Orange chipotle ham
User Reviews
4.8
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Servings
15
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
South American, American
Orange chipotle ham
Description
Orange Chipotle Ham is a large, fully cooked smoked ham coated and baked with a sauce blending fresh orange and lime juices with chipotle chilies in adobo for a smoky kick. The sauce is enhanced with ground cumin, achiote or paprika, orange zest, tequila, brown sugar or honey, cinnamon stick, and whole cloves. It is simmered to meld flavors and reduce slightly before being poured over the ham for baking.
The slow baking at 325°F allows the ham to absorb the sauce’s smoky, sweet, and citrusy notes. Half the sauce is poured over the ham before baking and the remainder is added for a final bake after uncovering, building layers of flavor and glaze. The optional gravy sauce, thickened with corn starch and balsamic vinegar, can be prepared from the pan juices to serve alongside.
The resulting ham is ideal for gatherings or holiday dinners, combining savory smoked meat with a spicy-sweet glaze providing a complex flavor profile. It’s suitable for large groups given the ham size and can be sliced and served warm with sides complementing the orange chipotle glaze.
Ingredients
- 8-10 lbs smoked ham fully cooked
Orange chipotle sauce:
- 1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo adjust to taste, canned
- 3 cups orange juice from 7-8 large oranges, fresh
- 1/4 cup lime juice fresh
- 1 tablespoon cumin ground
- ½ tablespoon achiote can use paprika as substitute, or annatto, ground
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons tequila
- 1 cup brown sugar or honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 clove whole
Optional gravy sauce:
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
For the orange chipotle sauce:
- Remove the seeds from the chipotle pepper or chilies, if you want the sauce extra spicy you can leave them
- Combine the orange juice, lime juice, chipotle chilies, cumin and achiote in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain if desired.
- Combine the orange chipotle puree in a medium sized saucepan. Add the orange zest, tequila, sugar or honey glaze, cinnamon stick, and cloves.
- Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove the cloves and the cinnamon stick. Save the sauce until ready to use.
For the baked ham with orange chipotle sauce:
- Pre-heat oven to 325F
- Place the smoked ham in a large baking pan, with the flat side of ham facing down. Pour ½ of the orange chipotle sauce over the ham.
- Cover the ham with foil and bake at 325F for about 1 hour.
- Warm up the rest of the sauce, remove the foil from the ham and pour the remaining sauce over the ham.
- Continue baking the ham for another 40-45 minutes, basting it every 10-15 minutes with the pan sauces. The ham should be baked for about 10-12 minutes per pound.
- Remove the ham from the oven and let it rest for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving.
For the orange chipotle gravy:
- Place ~3 cups of the pan sauces in a small sauce pan with the balsamic vinegar. Bring to boil and cook about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile mix the corn starch with a little bit of the pan sauces (or water), then stir into the gravy sauce. Mix until well dissolved and thickened. Remove from heat and serve warm.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
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