CORINTH'S COUNTRY HAM

Procure by whatever means available a cured country ham. Usually it will weigh from 13-17 pounds.

Remove the hock and skin. Leave as much of the fat beneath the skin as possible. A butcher can help here.

Assemble the following ingredients:

• 4 Cups plain flour
• 1 Cup dark brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 Tablespoons ground cloves
• 2 Tablespoons ground dry mustard
• 1 Tablespoon black pepper
• Water to make soft dough. About 2 Cups

Fire up the oven to 350 degrees or so.

Sift to combine the dry ingredients.

Add water to make a soft spreadable dough -- like a soft biscuit dough.

Place the ham in the roaster on a rack -- skin side up.

Spread the dough over the skin side of the ham.

Bake for about three hours uncovered.

It is wise to disengage your smoke detector during this process.

When the time is up, remove the crust and discard.

After the ham cools a bit, remove to cutting board for deboning.

Baked ham is best served cold and thinly sliced. However, should one wish a warm entre, heated sherry is a wonderful medium.

Our traditional Christmas breakfast consists of fried country ham, scrambled eggs, buttermilk biscuits with butter and jam.