Traditional Morgan Christmas Ham

One of my favorite things about Christmas is obviously spending time with my family, and buying gifts for those I love and care about... But it wouldn't be Christmas without my dad's Christmas ham!!! For years we hounded him for the recipe and begged to know what was in it.... Well a year or 2 he finally gave up the recipe, I have yet to attempt making it on my own just yet, but one day when we have our own place, I will make this for Christmas for my family as well! (And don't worry about left overs, everyone usually wants to take a plateful home with them!)

(No pictures as of right now, but maybe I can get one when we celebrate Christmas with Dad this year!)

INGREDIENTS:

• 23 lb. ham
• 2 lbs. brown sugar
• 47 oz. Pineapple juice
• 1 cup sweet vermouth
• Red and Green sugar sprinkles
• 2 jars of Maraschino Cherries (1 1/2 jars need to be chopped and juice saved for ham glaze)
• Whole Cloves
• 1 can of sliced pineapples

HAM GLAZE:

• Juice from the 2 jars of cherries
• 1 1/2 jars of maraschino cherries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground clove                                         
• 1/4 tsp. all spice
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS FOR HAM GLAZE:

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan, boil and reduce to a syrup.

DIRECTIONS FOR HAM:

Score top of the ham, push clove into each intersection. Put ham in roasting pan, spread 1 lb (half a bag) brown sugar on top of the ham. Pour pineapple juice and Vermouth in the bottom of the roasting pan. Bake at 200' for 12 hours. Remove Roaster from oven and remove lid. Turn oven temperature up to 300'. Cover ham with glaze. Place pineapple slices on a plate; sprinkle half with red sugar sprinkles and remaining with green sugar sprinkles. Place sugar sprinkled pineapple rings on top of ham and put a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple hole. Sprinkle remaining brown sugar onto ham. Put back in oven with the lid off for another 2 hours. Remove from Oven and let rest for about 45 minutes before serving. Will feed approximately 30 (or more)