Want a properly heated spiral ham on the table for the next holiday dinner? One that’s not dried out? Sous vide is the simplest solution.
Select the ham(s) of your choice when they go on sale. I picked up a couple of 9+ pounders around Easter time on a special sale at Aldi market for $0.89 per pound, and kept one in the freezer for Thanksgiving. Although I’ve had a catering business for more than 25 years, I am relatively new to sous vide, and thoroughly love it. So this was my first shot at cooking a ham.
Remove the packaged ham from the decorative netting, but leave the ham sealed in its original vacuum-sealed wrapper. Cook for 4-6 hours at 140-145F. 20 minutes before the end of your cook time, make up the glaze that comes packed with the ham – you’ll need to heat it on a burner or induction range to turn it into a thicker syrup. (There are also many varied ham glaze recipes all over the Internet, with or without alcohol for added flavor.)
When the ham is done, remove from the bag, discarding the juices that have rendered out, and place cut surface down on a wire rack over a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush a layer of glaze over the surface and use your torch to carefully caramelize the sugars. Repeat until all of the glaze has been used up, being careful not to burn the sugar. Your ham will have a lovely-to-look-at sweet crust.
Slice off the bone (there are three distinct muscle groups, so be sure to follow those seams), place on your serving platter, and enjoy!.
