Baked Ham with Pineapples (Jamón con Piña al Horno) is usually served during the holidays and special events in Puerto Rico. This is a very tender and juicy ham prepared with only a few ingredients.
A sweet sauce is prepared and poured over the entire ham, absoring the flavors through the slits to create a savory and sweet delicious taste. You can purchase different cuts of ham, and you will still get the same results if you follow the steps in this cooking food blog post. The combination of the caramelized pineapple slices along with the sweet sauce complements the salty ham.
Creating the Sauce for the Baked Ham with Pineapples!
Sauce ingredients for Ham: 1 can (20 ounces) of pineapple slices that contains 100% pineapple juice with no sugar added. The juice was drained from the can, and it should measure approximately 1 cup. A jar (10 ounces) of Maraschino cherries without stems. The juice was also drained from the jar, which measures at least ½ cup. I like to use ⅓ cup pure honey, and 1 cup of packed premium pure cane dark brown sugar.
NOTE: Many times I purchase the cherries with stems, but remove the stems when ready to use. The pineapples slices and cherries will be used later.
In a saucepan, pour 1 cup pineapple juice, ½ cup cherry juice, ⅓ cup honey, and 1 cup brown sugar. Stir to combine all the ingredients, using a whisk. Cook over low heat until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.
After 5 minutes of cooking, the brown sugar is dissolved. Remove saucepan from heat, and pour the warm sauce into a measuring cup.
The sauce is just warm enough that it created some steam inside the measuring cup. The sauce should yield approximately 2 cups.
Preparing the Ham!
This is a fully cooked smoked bone-in ham that weighs close to 9 pounds. Once you remove the plastic wrap, rinse the ham with cold water to remove the surface salt and to prevent bacterial growth. Pat dry the ham with paper towels.
NOTE: Purchase the ham of your preference.
Place the ham with fat side up on the cutting board. The bone is located in the center of the ham. There are many ways to score the surface of the ham like the popular diagonal cuts. I prefer to make several slits, measuring ½-inch deep and 1-inch wide, using a sharp knife. The slits will open during the baking process to allow the juices poured on top to penetrate into the ham.
Inserting the Whole Cloves to the Entire Ham!
The next step is to Insert whole cloves into the entire ham, pressing them into the slits and surface fat. The cloves will provide a spicy flavor and a decorative appearance. It will balance the sweetness of the sauce and the saltiness of the ham.
We just completed inserting the whole cloves. It is now time to arrange the pineapple slices and cherries onto the ham.
Securing the Pineapple Slices and Cherries on Ham!
Place the pineapple slices on the entire surface of ham with a cherry in the center. Secure both cherry and pineapple slices with a toothpick.
Look how beautiful!
Baking the Ham with Pineapples in the Oven!
This roasting pan is over 30 years old and I love it. Pour at least ½ cup of the sauce at the bottom of pan before placing the ham.
Place the ham with fat-side up in roasting pan, and slowly pour the remaining sauce over the entire ham. Cover roasting pan with lid or aluminum foil. It’s also important to baste the ham every 30 minutes to absorb the flavors from the pan liquid.
NOTE: For every pound, bake the ham for 15 minutes. Since this ham is approximately 9 pounds, bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes at 325°F.
Basting the Ham with Sauce!
The ham has been baking for 30 minutes. Fill a tube baster or a large spoon with pan liquid at the bottom of roasting pan.
Baste the entire ham with the sauce, filling the tube baster as many times as possible. Basting the ham will keep it moist and with lots of flavor. Cover pan with lid and continue baking. Repeat this process every 30 minutes of baking.
NOTE: I normally baste the ham while still in the oven. I only removed it from the oven to demonstrate the basting process.
After 2 hours and 15 minutes of baking, the ham is ready. The pineapple slices have a golden color, and the ham has a deep brown crust. Allow the ham to rest for at least 15 minutes. Carefully remove the ham from the roasting pan, and place on a cutting board. Reserve the pan liquid.
While the ham is resting, pour the rendered juice into a saucepan, and cook over medium low heat without a lid to thicken the sauce. This is optional. The rendered juice does contain some fat from the ham so I recommend to strain the sauce before serving.
Slicing the Baked Ham with Pineapples!
Remove the pineapple slices, cherries and cloves before cutting the ham. Set them aside for later use. Slice the ham with a sharp knife.
The ham slices are tender, and they have a beautiful pink color. Continue slicing the ham.
Serving the Baked Ham with Pineapples!
After arranging the sliced ham, pineapple slices and cherries on a large platter, pour some of the rendered juice that we heated earlier over the ham slices.
NOTE: Discard the whole cloves.
Continue pouring the sauce from top to bottom several times to provide a sweet flavor to the salty ham.
The Baked Ham and Pineapples is very tender and juicy. The combination of the caramelized pineapple along with the sweet sauce complements the salty ham.
Click on the button below to watch my YouTube Video on How to Prepare Baked Ham with Pineapples (Jamón con Piña al Horno)!
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Baked Ham with Pineapples (Jamón con Piña al Horno)
- Prep Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 Servings 1x
Description
Baked Ham with Pineapples (Jamón con Piña al Horno) is a very tender and juicy ham prepared with only a few ingredients. A sweet sauce is prepared and poured over the entire ham, absoring the flavors through the slits to create a savory and sweet delicious taste. You can purchase different cuts of ham. The combination of the caramelized pineapple slices along with the sweet sauce complements the salty ham.
Ingredients
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple slices, 100% Pineapple Juice with no sugar added, drain juice to measure 1 cup
- 1 jar (10 ounces) Maraschino Cherries with Juice, drain juice to measure ½ cup
- ⅓ cup pure honey
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- whole cloves
- 9 pounds smoked bone-in ham
Instructions
- Prepare the sauce for the ham. In a saucepan, pour the pineapple juice and cherry juice. Add the honey and brown sugar. Stir to combine all the ingredients, using a whisk. Cook over low heat until the brown sugar is completely dissolved. The sauce should measure 2 cups. Set aside.
- Wash the ham in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Score the ham by making several slits, measuring ½-inch deep and 1-inch wide, using a sharp knife.
- Insert whole cloves to the entire ham, pressing them into the slits and surface fat.
- Place the pineapple slices on the entire surface of ham with a cherry in the center. Secure both cherry and pineapple slices with a toothpick.
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Use a large roasting pan, and pour at least ½ cup of the sauce at the bottom of pan before placing the ham.
- Place the ham with fat-side up in roasting pan, and slowly pour the remaining sauce over the ham. Cover roasting pan with lid or aluminum foil. Bake for at least 2 hours and 15 minutes.
- Baste the ham every 30 minutes to absorb the flavors from the pan juices, using a tube baster or large spoon. Pour over the entire ham, and repeat this process every 30 minutes.
- Let ham rest for 15 minutes before cutting into slices. Carefully remove the ham from the roasting pan, and place on a cutting board.
- Pour the rendered juice from roasting pan into a saucepan, and cook over medium low heat without a lid to thicken the sauce. Once thickened, strain the sauce into a bowl.
- Remove the pineapple slices and cherries, and set aside. Discard the cloves.
- Slice the ham with a sharp knife, and place on a large platter. Arrange the pinapples and cherries around the ham slices.
- Pour the warm sauce over the ham slices and serve.
Notes
You can score the ham surface with the popular diagonal cuts.
For every pound, bake the ham for 15 minutes. Since this ham is approximately 9 pounds, bake for 2 hours and 15 minutes at 325°F.
- Category: Ham
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Puerto Rican
Keywords: Baked Ham with Pineapples, Jamón con Piña al Horno, Baked Ham, Jamón al Horno
