Brown Sugar Bourbon Ham - An Easter Must!

Okay, Easter is right around the corner.  In my house, that means ham.  I've used a few different recipes over the years, but last year I tried one that beats all the rest, hands down.  This will be, I promise you, the BEST ham you've ever eaten.  I can't tell you enough of its deliciousness.  Looks like a lot of basting sauce at first, but it reduces down.  Trust me - scrap all your other plans and make this next weekend!

I used whiskey instead of bourbon - basically, whatever is in your liquor cabinet will work.  Thanks so much to the folks at Southern Living for dreaming this up!

Brown Sugar-Bourbon Baked Ham

Prep: 15 min.; Bake: 2 hr., 30 min.; Stand: 20 min. Delicious warm or cold, this Southern Living favorite is the ultimate make-ahead main dish. Basting delivers big flavor and a beautiful glaze with little effort.

Photo by: Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine

• YIELD: Makes 8 to 10 servings
• COOK TIME:2 Hours, 30 Minutes
• PREP TIME:15 Minutes           

Ingredients

• 1 (6- to 8-lb.) fully cooked, bone-in ham
• 48 whole cloves
• 1 (16-oz.) package brown sugar
• 1 cup spicy brown mustard (or dijon, which I used and was sublime)
• 1 cup cola soft drink
• 3/4 cup bourbon

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Remove skin from ham, and trim fat to 1/4-inch thickness. Make shallow cuts in fat 3/4 inch apart in a diamond pattern. Insert cloves in centers of diamonds. Place ham in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch pan.
2. Stir together brown sugar and next 3 ingredients; spoon mixture over ham.
3. Bake at 350° on lowest oven rack 2 hours and 30 minutes, basting with pan juices every 15 to 20 minutes. Remove ham from oven, and let stand 20 minutes before slicing.