Helen's Perfect Easter Ham

My mother-in-law, Helen Farro, was a great cook. And she had her own way of looking at many things. Like, for example, making a ham. Almost every cookbook tells you to bake the ham with the fat side UP.

But Helen always said, "all the salt is in the fat. I don't want it running down into the hem. I always cook my ham fat side down."
 
Her hams were always the BEST. And never one bit salty. So, for the last 40+ years -- when I make a ham -- I follow Helen's common sense advice...and I cook them fat side DOWN...

As the ham cooks -- all the salty fat has melted into the bottom of the pan.

Then, I flip the ham over -- and cut off the fat.  I score the ham, and poke in many whole cloves.

You can't put in too many cloves...

Helen's glaze recipe is:  Dark brown sugar, mixed with yellow mustard until the consistency of peanut butter.  You slather that all over the scored ham.

Add pineapple slices -- and cherries (if you have them, I did not)...put it back in a 375 oven until the glaze bubbles.

This is me -- trying to get a selfie of me, John and the Easter Ham.

I have many skills...but taking a selfie just isn't one of them!!