Cranberry, Orange and Ginger Thanksgiving Ham

About

This delicious Keto Thanksgiving ham is oven baked until tender then finished with a sweet and festive cranberry jam. The low carb cranberry jam is packed with holiday flavors of zesty orange and warming spices, perfect to complement the savory pork. This tasty Thanksgiving Keto recipe is both delicious served hot or cold for leftovers.

Are Cranberries Keto?

Although they are at the higher end of the carb scale, cranberries may be used sparingly on a Ketogenic diet. For this Keto thanksgiving recipe, we have used dried cranberries. To keep the carb count low, look for reduced-sugar cranberries, sugar-free cranberries, or cranberries sweetened with just a little natural fruit juice. If you are able to source them, you may use fresh or frozen cranberries in place of dried.

Swaps and Substitutions

We have used a Keto maple syrup to sweeten our low carb jam. You may substitute this for your preference in low carb sweetener, adjusting quantities to taste. We have seasoned our jam with festive spices and a hint of orange juice. You may adjust the quantities of spices as desired or use different flavorings if preferred. Please be sure to adjust your macros to account for any changes made to the recipe.

Ingredients

1.6 pound virginia ham (country ham), visible fat eaten
1 ½ tablespoon maple flavored syrup by lakanto
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ginger, ground
1 teaspoon orange juice
1 teaspoon orange peel or zest raw
½ teaspoon cinnamon
⅓ cup craisins dried cranberries reduced sugar by ocean spray
¼ teaspoon salt, sea salt
⅛ teaspoon cloves, ground

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange the ham on a shallow oven tray and cover loosely with foil. Transfer the ham to the oven to bake for 45 minutes. While the ham is baking, you can prepare the cranberry jam glaze. Add the dried cranberries, orange juice, zest, cinnamon, maple-flavored syrup, ginger, ground cloves, and salt to a small saucepan. Add half the water and stir well to combine. Set over a medium high heat and bring to a boil.
Allow the cranberries to bubble and simmer until plump and rehydrated. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer. Add the remaining water a little at a time, and continue to simmer the cranberries while carefully crushing with a fork. Continue to simmer until the fruit is broken down, all the liquid has evaporated, and you have a sticky jam-like consistency. This will take about 10-15 minutes. You can add more water as needed until you reach the right consistency. Set aside to cool completely.
After 45 minutes, remove the ham from the oven and take off the foil. Score across the soft fat in a criss cross pattern. Divide the cranberry jam in half, setting half to one side for serving. Using a spoon or spatula, rub the remaining jam into the scored fat and around the edges of the ham. Return to the oven for a further 30 minutes, or until entirely cooked through, basting the ham with the cooking juices halfway through. Serve hot or cold with the remaining cranberry jam.