Believe it or not, some ham fanatics look for the ham made from the left leg of a pig,

as it is more tender than the right leg. This is because a pig scratches himself with his

right leg, which uses the muscles more often, so the meat will be tougher. This recipe

is sure to please any discerning ham crowd.

Holiday Ham

bone-in ham

whole cloves

aluminum foil

roasting pan

instant-read meat thermometer

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup water

1. Preheat your oven to 300*F. Turn the fat side up on your ham. Trim off excess but leave at least 1/4 inch of fat and cut tiny slits 1/4-inch deep into the fat layer.

2. Stick whole cloves into the slits. The flavor will blend with the fat at high temperatures and season your ham as it cooks. Wrap your ham tightly in aluminum foil and smooth the foil all along the surface, making it nice and snug.

3. Place the wrapped ham in your roasting pan and bake in the preheated oven approximately 1 hour for every 2 lbs. of ham. Prepare the basting sauce by combing balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, garlic and water over medium heat until the sugar melts. Remove and set aside until you're ready to use it.

4. Remove ham from oven after half of the baking time has passed, and baste with your prepared sauce. Open the foil wrap to baste and leave it open from this point on. Baste the ham every 30 minutes.

5. Insert an instant-read meat thermometer in the center of your ham to check the temperature. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 125*F. A higher temperature may make your ham dry and tough.

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