Barbados - Baked Ham

Barbados - Baked Ham

From Culinaria: The Caribbean (1999):

Rachel Pringle, mulatto daughter of a Scottish schoolmaster and his African slave mistress, was the first black woman to own a hotel in the heart of Bridgetown. Her beauty was legendary, and one Captain Thomas Pringle bought her from her father for an exhorbitant price and set her up in a house in lower Bridgetown. The liaison lost its spark, and in order to keep the captain's affections, Rachel "borrowed" a baby and claimed it was his while he was away at sea. When her ruse was revealed, the gentleman left her in disgust, but she soon found another wealthy protector named Polgreen. Sometime in 1780, Rachel's hotel opened and became an instant success with the British Royal Navy. It is reported that in 1789 a party of visiting naval officers led by Prince William Henry (later to become King William IV) ran amok in a drunken stupor, wrecking the interior. At the height of his merriment, the prince capsized Rachel's chair and sent her unceremoniously crashing to the ground. She did not utter a word, but the next morning before the ship sailed, she sent the prince an itemised bill for 700 pounds - a huge sum in those days. He paid promptly, so as not to incur any negative publicity, and with the money Rachel restored her hotel in grand style, calling it The Royal Navy Hotel. The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1821, and Rachel died at a ripe old age. But her legend lives on, and she has served as inspiration for many women in Barbados.

Quote a story - but to my knowledge, nothing to do with this ham recipe, which was included immediately following the account above. I'll do a little more reading and will amend this post if there is any connection. As for the recipe itself, it looks pretty good to me, and I might see if I can give it a go for Easter, or the next time we bake a ham.

Note: The amounts for this recipe - as given in the book - did not quite look right to me; indeed, the original recipe states to use a "3/4-pound ham," which can't be right. Because of this, I thought that the recipe might intend a "3- to- 4-pound ham," but I know of no ham that is that size. What I will do is to get a regular "city ham" of the type that we usually buy - which is generally about 7 to 9 pounds - and then double the "marinade" ingredients, if needed.

Note also that the cooking times will most likely vary, due to the confusion regarding the weight of the ham.

1 Ham
1/4 cup (60 grams) brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons bitter orange marmalade
2 tablespoons rum
A dash of aromatic bitters
Cloves and pineapple slices for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

For marinade, mix brown sugar, mustard, marmalade, rum and bitters in a bowl and set aside.

Remove skin from the ham and score the remaining fat. [Stud the ham with cloves, if desired.]

Bake for 35 minutes. Pour half of the marinade over the ham. Bake for a further 20 minutes. Hang pineapple rings all over the ham with toothpicks. Pour remaining marinade over the ham. Bake for another 25 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.

Leftover juices in the pan can be used for a gravy base. Pour some of the juice into a sauce pan. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of flour in water and pour into the sauce pan. stir and add water as needed to thin the gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove pineapple rings and serve ham thinly sliced.