Instructions

1. Mix brown sugar in pineapple juice until completely dissolved to create a glaze. If desired, stir in some crushed pineapple with the glaze mixture. The amount of sugar and pineapple juice depends on the cooking method. If you plan to simmer the ham before roasting, you'll need about 8 cups of pineapple juice and 1 to 2 cups of brown sugar for a whole ham. If you plan to skip simmering and only roast the ham, a mixture of about 4 cups of pineapple juice and 1 cup of brown sugar works well. You can further reduce the amount of ingredients when cooking a few slices of ham, using only enough liquid to cover the slices.

2. To simmer, place the ham in a large pot deep enough to cover with a lid and wide enough to leave some extra room on the sides. Pour the pineapple juice and brown sugar mixture in the pot with the ham. Most Filipino recipes that use this method require that the ham be completely submerged in the liquid, so add more pineapple juice or water to cover the ham.

3. Bring the glaze mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour or until the glaze reduces by half. Peel off the skin and discard, if applicable, to reveal the layer of fat between the skin and meat.

4. Transfer the ham to a roasting pan. If desired, you can skip this stovetop step and proceed directly to oven roasting.

5. Cut a diamond pattern in the fat layer with a sharp knife, but do not cut through the fat and into the meat. Push a whole clove into the ham at each intersection of lines in the diamond pattern.

6. Drizzle the glaze reduction over the ham until evenly coated; the extra glaze drips off into the bottom of the pan.

7. Garnish the ham with pineapple slices to cover all sides. Insert toothpicks into the pineapples to hold them in place. If desired, use a toothpick to stick a maraschino cherry in the center of each pineapple slice.

8. Bake the ham at about 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about half an hour until the ham develops a caramelized crust and reaches a minimum internal temperature of 140 F. If you opt to skip the stovetop simmering step, bake for about 12 minutes per pound to ensure the ham is heated through without overcooking and drying the meat. Place a tent of foil over the ham if the outside begins to burn before it reaches the proper temperature.