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Arlene's Christmas Ham

A classic recipe, ready to be the center of any holiday table.
Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 12-15 lb semi-bonless ham
  • 1 bottle apple cider vinegar (16 oz)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 can pineapple rings, drained and juice reserved (20 oz)
  • 1 jar maraschino cherries (10 oz)
  • whole cloves

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Score top of ham in a diamond pattern, making cuts about 1-inch apart and place ham in a baking dish or roaster.
  • Pour 1/2 cup vinegar over top of ham and place in oven. Bake for 1 hour, then pour additional 1/2 cup Vinegar over ham. Continue to pour additional vinegar over ham at 1-hour intervals until ham has baked a total of 4 hours.
  • Meanwhile, pour pineapple juice into a small saucepan. Heat until it begins to simmer, then add 1/2 to 3/4 cup brown sugar. Remove from heat and stir until sugar is dissolved and well blended.
  • Remove ham from oven after baking 4 hours and pack brown sugar into the opened scored cuts on top of ham.
  • TO DECORATE HAM: Place 1 clove at each corner of scored cuts on top of ham. Place pineapple slices to cover entire top and add 1 cherry to the center of each pineapple slice. You may need toothpicks to hold pineapple in place.
  • Baste top of ham with heated juice mixture and return ham to oven. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.
  • Baste ham at 30-minute inter.·als for the next I 1/2 hours. With a baster, remove and discard the liquid from bottom of baking dish as it accumulates.
  • Let ham set for 30 minutes before carving. Remove pineapple slices and cherries and place on a serving platter as decoration around slices of ham. Enjoy!