Best Baked Ham

This is my favorites sides for my ham potato salad & corn!

Glaze:
3/4 cup orange soda                             1-1/2 cup Brown Sugar

heat in a microwavable bowl or cup for about a minute, stir if too thick add a little more soda until it is like a syrup consistency. 

8 - 12 lb. smoked picnic Ham                                15 to 20 Whole Cloves
Preheat oven to 350f or 175c
Score the top of your ham, Skin side up. Stick all of the cloves into the diamond cuts on top of the ham. Place into a baking pan or glass dish and pour or baste with a pastry brush, half of the glaze all over ham.
bake uncovered for 45 minutes take out and baste with the rest of the glaze, bake for another half hour uncovered. Take out and let rest half hour before slicing.
(if you have a larger Ham you can add 15 per pound I used an 8lber.)


Notes*
you can use any flavor soda or liquid you like for your glaze experiment I actually used some raspberry syrup & the juice from a  bottle of Maraschino cherries.

you can also decorate your ham with slices of pineapple & cherries by placing them all over the top and holding them up with toothpicks.

If I don't have cloves on hand I have a bottle of ground cloves that I just add into the glaze only a pinch or 1/8 to a 1/4 of a teaspoon the flavor goes a long way, taste it first before adding more just in case.


How to score a Ham**
 Place the ham on the cutting board.
With your knife, make shallow cuts about 1/3" deep that extend all the way from top to bottom on each side of the ham. Leave about 1" between cuts.
Make cuts going in the opposite directions with your knife. The pattern formed should be diamonds along the ham.