Low-Carb Lesson #43: Maple Mustard Ham

Low Carb Cooking 101: Low-Carb Lesson #43: Maple Mustard Ham

Spring and Easter always make me think of baked ham. That makes sense within the context of ham being a traditional Easter dish, but then I start wondering why ham is a traditional Easter dish. Hogs are traditionally slaughtered in the fall, not the spring. It would make more sense if ham were traditional for Thanksgiving or Christmas, not Easter. But then, how long does it take to cure a ham? Weeks? Months? I honestly don’t know. Maybe ham is traditional for Easter because that’s when it is finally cured/smoked to perfection.

When I get going on an esoteric train of thought like this my husband begins tearing his hair out and suggests that we go to Skyline Chili for dinner – and that maybe we should consider sitting at different tables at opposite sides of the room.

Here’s this evening’s simple menu:

• Maple Mustard Ham
• Southern Spaghetti Squash
• Steamed broccoli

Here’s the shopping list for the meal.
You may very well already have some of these things on hand:

• 1 5-pound boneless ham, fully cooked
• 1 medium or large spaghetti squash
• 1 10-ounce package frozen broccoli spears
• grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
• butter
• DaVinci sugar free pancake syrup (or another brand of low carb pancake syrup)
• Dijon mustard
• Liquid Smoke (if baking the ham)
• cinnamon
• salt
• pepper
• nonstick spray
• vegetable oil (if grilling the ham)(if baking the ham)
• hickory wood chunks (if grilling the ham)

Here’s the game plan:

About 3 hours before you want to serve the meal, prepare the ham according to the recipe instructions and begin grilling or baking it. Prepare the Maple Mustard Sauce and set it aside.

About 1 hour and 15 minutes before the meal is to be served, prepare the spaghetti squash according the recipe directions and place it in the oven to begin baking.

Once the spaghetti squash is baking, begin basting the ham with a small amount of the Maple Mustard Sauce. Continue basting the every 10 minutes or so until the ham is completely cooked.

Set the table.

Take the ham off the grill or out of them oven and let to rest for 10 minutes. Take the spaghetti squash out of the oven and raise the oven setting and temperature to broil.

Prepare the cooked spaghetti squash with the butter, salt, pepper, and Romano or Parmesan cheese. Place it under the broiler briefly to brown the top. (Watch it closely.)

Prepare the broccoli according the recipe directions. While the broccoli is cooking, slice the ham and place portions on the dinner plates. Add portions of the browned spaghetti squash and the steamed broccoli to the plates.

Sit down to a well-deserved, relaxing meal.

And, finally, here’s the recipes:

Grilled Maple Mustard Ham

• 1 5-pound boneless ham, fully cooked
• 3/4 cup DaVinci sugar free pancake syrup (or another brand of low carb pancake syrup)
• 3/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• vegetable oil (if grilling the ham)
• nonstick spray (if baking the ham)
• Liquid Smoke (if baking the ham)
• hickory wood chips (if grilling the ham)

If you are grilling the ham, soak about 4 hickory wood chunks in water, then drain thoroughly. (This is not necessary if you are baking the ham.)

Clean and trim excess fat from the ham. Set it aside.

Preheat grill or oven.

Grilling Method:

If you are grilling the ham, prepare the grill for indirect cooking by placing a large drip pan under where the ham will go. Pour in hot tap water to fill pan half full. Add soaked wood chips to the fire. Oil hot grid to help prevent sticking. Place the ham on the grid directly above the drip pan.

Grill the ham on a covered grill for 20 to 30 minutes per pound (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours), or until a meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the ham registers 140 degrees. For the best flavor, cook the ham slowly over low coals, adding a few briquettes to both sides of the fire every hour (or as necessary) to maintain a constant temperature. Add more hickory chips every 20 to 30 minutes.

While the ham is cooking, combine the sugar free pancake syrup, mustard, and cinnamon in small bowl. Set aside most of the syrup mixture to serve as a sauce when you are serving the ham. Brush the ham with the remaining mixture several times during the last 45 minutes of the cooking time. Let the ham stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Baking Method:

If you are baking the ham, get out a large boiler pan and spray the rack with nonstick spray to making cleaning up easier. Pour in hot tap water to fill the bottom of the broiler pan half full. Place the ham directly onto the rack.

Bake the ham in a 325 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes per pound (1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours), or until a meat thermometer stuck in the thickest part of the ham registers 140 degrees.

While the ham is baking, combine the sugar free pancake syrup, mustard, Liquid Smoke, and cinnamon in small bowl. Set aside most of the syrup mixture to serve as a sauce when you are serving the ham. Brush the ham with the remaining mixture several times during the last 45 minutes of the cooking time. Let the ham stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with the remaining Maple-Mustard Sauce.

Serves 12 @ 294 calories, 15 grams fat, 37 grams protein, and 1 gram carbohydrate.

Southern Spaghetti Squash

• 1 medium or large spaghetti squash
• 4 to 6 tablespoons butter (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• coarsely ground pepper (to taste)
• grated Romano or Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Take spaghetti squash, rinse it, and slice it lengthwise right down the middle. Scoop out all the seeds.

Place the two halves, open sides down, in a large baking dish. Add hot water to the baking dish to a depth of 1/2 inch. Bake the squash at 325 degrees until the squash is soft to a fork poked into it.

Remove both halves of the squash from the baking dish and place them, open side up, on a baking sheet. Take a large fork and gently scrape the squash away from the rind; it should come away from the rind in spaghetti-like strands. Leaving the squash strands in the rinds, gently stir in butter or margarine to taste, usually about two or three tablespoons per half. Also, gently stir in the seasoning salt and coarsely ground black pepper.

Finally, sprinkle each half with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese and top off with a small amount of pepper and seasoning salt for taste and appearance. Place both halves of squash on the baking pan in the oven broiler rack and broil for a few minutes until the top is browned.

Serve immediately, while steaming hot.

Serves: 6 to 8.

Steamed Broccoli

• 1 10-ounce package frozen broccoli spears
• 1 tablespoon water
• butter (to taste)
• salt (to taste)

Technically, this is a cooking tip and not a recipe. It is very easy to microwave frozen broccoli (or most other frozen vegetables, for that matter) right in the box it comes in.

Cut a short slit of about 1 to 2 inches in one of the upper edges of the box. I find that a steak knife works very well for this. Any knife with a sharp tip and a serrated edge will do the trick.

Pry the slit open a bit and pour in 1 to 2 tablespoons water, then place the box in the microwave and cook on high for 6 to 7 minutes. (The time will vary according to the power of your microwave.)

To drain the broccoli, just take the box out of the microwave and hold it slit-side down over the sink. (Give the box a light squeeze to make sure you get all the water out.)

Rip open the box and serve the broccoli spears directly onto the dinner plates. Season the broccoli spears with butter and salt, if desired.

Simple as pie – and no pan to wash!

***Note: Vegetable boxes can get hot, so use a potholder to hold the box while you’re draining it. You don’t want to burn your pinkies! (And yes, I’ve burned mine more than once. Do as I say, not as I do.)

***Leftovers: Combine some leftover broccoli with some shredded cheese. (I like cheddar.) You can reheat the broccoli and melt the cheese in the microwave and eat them “as is,” or you can slip them into an omelet.