Smoky Ham with Strawberry-Chipotle Sauce

Make your favorite corn pudding recipe and steamed asparagus with butter and lemon to serve with this ham.

Ingredients

Ham

• 6 to 8 pound fully-cooked bone-in ham
• 1/3 cup agave nectar, preferably dark, or honey
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Strawberry-Chipotle Sauce

• 2 pounds strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise (about 6 cups)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from chiles), or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried, minced
  

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Position the rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. Line the bottom of a shallow roasting pan bottom with aluminum foil.
3. Ham: Score a diamond pattern into the ham, about 1/3 inch deep. Place the ham, flat side down, in the pan. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F, on a meat thermometer, 15 to 18 minutes per pound.
4. Remove from oven and increase the heat to 400 degrees F.
5. In a small bowl, mix the agave and smoked paprika. Brush over the ham (not on the flat side), return to the oven, and bake until glazed, about 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven, transfer to a cutting board, and let rest 10 minutes.
7. Strawberry-Chipotle Sauce: In a large nonreactive saucepan, mix strawberries and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until strawberries give off their juices, about 3 minutes. Using a potato masher or a large slotted spoon, crush strawberries in the saucepan to make a chunky sauce. Stir in chipotle, adobo sauce, and lemon juice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
8. Stir in sage. Transfer to a medium bowl placed in a larger bowl of iced water. Let sauce stand, stirring occasionally, until chilled.
9. In a blender, pulse the sauce until coarsely pureed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead.)
10. Slice ham and serve with sauce.

Yield: 15 - 20 (4-ounce) servings

Nutritional Information: Calories: 260 calories Protein: 39 grams Fat: 5 grams Sodium: 1370 milligrams Cholesterol: 100 milligrams Saturated Fat: 1 grams Carbohydrates: 15 grams Fiber: 1 grams

Recipe and photo credit (used with permission): National Pork Board - porkbeinspired.com