Maple Syrup and Whiskey

At the grocery store, today, there were bone-in spiral-cut hams on sale for $1.19/lb. I probably wouldn’t have even noticed them, but I was looking for ham hocks for Victor to make lentil soup. There weren’t any around, so I thought I’d get a small ham and cook it, save the bone… I picked up the smallest one I could find – 10 pounds – and added it to the ever-growing cart. A few minutes later, I spied an employee, so I asked him about ham hocks. It took him a while, but he had them. I went to put the ham back, and then decided, screw it. It’s cheap. I’m buying a ham, too.

I’m not a huge fan of spiral-cut hams, but at that price, I figured I’d get over it. A 10-pound ham is going to do a lot of meals around here – and cheaply. I’ll definitely get half a dozen meals at the minimum. It’s a commitment – but I do have my FoodSaver. We don’t have to eat them all this week.

I put it in a pan with about a quarter-cup of Jameson’s, covered it well, and warmed it in a 275°F oven for about an hour and a half. I mixed more Jameson’s with some maple syrup and made a glaze – brushed it all over and put it back in the oven for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I cut up and boiled a sweet potato. When it was done, I drained it and added a pat of butter, maple syrup, and a capful of Jameson’s. I figured what the hell.

Steamed asparagus on the side.

I have to admit it was a pretty good meal. More than I could eat, so Blanche got lots of leftovers.

Speaking of leftovers… I just portioned and vacuum-packed. We have nine more meals from this – including the bone for soup.

HamNot bad for 11 bucks.