Sweet & Spicy Bourbon Cherry Ham Glaze/Sauce

Why do you want this sauce?  It's NOT your Grandma's ham glaze, that's for sure!  This sauce will glaze and accompany up to a whole bone-in ham for the holidays! It’s also delicious on toast, English Muffins, Ice Cream, or right from the jar with a spoon. I’ve even used it on a large pork roast with great success. It’s gently sweet with a hint of spicy heat on the back-end. OH, and it smells like Whiskey, which is a very good thing!

You will need:

• 1/2 Cup Yellow Mustard
• 1/2 Cup Local Honey
  
• 1 small jar of Maraschìno or Luxardo Cherries (with the juice, without the stems)
• 1 Fresh Pineapple, Peeled and Crushed
• l bag of dried cherries (they're near the raisins and dried cranberries at the store)
• 12 oz. Good Bourbon (Honestly, use your favorite and not the "cheap stuff")
• 2 Cups of dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon GOOD Chili powder or Chipotle Chili powder (Preferred)
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Paprika (Smoked Paprika if you can find it) 
• 1/4 Cup Cornstarch
  

As soon as you get home from the store, dump the dried cherries into a mason jar, and pour on the Bourbon. Put the lid on, and let these set somewhere for TWO DAYS. The cherries will re-hydrate and create a glorious cherry bourbon syrup. You can leave them in there for more than two days, if you want. Two is the minimum.

When you’re ready to cook:

In a heavy sauce pot, dump the mustard, honey, and brown sugar together over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is melted and you have a wonderfully dark brown caramelly goo. Pour about an ounce of your Bourbon syrup into a shot glass. Drink it. It's been a long Week and you deserve it! Now, pour the rest of the Bourbon/cherry mix, as well as the cherries into the pot. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to a bubbling simmer.

Now to the pineapple... Lop off the base and the top of the pineapple, then (using a very sharp knife) cut off the hide until so you have a cute yellow “plug” to work with. The core of the pineapple is hard and fibrous so it has to go. Slice down through the pineapple, around the core, taking as much of the fruit away from the core as possible. Sadly, the sweetest part of the pineapple is right next to the core so it’s worth being extra stingy about it. Coarsely chop the “good stuff" into smaller pieces and dump them all into a large ziplock bag. Suck as much air out of the bag as you can, before you close it. Now, give your kids a large serving spoon and have them BEAT AND CRUSH that pineapple into a coarse pulp. WHACK WHACK WHACK!! (If you feel like drinking more Bourbon syrup at this stage, it is encouraged).

Add the pineapple to the pot and stir to combine. Bring it back up to a gently bubbling simmer and add the spices. Stir. Simmer for about 10 more minutes, then stir in the cornstarch and whisk or stir until everything is nice and smooth and thick.  Ladle into Mason Jars and screw down the lids. This will yield 6 cups, or about three jars.  Use it as a glaze to brush onto your ham, or serve it (warm) as a side sauce for dipping.  You could also just leave it in the fridge and not tell anyone about it, and sneak spoonfuls of it late at night, just for fun....