Apricot-Mustard Glazed Ham

I've waxed eloquent about my love of pork, but one cut I don't cook frequently is ham. Since the husband and I are just a little family of two, a big ham is a bit daunting. But it is so delicious. And when it was dirt cheap around Easter time, I just couldn't pass it up.

I bought the smallest ham I could find, which was boneless and spiral-sliced. I've heard, though, that bone-in ham is more flavorful. If you're family is a bit larger, or if you can handle leftover ham for a few years, you might want to give the bone-in ham a shot. Just brush the glaze on the ham for the last hour of cooking.

Apricot-Mustard Glazed Ham
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Serves: 8? 10? A million?

3/4 cup apricot preserves
1-2 tablespoons ground mustard
3 pounds boneless, spiral-cut smoked honey ham

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together apricot preserves and 1 tablespoon ground mustard. Give it a taste. If it's mustard-y enough for you, leave it alone. If not, add more ground mustard until it tastes perfect. (I used about 1.5 tablespoons of ground mustard.) Set the glaze aside.

Line a baking dish with aluminum foil for easy clean-up. Place ham in the dish cut-side down. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until ham reaches an internal temperature of about 115 degrees. According to all the websites and cookbooks I read, this should take about 15 minutes per pound. Mine took longer, but I'm assuming that's a fluke.

At this point, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Brush the apricot-mustard glaze all over the ham. Turn the ham on its side and brush glaze in between the slices to make sure every piece is coated.

Continue baking the ham until it reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees, basting with the glaze every 10-15 minutes. This will take about 30 minutes of cooking. Once the ham reaches 140 degrees, brush it with any remaining glaze, tent with foil, and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.