Hector’s Baked Ham, Made Every Christmas in Panama

This family-famous baked ham recipe was passed down to Lisa Kear by her father, Hector. Growing up in Colon, Panama, her dad would make this dish every Christmas, and today Lisa is honored to carry on the jamon tradition so that her two daughters can enjoy it, too. She hopes they keep it going and pass down this recipe going back to their Panamanian-roots to their future kids.

Lisa fondly remembers her father’s love of making his own sauces and experimenting to find the best flavor combinations. For this traditional ham, Hector found success using a marinade made with soy sauce and prepared yellow mustard. “Something about soy sauce, mustard, and cloves brings out the natural sweetness of the pork,” Lisa said.

What makes this recipe extra special today for Lisa is the way everyone loves to snack on the ham during the Christmas season. In Lisa’s family, the holiday is not about gathering round the table for one big dinner. “It’s about sitting around the tree and talking, with people in and out the door” all day, Lisa says. As a result, it’s essential to make dishes that can be easily prepared and enjoyed all day. Lisa also makes sure to leave her equally family-famous pan de huevo or egg bread on the counter, so that everyone can grab a slice of this ham from the fridge, pair it with the egg bread, and make the perfect ham sandwich in dos minutos flat, she says.

Though she likes Christmas Day itself to be a relaxing and stress-free, Lisa cooks up a storm in her kitchen starting several days before to get everything ready in time for the big day, she says. In addition to her Dad’s ham, other traditional Panamanian dishes she makes include Lisa’s family rice with coconut and pigeon peas or arroz con gandules, tamales with chicken and pork, pineapple upside down cake, and ron ponche. (It’s pretty similar to coquito, which is often called the Puerto Rican egg nog, if you like that—and let’s be honest, who doesn‘t?). Find more of Lisa’s delicioso Panamanian family recipes here.

Christmas is traditionally one of the most important family-gathering holidays across Latin America, and most families have a list of their favorite dishes ready for the big day. Need inspiration? Find more of our Familia Kitchen homecooks’ favorite Christmas recipes here.

Ready to Make Lisa’s Festive Family Baked Ham?

Hector’s Baked Ham, Made Every Christmas in Panama

Recipe by Lisa Kear

4.0 from 3 votes

Cuisine: Panamanian

Servings

10 to 12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking Time

2

hours

Resting time

1 to 9

hours

Ingredients

• 10 to 12 lbs bone-in ham

• 1/3 cup yellow mustard

• 1/3 cup soy sauce

• 1 /2 cup whole cloves

Directions

• Remove the ham from the package, dry with paper towel, and set in a roasting pan.
• In a measuring mixing cup, place the mustard and soy sauce. Mix until well combined.
• Pour the mustard and soy sauce mixture all over the ham.
• Let the ham sit covered in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (overnight is preferable)
• Preheat oven at 350°.
• While the oven is heating, gently slice the ham’s outer layer of skin fat in diagonals, vertical and horizontal, to create a diamond pattern.
• Insert a whole clove in the center of each diamond.
• Cover tightly and bake for 1 1/2 hours
• Uncover, and bake another 30 minutes, basting at the 15-minute mark.
• Take the ham out of the oven, and let it rest for 1 hour before trimming and serving.