Ingredients

One 12-pound to 15-pound fully cooked ham, bone-in, scored decoratively
4 (12-ounce) cans of root beer
4 tablespoons pepper jelly
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup steak sauce (recommended: Emeril's Steak Sauce)
2 teaspoons pepper sauce (recommended: Caribbean Pick-A-Pepper)
8 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 oranges, zest and juice
2 lemons, zest and juice
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
1 teaspoon bitters (recommended: Angostura)

Place all of the above ingredients, except the ham, in a 2-quart sauce pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the root beer is reduced by 2/3 and takes on a syrupy consistency, about 30 minutes. Remove the glaze from the heat and strain into a clean, heat-proof container. Set aside until ready to glaze the ham.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Trim rind and excess fat from the ham, leaving a 1/4-inch-thick layer of fat. Score the ham in a decorative diamond pattern. Place the ham in a large roasting pan and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour, basting occasionally with the pan juices.
Remove the ham from the oven and brush the top and sides with the root beer glaze. Return the ham to the oven and continue to cook, glazing every 15 minutes and tenting the ham with foil if it browns too quickly. Cook until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the ham registers 150 degrees, about 45 minutes to one hour longer.
Remove the ham from the oven and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, thinly sliced. Serves 12-20.

Directions

Note: This ham goes well with sweet potatoes.