Mississippi Baked Ham - cooking recipe

Ingredients

8 -10 lbs hickory-smoked bone-in ham
clove, as many as needed
12 ounces Coca-Cola
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices in heavy syrup, drained and syrup reserved
1 -2 cup brown sugar
10 maraschino cherries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Rinse and dry ham. Score skin of ham with a knife in a criss-crossing 1-inch diamond pattern all around. Stuff one clove in every gap where the crosses intersect.
In a baking pan, whisk together the cola and reserved pinapple syrup. Place ham cut side down in the pan. Glaze with the cola/syrup mixture. Pat brown sugar all over the ham, then cover with foil.
Bake, covered, for 15-20 minutes per pound or until internal temperature reaches 135-145°F (cooking these big chunks of meat always takes me longer than the packaging says- a probe thermometer really helps here). Baste every 20 minutes or so. Halfway through the cooking time, remove foil and stick the pineapple slices onto the ham with toothpicks. Put a maraschino cherry in each pineapple slice hole, also with a toothpick. Continue baking, uncovered, and don't forget to baste.
For a more caramelized glaze on the ham, just before it has finished cooking increase the oven temperature to 450°F Check it frequently and baste constantly to make sure it does not burn.
Remove from oven and let sit for at least 30 minutes before slicing.