Creole Baked Ham with Cane Syrup Sauce

This dish is reflective of Chef Evans’ signature cuisine at his restaurant in Houston. It combines the tradition of the holidays with a Creole twist sure to tempt your guests’ taste buds this season.

Prep: 15 min | Cook: 4 hr
Yield: 32 (2 tablespoon) servings sauce; 15 to 20 (3 ounce) servings ham

Ingredients

Cane Syrup Sauce

• 1 cup Steen’s sugarcane syrup or maple syrup
• 1/2 cup yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup Steen’s sugarcane vinegar or apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup Louisiana hot sauce*

Ham

• 1 bone-in whole ham, about 14 pounds, or 2 bone-in half hams, about 9 pounds each)
• 1 (3 ounce) package Zatarain’s crab boil in a bag
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, + 1 tablespoon
• 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 recipe Cane Syrup Sauce
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine

Instructions

1. Prepare Cane Syrup Sauce ahead of time; set aside 1 3/4 cups of the sauce for serving and combine remaining 1/4 cup sauce with white wine.

Cane Syrup Sauce

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat; stir in the syrup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Ham

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a shallow roasting pan with foil.
2. In a plastic baggie, combine the spices, sugar and salt and crush with a rolling pin or mallet. Or, grind mixture in a spice grinder or food processor. Set aside half of the spice mixture for the second ham, if needed.
3. Score a diamond pattern about 1/8 inch thick into the upper surface of the ham.
4. On a clean work surface, press ground spice mixture firmly into ham.
5. Transfer ham into the foil lined shallow roasting pan. Baste with the white wine mixture every 30 minutes and cook 2 additional hours. (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup sauce each time). After 4 hours, an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion (not touching bone) should read 140 degrees F. If outer crust begins to darken, tent ham with a sheet of foil.
6. Transfer ham to platter. Let stand 15 minutes.
7. Slice and serve with the reserved 2 cups of Cane Syrup Sauce (use 1 cup per ham, if serving 2 hams) and your favorite side. I love mine with jalapeño cornbread custard and creamed mustard greens.

Notes

* Make sure to use Louisiana hot sauce, NOT Tabasco hot sauce. There is a big difference in taste!

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories: 360 calories Protein: 26 grams Fat: 22 grams Sodium: 2170 milligrams Cholesterol: 80 milligrams Saturated Fat: 8 grams Carbohydrates: 12 grams Fiber: 0 grams

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: National Pork Board
By Chef Randy Evans of Brennan’s restaurant, Houston, Texas.