The most delicious holiday centerpiece you can serve
Ingredients
1 (10- to 13-pound) not spiral-sliced fully cooked bone-in ham (not fresh ham)
1/4 cup fennel seeds
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup apple cider or unfiltered apple juice
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup water, plus more as needed
Instructions
Arrange a rack in the lower third of the oven, remove any racks above it, and heat the oven to 325ºF. Meanwhile, line a roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet with 2 pieces of aluminum foil long enough to wrap up and around the ham to completely enclose it. Prepare the ham.
Unwrap 1 bone-in ham and place on the foil cut-side down. Use a sharp knife to make parallel cuts 1/2-inch deep and about 1/2-inch apart across the surface of the ham. Repeat in the opposite direction to create a crosshatch pattern.
Using a blender, spice grinder, or mortar and pestle, grind 1/4 cup fennel seeds and 2 tablespoons black peppercorns until coarsely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
Place 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup apple cider, and 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard in a second small bowl and stir to combine to make the glaze. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the glaze to the spice mixture and stir until a paste forms. Rub the paste all over the ham, working it into the cuts as best you can (the cuts will still be pretty tight).
Fold the foil up and around the ham to completely wrap and help keep the ham from drying out.
Bake until the ham is heated through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the ham not touching bone registers at least 120°F, 2 hours and 40 minutes to 3 hours and 15 minutes total (about 15 minutes per pound). Check the temperature after 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the foil and return the ham to the roasting pan. Brush generously with half of the remaining glaze (about 1/3 cup). Add 1/2 cup water to the pan.
Increase the oven temperature to 425ºF. Return the pan to the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Brush with the remaining glaze. Roast until the skin is deeply browned and caramelized, about 15 minutes more. If needed, keep roasting in 15-minute increments, basting with pan juices before each, until the desired color is achieved. If the pan gets too dry, add another 1/4 cup water.
Let cool slightly before slicing, about 10 minutes. The pan drippings can be served alongside for spooning over ham.
