Weekend Recipe: Grill-Roasted Ham

KCET and our show Cook's Country don't want you to have a boring Easter. To that end we present to you this grill-roasted ham, which is infinitely better from the spiral-sliced variety millions of people will be serving this Sunday. It's the perfect time of year to break out the grill again, too -- give it an Easter inauguration with this delectable recipe.

Grill-Roasted Ham
Serves 16 to 20
1 (7-to10-pound) cured bone-in ham (NOT spiral-sliced ham), preferably shank end, skin removed and fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick.
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Score ham at 1-inch intervals in crosshatch pattern. Combine sugar, paprika, pepper, and cayenne in small bowl. Rub spice mixture all over ham. Transfer to V-rack (the kind you'd use in a roasting pan) and let stand at room temperature 1½ hours. Thread ham with metal skewers on both sides of the bone.

Heat all burners on high for 15 minutes, then leave primary burner on high and turn other burner(s) off. (For charcoal grill, open bottom vent on grill. Light 100 coals; when covered with fine gray ash, spread over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place and heat covered, with lid vent open halfway, for 5 minutes.) Scrape cooking grate. Arrange V-rack over cooler side of grill. Cook ham, covered, until meat registers 100 degrees, about 1½ hours.

Turn all burners to low. (For charcoal grill, light about 25 coals. When coals are covered with fine gray ash, remove grill grate and scatter over top of spent coals. Replace grill grate and position V-rack directly over coals.) Grill ham until lightly charred on all sides, about 30 minutes, turning ham every 5 minutes (remember to use oven mitts when handling the skewers). Transfer to cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 15 minutes. Carve and serve.