This being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how various countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a festive drink, or even a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat. Click here to see all of my “Christmas In…” series from years’ past.
When doing my related research and saw that this dish has roots in the Caribbean, my eyes bulged out of my head. First, I love ham. Second, I love pretty food. Third, I got to live my best Betty Crocker self. The first recipe for ham with pineapples, in America, dates back to the early 1900’s and by the middle of the 20th century, it was the dish to impress. But, why? All to move product (similar to Harvey Wallbanger), namely, canned pineapple rings. However, pineapple was first “discovered” by Columbus, found in its native land, Guadeloupe…or 6 islands north of Trinidad & Tobago! Pineapples work great with ham as its sweetness helps tame the saltiness of the ham. Additionally, this ham is treated with another local crop derivative: mustard! If you love ham and pineapple, you’ll adore this ham, as well as some of my other pineapple entries.
Trini Ham with Pineapple
Rub
Small jar of Colman’s yellow mustard
⅓ cup honey
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
Ham
Bone-in brown sugar half ham
Whole cloves
2 cans of sliced pineapple rings
Maraschino cherries
Toothpicks
Prepare the rub by whisking all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
Remove the ham from its packaging and preheat the oven per the instructions on the ham package’s label.
Pour the rub and spread it all over the ham with your hands.
Stud the surface of the ham with the cloves.
Place pineapple rings on the surface of the ham and secure with toothpicks, followed by placing the cherries in the center of each ring, securing them with toothpicks as well.
Pour the pineapple juice into the bottom of the roasting pan and place the ham in the pan. Bake in the oven according to the instructions on the ham’s packaging label.
After 45 minutes, begin basting the ham and rotating the pan every 30 minutes or so. Once the ham has cooked and the pineapple rings have softened, remove it from the oven and let it set for 15 minutes, before slicing and serving up…don’t forget to remove the toothpicks from the ham!
______________________________ Copyright 2023, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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