Frugal Feasts: Grilled Whole Ham with Pear Chutney & a cookbook giveaway

Three copies of "Weber's Time to Grill" came across my desk this week. Given that it's Easter on Sunday and ham is on sale at every store for about $1.50 a pound, it made sense to find a ham recipe inside the Weber cookbook. This recipe is for a Grilled Whole Ham with Pear Chutney. Now I have had folks rave to me about grilling ham, so I might have to give this a try on Sunday. It only costs 96 cents a serving. Enjoy!

Of course, I am offering blog readers a chance to win one of three copies of the cookbook. You know the drill, leave a comment at the bottom of this post before noon, Friday, April 29th. I'll choose winners at random. Good luck!

Grilled Whole Ham with Pear Chutney

From "Weber's Time to Grill," by Jamie Purviance

1 boneless, cooked, smoked ham, 3-4 pounds

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 ripe pears, such as Bartlett or Anjou, peeled, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons peeled, grated fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

LET ham stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes before grilling.

PREPARE the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat, 350 to 450 degrees.

BRUSH cooking grates clean. Put the ham, flat side down, in a large disposable foil pan and add 1/2 cup water to help prevent the ham from drying out. Place the pan over medium indirect heat, close the grill lid and cook until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees in 30 to 40 minutes.

WARM oil in a 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat while ham is cooking. Add pears, cooking and stirring until they are softened but not mushy, 4 to 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the pear pieces and set aside. Add sugar, vinegar, mustard, ginger and red pepper flakes to the pears in the skillet, combining thoroughly. Cook until the mixture thickens and begins to darken in color, 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return the reserved pears and accumulated juices to the skillet and continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chutney from sticking. Transfer to a serving dish and cool slightly.

REMOVE ham from grill and let rest 3 to 5 minutes. Cut slices and serve warm with the chutney.

Yield: 8 servings

Cost breakdown:

This assumes you have vegetable oil.

Ham, $1.50 per pound, Cost for meal: $4.50

Pears, 62 cents each, Cost for meal: $2.48

Brown sugar, $1.79 for 32 ounces, Cost for meal: 34 cents

Vinegar, $2.29 for 128 ounces, Cost for meal: 5 cents

Dijon mustard, $2.39 for 9.5 ounces, Cost for meal: 13 cents

Fresh ginger, $3.99 a pound, Cost for meal: 10 cents

Crushed red pepper, $1.89 for 1.5 ounces, Cost for meal: 5 cents

Cost for meal: $7.65

Cost per serving: 96 cents