Pineapple-Glazed Kurobuta Bone-in Ham with Bourbon-Cherry Sauce

By: Big Green Egg

Serve a ham with culinary elements of old and new with this updated take on the classic, old-school version with canned pineapple and maraschino cherries.

Courtesy of our friends at Big Green, this preparation uses naturally sweet fresh pineapple and a sauce made with real cherries, bourbon and balsamic for a balanced attack of flavors. This recipe will make older folks reminisce about past meals, and younger ones think about savory ham dinners to come.


Cooking outdoors on a Big Green Egg kamado-style ceramic charcoal cooker keeps the kitchen cool and lets you enjoy the great outdoors. This recipe uses a Kurobuta half bone-in ham, but you can easily substitute the whole ham.

Ingredients

Equipment/Method

  • Big Green Egg Roasting and Drip Pan
  • Big Green Egg Rib and Roasting Rack
  • Big Green Egg Dutch oven
  • Big Green Egg Cast Iron Skillet

Ham

  • 1 Snake River Farms American Kurobuta Half Bone-In Ham Buy Now
  • 1 pineapple, bourbon soaked

Glaze

  • 2 cups pineapple juice
  • ¼ cup bourbon
  • 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Cherry Sauce

  • 16 ounces fresh cherries, pitted
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • ½ cup bourbon
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 4 sprigs of thyme
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze
  • Salt to taste

Equipment/Method

24 - 48 hours prior to cooking, soak the cherries in the bourbon in an airtight container, gently turning occasionally to keep the cherries evenly soaked.
4 hours prior to cooking cut pineapple into ¼ inch rounds, marinated in ¼ cup bourbon for 4 hours (turn occasionally to keep the pineapple evenly coated)

Ham

Place the ham on the roasting rack and into the roasting pan. Place on the EGG and bake for 30 minutes.
Glaze the ham with the pineapple glaze, reserving half. Bake for another 2 hours and coat with the remaining half of the glaze.
Add the bourbon-soaked pineapple slices on top of the ham and secure with picks. Bake for another 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 140°F.
Remove from the EGG and let rest for 10 minutes prior to slicing.
Remove the ham from the EGG and place on serving platter. Pour the leftover glaze from the roasting pan over the ham. Slice and serve the ham and top with the cherry sauce. Enjoy!

Glaze

Set your EGG up for indirect cooking with a convEGGtor at 325°F/163°C.
In a small cast iron skillet, mix all of the ingredients for the glaze, place on the grid. Once the liquid starts to smoke, flambé the sauce using a long match (when you flambé, the bourbon flavor remains, the alcohol is removed, leaving most of the sugar behind). Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove from the EGG, carefully pour into a bowl and set aside.

Cherry Sauce

In the Dutch oven, mix all of the ingredients for the sauce, (including the bourbon the cherries soaked in). Place on the grid.
Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half; this will take about as long as the ham is baking. Make sure to stir occasionally and add a small amount of water or pineapple juice if it thickens too quickly.