Baked Ham

For the most flavorful meat, get a smoked and salt-cured country ham. Before baking, put the ham in a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit overnight before baking, Supermarkets also offer ready-to-eat, fully cooked hams that require only a bit of seasoning and quick trip to the oven.

Ingredients
Whole or half ham, precooked, cured, or smoked
2 cups apple cider
3 tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 can pineapple slices

Instructions
*Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the ham flat-side down in a roasting pan with the apple sider. Bake a whole ham 10 minutes per pound, or a half ham 15 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees. Baste the ham with the liquid in teh pam from time to time during baking.
*When the ham is cooked, remove it from the oven and slide off the skin and most of the fat, leaving a quarter-inch layer. Lay the ham in the pan, fat-side up this time, and make crosshatches using a long, sharp knife.
*In a small bowl, make a paste of the mustard and brown sugar and rub it all over the ham. Add pineapple slices at this point if desired. securing the pieces with toothpicks. Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
*Return the ham to the oven and backe 15 minutes more or until it appears to be glazed, but before the sugar has a chance to burn.
*Tip: The ready-to-serve and canned hams available in supermakets require only this final embellishment and not the preliminary baking.