Root Beer Glazed Ham

I’m still here, don’t worry about me. It seems like it has been an eternity since my last post, and there are reasons for that. One is that I have been busy, and too is that our family was on vacation. We went to the great state of Kentucky, just south of Paducah to do some fishing with the kids and relatives. The trip to say the least, was fun, but only a handful of fish, unlike we were expecting. We took the road trip back on Saturday morning, just in time to wind down for Easter Sunday. The last thing I wanted to do, in all honesty, was cook on Sunday morning. I had a hankering for some Mexican food, however I woke up early and decided to hit the grocery store, and do what a man’s gotta do, and that was make an Easter meal. The classic ham and scalloped potatoes. I couldn’t resist.

With that said, we came back from our vacation with things that the other members of the family did not want, and one of those things was an almost full 12 pack of A&W Root Beer, something my kids would normally drink, but not for my wife and I. As I stared down at that soda, I decided I was going to use that product and great a sugary, savory glaze that I knew would just be amazing, and it was.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound bone-in ham
• 24 oz A&W Root Beer
• 3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce

Simple, and delicious, I know.

Start by cooking your ham, according to the directions. During this time, start making your glaze. Combine all of the ingredients (with the exception of the ham, of course) into a sauce pot. Mix, and cook on medium heat for about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the sauce reduces by half. You want a thicker glaze. Reduce the heat about 40 minutes in, and stir frequently to prevent any sugars from burning to the pot. Also keep in mind to keep an eye on it. I know this as I stepped away only for a few minutes and my daughter yelled from the kitchen “Dad, I think you want to come in here now!”. I knew exactly what that meant, and yes, it was boiling over. A bunch of cleanup I was not looking forward to, but it happened, and I moved on.

About 30 minutes before the ham is cooked, begin glazing the ham with the sauce. Remove the ham from the oven, and begin brushing on the glaze, all over the ham. Return to the oven for about 10 minutes, and repeat. Continue until the glaze is done (or reserve some to pour on your ham), and the ham registers 145 degrees in the thickest portion.

Slice and serve. My family devoured (and I know they totally appreciated it) the root beer glazed ham, and loved it. One of my kids is a ham junkie now, and he made about 8 sandwiches that day, because lord forbid he eat the scalloped potatoes!