minutes to cool and thicken enough to coat the ham. Carefully place a large spoonful of coated nuts on top of the ham. Use the wooden spoon and a fork to move nuts and even out their placement. Do not touch with your fingers. If the caramel mixture is not sticking to the ham, let it cool a few more minutes, then repeat coating. Depending on the shape of the ham, you may have to use the back of the spoon or fork to hold nuts on the sides of the ham for a minute or 2 to secure their position. It may not be possible to cover all the sides of the ham with pecans.

9 Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. To serve the sauce warm, gently heat in the microwave on half power for about 1½ minutes (check and stir at 1 minute). Thin if necessary with a little bourbon.

TIP This recipe was tested both with real maple syrup and with maple-flavoured syrup. The less expensive flavoured syrups gave the most consistent results and did not seem to compromise the flavour. You can, if you wish, use pure maple syrup. Since it varies in thickness, however, you may not have to let it cool for 5 minutes after the final heating with the pecans before spooning on the ham.