Spiral Sliced Party Ham Recipe

How to make it

---

• To prepare the ham, you will need to remove it from the bone. Take a wonderfully sharp chef's knife ( like you see on the Food Network ) and finish cutting the slices down to the shank of the bone.
• I like to divide the ham slices into thirds, to create 'normal' serving portions ( ie: 3" by 4" ). This size of slice makes the layout easy and provides your guests the chance to return for more....
• Slice the ham parallel to the bone during this step to create the 'thirds'.
• Remove the ham slices from the bone, and set aside for 'layering' into a disposable aluminum lasagna pan. If you love ham and bean soup, save the bone !!!
• For the sauce: In a small saucepan, mix 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, the allspice and cloves - stir until blended, add water and bring to a gentle boil. Taste after sugar is dissolved and fluid, about 10 minutes. If you need more volume, add equal amounts of water and sugar. Add additional cinnamon if you like, and adjust the clove and allspice according to your taste.
• Ah, for the preparation !!! Lightly coat the bottom of your aluminum pan with some of the sauce. Place enough ham slices in the pan to cover the sauce, and coat the top of them with more sauce. Repeat until all the ham is 'layered' in the pan - drizzle any remaining sauce over the ham.
• Seal the pan with foil, and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. After an hour, transfer the contents to your chafing dish to keep everything warm. Here's a second option for heating. Since the ham is already cooked, you COULD just place it cold ( layered with the sauce ) in the chafing dish and let the slow heat finish the job. Currently, I don't.
• Note: This dish is at its PEAK for moisture and tenderness for the first hour or two. After a while the ham will start to lose moisture into the chafing dish. If your guests tend to arrive 'fashionably late', you may want to delay putting this dish in the oven until the official 'start time' of your gathering. Frankly, I've found that people want to hit the bar first, chat a bit, and THEN chow down.... Enjoy '-)
• P.S. Feel free to let me know how this works out, especially the spice ratios for YOUR palate....