Baked Ham with Rum & Cola Glaze

Fresh ham comes from the pig's hind leg. Because a whole leg is quite large, it is usually cut into two sections. The sirloin, or butt, end is harder to carve than our favorite, the shank end.

Makes one 6-8 lb ham and 1 cup of glaze
Total time: 2 hours + resting

For the ham:
1 butt half, bone-in ham (6-8 lb)
2-3 cans cola (12 oz each)

For the glaze:
2 cans cola ( 12 oz each)
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons dark rum
1 tablespoon dry mustard
Dash of salt

Preheat oven to 325F. Place the ham, cut-side down, on a rack inside a roasting pan. Add 2-3 cans cola to cover bottom of roasting pan, but not touching ham.

Bake ham, loosely tented with foil, for 1 hour. The foil tent and cola keep the ham moist while baking. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze.

Reduce 2 cans of cola for the glaze to 1/2 cup over medium-low heat, about 40 minutes (watch carefully to prevent it from over-reducing). Whisk in remaining ingredients and simmer to dissolve.

Uncover ham after 1 hour and begin glazing, brushing every 15 minutes during the last hour of baking. (Check to make sure there is still some cola in the bottom of the pan; add more as needed.) Remove ham once an internal temperature of 110 degrees is reached. Rest at least 15 minutes before carving.

Look at the face of the ham - you see distinct muscle groups. Cut where the muscles join, separating the ham into 3 major portions. To slice, hold the piece in place with a carving fork and cut perpendicular to the face. Slice against the grain of the meat.