Steamed Ham?

     Why not?  I bought a ham for Christmas, a big spiral-cut ham, intending to bake it in the grill.  Events led me to cook it this weekend instead of waiting until Christmas and the weather was cold and blustery, so I got out my biggest stewpot, set up the rack, and started the ham cooking over a half-inch of water.

     I added a little hot honey, garlic and ginger to the glaze, figuring it was mostly going to melt off and add to the steaming liquid.  The ham was precooked -- spiral-cut ones often are -- so it only needed two and a half hours.  I added potatoes, carrots, celery and onion for the last hour, and sliced mushrooms for the last half hour, and added water as needed.

     The meat thermometer showed it had reached the necessary temperature at the end of the cooking time.  About half the slices fell right off the bone when I went to lift it out.

     It was good, flavorful and tender.  The vegetables turned out well, too, not overly sweet but touched with ham flavor.  Tam and I enjoyed it.

     Cleanup was slow: a ten-pound ham is a lot of meat.  I saved a slice for breakfast and still ended up with three gallon-sized freezer bags of meat, each enough for Hoppin' John or bean soup, plus a bag of meat and vegetables that can be reheated for supper.

     It's not a conventional way to cook a ham, but it worked out.