Here’s an easy ham that you can create for holidays or special occasions. It’s glazed with wine that’s been infused with orange and cranberries. This is a recipe that was first taught to me by my sister, and now I make it every Thanksgiving even though I typically think of it as an Easter recipe. I’ve made this enough times that I have the recipe memorized.
The main thing is to select a bottle of red wine that you like to drink. I love Carnivor because it’s quite bitter, it has very little sweetness to it. It’s very dark and makes the sauce come out quite purple. If you choose a sweeter or lighter colored red wine then the sauce may appear a bit brighter.
You will also need about 3 large oranges. What sizes you can find will obviously depend on the time of year and market conditions. You can also use about 6 small oranges. These oranges came off our tree!
My Tips
- Use a good-quality red wine.
Don’t use “cooking wine” or a $5 wine, unless that so happens to be one you really like. The flavor of the wine is the base of this sauce and it’s important that it’s something you enjoy. - Can you freeze this?
Yes! We often end up with a ton of leftovers and freeze for later use. This reheats beautifully. - How should this be stored?
Refrigerated in a covered container for 3-4 days. - Ways to use up leftovers:
Try this in sandwiches or on salads. - Can you make this ahead of time?
As long as the ham is a pre-cooked spiral sliced ham, then it won’t have long cooking time. It just takes about 7 minutes per pound. You can make the glaze ahead of time to save space the day of a large dinner if you’ve got a busy kitchen.
Equipment
- Large Roasting Pan
- Aluminum Foil
- Large Sauce pan
- Grater
Ingredients
- 9 lb spiral sliced pre-cooked ham
- 750 ml good red wine like cab
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3 large oranges
- 24 oz craisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Place the ham in a large roasting pan, then cover with aluminum foil. Place it in the oven and set the timer for an hour and 20 minutes.
- Pour the red wine into a larce sauce pan and bring it to a low simmer.
- Zest the oranges, then add the zest to the wine. You should end up with about 40 grams of zest, but it doesn't have to be exact.
- Juice the oranges, then add the juice to the wine. You should end up with about 6 ounces (or 3/4 a cup, or 200ml)
- Add the brown sugar and Craisins. Stir together until the sugar is dissolved, then continue to simmer until it thickens slightly. The berries should plump back up somewhat as well.
- Take the ham out of the oven then remove the foil. Pour the wine glaze over the top. I like to cover the top of the ham with the Craisins to protect it a bit and so that some of them with caramelize.
- Return the ham to the oven and allow it to bake, uncovered, for the rest of it's cooking time. So long as the ham is pre-cooked you just need to worry about it heating through, but you also want the sauce to continue to thicken up in the oven. Once it's ready, cut up the ham. Usuaully I just chop the ham haphazardly and mix the pieces into the sauce, but you can also cut it into large slices and serve with the sauce spooned on top.
