Baked Ham with Pinapple

As a part of the Venezuelan Christmas menu, we have the baked ham with pineapple. Many people may think how come the dinner has pork and also ham?... well Venezuelans like meat, and our Christmas Menu is full of meat, and we love pork.... so you will see pork in the hallaca (do not worry you can make the hallaca with chicken), in the Pan de Jamon (Ham Bread), roasted pork and now baked ham (pork ham)... that's why after he holiday we have to go to the gym and try to burn those calories hat we put on... But Christmas it just once per year, so enjoy the excess... and be happy... try a little bit of everything, you do not need o eat all, but do not deprive yourself in this time of the year... Merry Christmas and good eating!!
If you want to have a variety of meat in the dinner try Baked Turkey, Roasted Pork, Baked Ham and the hallacas could be make of a mix of chicken, beef and pork.... Hum!!! nice..

BAKED HAM WITH PINEAPPLE

1 ham precooked , about 5 kg
2 tins of 600 grams each one of sliced pineapple
500 grams of papelon (syrup with sugar and water, light brown)

Directions:

1. Turn on the oven at 400 F
2. Put in a bowl the liquid from the tin (sliced pineapple) and in other bowl the pineapples.
3. In a big pot put the liquid from the pineapple can, 1-1/2 cup, add the papelon (in another pot mix sugar and water and make a syrup, use brown sugar, about 2 cups) - mix together the two syrups and put the pot on the stove, let it boil and cook until you get a thick syrup, use a wooden spoon to stir the mix.
4. Put the ham in a baking pan, deep. Cover the ham with half of the syrup made, passed thought a strainer.
5. Cover the top and the sides of the ham with the pineapple, support the pineapple with wood sticks (you can decorate also the pineapple with cherries), pour the rest of the syrup on the ham with the pineapple.
6. Put the baking tray with the ham in the oven and baked for 1 hour, about 12minutes per kilo of ham, pour syrup on the ham time to time during the baking time from the same baking tray. Turn-on the broiler of your oven and bake it for 5 to 10 more minutes.
7. after this time, take the ham out of the oven and let it get cold before cutting it. Cut it in slices, place the slices on a tray and decorate it with the pineapple.