Episode Information

BBQ Sauce, Asian Glaze, Mango Glaze, KY Bourbon Glaze

By BILL DALEY
And CHRISTOPHER PROSPERI

When cooking an Easter ham is as easy as cutting off the wrapper and turning on the oven, you need something like glazes to put an original gloss on the holiday meal.

Like basting, glazes help seal in food's moisture. Yet glazes do far more. They give a thin, almost lacquered shine to food while adding color, aroma and flavor. The taste is little more than skin deep but you get a neat
textural element: the bits of glaze darkened and caramelized by the oven's heat - make up for that.

In these days of mass-produced, ready-cooked, spiral-sliced hams, glazes offer an opportunity for you to personalize the meat, adding your own flavor spin to make the ham uniquely your own. Here are five simple glazes made with ingredients found in a home refrigerator and kitchen cabinets. They offer an array of flavors upon which you can revolve a meal. Deepen an Asian buffet with a hoisin-glossed ham. Brighten a Polynesian-style luau with a pureed mango mix. Go a bit French with Dijon mustard and honey or head south, way south, with a lusty sauce belted with bourbon.

To glaze, use a pastry brush or a clean, unused paint brush. Simple "paint" all exposed surfaces with a thin layer of glaze. Repeat every 15 to 20 minutes or so. Chris prefers to begin glazing relatively early in the baking process. He likes how the glaze begins to bubble and go a bit crusty during the cooking process. For a bone-in ham, start applying the glaze after the first hour in the oven. Begin applying glaze to a boneless ham about two-thirds of the way through the cooking process.

All of these glazes may be made ahead, covered, and refrigerated until ready to use.

Barbeque sauce

This is the glaze Chris uses whenever he roasts pork butt at his restaurant to make pulled pork sandwiches.

1/2 cup water
1-1/2 cup catsup
1/2 cup white wine vingear
3/4 cup mollasses
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons granulated or powdered onion

Put all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Traditional glaze

Sweetened with brown sugar and honey, brightened with orange juice and sassed up with soy sauce Dijon mustard, this is the glaze most often associated with an Easter ham. The honeyed flavor pairs well with the smoky sweetness of the meat.

1/2 cup light brown sugar (pack tightly in the measuring cup)
1/2 cup fresh orange juice, from about 3 oranges
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Asian glaze

Chris uses a quality low-sodium hoisin sauce available at local Asian markets. You may have to use the regular hoisin sauce found in a supermarket. Adjust seasonings accordingly. Chris uses a Thai chili-garlic sauce, finding the touch of sweetness in this sauce balances the heat. If you can't find a similar condiment, use tabasco sauce or hot sauce instead.

1/2 cup low-sodium Hoisin sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix to incorporate.

Mango glaze

A cheery orange-yellow, this glaze showcases the plush succulence that makes mango such a decadent treat. Use either commercially-available mango puree or make you own by pulping 2 ripe mangos in a food processor until smooth.

1 cup pureed mango
2 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon soy sauce

In a small bowl, mix together the mango puree and the mustard. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Kentucky Bourbon Glaze

Add more Tabasco if you like things hot. One tablespoon, for example, packs
a whollop.

1 cup catsup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 tablespoon onion salt
1 tablespoon whole mustard seed
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 cup Kentucky bourbon

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.