Pictures don't do it justice

We hosted Easter dinner this past Sunday at our house for my husbands Mother, sister and brother-in-law and for my mother as well.  With our family we had a total of 8 and then additional guest for dessert.  We wanted a simple, yet flavorful dinner that would provide some leftovers and a ham bone to make split pea soup.  When I mentioned tat we were hosting Easter at our recent dinner club and preparing a ham, our southern artist friend mentioned that she makes a Whiskey and Cola Glazed Ham form Emeril Lagasse that is very tasty.  So I asked her to send the recipe along via email when she got a chance, and she did.  We received the ham recipe and then a link to her blog for a sauce to make for the ham called Jezebel Sauce,  from a recipe book her grandmother had given her.

The ham recipe was pretty easy and instead of a fresh ham I got a semi boneless Sugardale Ham to make it that much easier.  The kicker to this ham was the sauce.  I am sure you will be puzzled at the ingredients, but trust me, it was delicious.

Pictures really don't do this ham any justice! 

Fresh Baked Ham with Whisky and Cola Glaze

Ingredients

1 (8-pound) fresh ham (shank and leg of pork)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Whole cloves
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup whisky
4 cups cola drink

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

With a sharp knife, puncture and score the skin of the ham, making parallel 1/2-inch-deep incisions. Turn the ham and score again to make a grid-like pattern.

In a small bowl combine the salt, Essence, pepper, and cayenne. Rub evenly all over the ham. Place the ham, fatty side up, in a large roasting pan. Place 1 clove where the lines intersect on the ham. Rub the sugar evenly over the ham, pressing to pack. Pour 2 cups of cola into the bottom of the roasting pan and bake for 1 hour. In a container, combine the whisky and the remaining 2 cups of cola.

Baste the ham with the whiskey and cola and continue to bake, basting every 15 minutes with the whisky and coke mixture and pan juices, until the ham is cooked through, the skin is crisp and dark, and a meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Remove from the oven and let rest at least 20 minutes before carving. To serve, slice the meat thinly across the grain and arrange on a platter.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Jezebel Sauce

You find it in cookbooks from Louisiana back to the 1950s at least, and it probably goes back farther than that. Jezebel sauce can be served as a side to pork, beef, or chicken, or it can be poured over cream cheese and eaten like a dip with crackers.

10 oz. jar pineapple preserves
1o oz. jar apple jelly
6 oz. jar horseradish
1/2 can dry mustard. (1 1/2 0z. size)
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients. Let chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour before using.