Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Holiday Ham - Bourbon Pistachio Crusted - 52 Holiday Church PotLuck Main DIshes



HAPPY HOLIDAYS (but really I mean Merry Christmas!)

I do so LOVE this ham.  The crusty coating is loaded with Earthy savory mustard, Sweet brown sugar, just a little sinful Bourbon flavor and the crunchy texture of roasted Pistachio nuts throughout.

This year, hams went on sale just before Christmas.  Never one to miss a bargain, I pondered this late minute addition to my menu.

Hams are generally sold unfrozen so it is easy to make a last minute addition.  The sale price of less than a dollar a pound makes this an incredible bargain.

And honestly, ham leftovers are better than turkey leftovers (I will post a couple of those ideas in a few daysO.  SO I grabbed a big one and viola...

VERY EASY to make (much easier than a turkey).  Memorable and drool worthy flavors (Sweet, Earthy, Savory and a little sinful), a dramatic presentation ...

Such a winner... Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

And keep scrolling down for the easy to follow recipe.


OK... Here's what I did...

Pistachio Crusted Ham

Ingredients
  • 1 Boneless Ham (about 15 pounds)
  • 1/2 Cup Brown Mustard, Country style with seeds
  • 2 Cups Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1/4 Cup Kentucky Bourbon
  • 2 Cups Crushed Pistachio nut chips
Cooking Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees
  2. Rinse ham, hand rub the outer coating off the ham. Using a SHARP small paring knife, score the ham in a diamond pattern. Rotate the ham after each cut so that the scores are no more than 1/2 -inch deep.  The aim is to create a diamond pattern all over the ham. 
  3. In a mixing bowl, mix the Mustard, Brown Sugar, Bourbon and nuts to form a paste.  Spread only about 1/4 of the paste on the bottom of the ham, then turn the ham over and spread the remaining majority of the paste on the top of the ham.
  4. insert a remote probe thermometer, and cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the deepest part of the meat registers 130 degrees.
  5. Raise the temperature to 350 degrees.
  6. Bake uncovered until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees (about another hour).
  7. Allow to rest for a half an hour before carving
  8. Serve warm and ENJOY!

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This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...

Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".
I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

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