Dolly Parton's Favorite Way To Cook Ham Wasn't In The Oven

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Among the reasons so many paid heed to the late country music legend Dolly Parton's thoughts on all matters culinary was that the recipes and advice she shared were rooted in a lifetime of experience. Since her death earlier this year, there has been much renewed reflection on that life, and one mainstay that ran through it was Parton's favorite way to cook a famous holiday staple. For the music icon, the method for preparing ham did not require an oven, but rather a charcoal grill.

Parton's hardscrabble upbringing in rural Tennessee required thrifty living, with her large family often relying on wild game. When it came to special occasions, however, ham was one thing that Partons never went without. In a quote accompanying her hickory-grilled ham recipe on Guideposts, Parton recalled: "Daddy always reserved the best pork shoulder from the slaughterhouse for our holidays, which always made us feel real special."

Elsewhere, Parton reflected fondly on her childhood Christmas memories, adding, "We knew how hard Daddy worked to raise his hogs and how much love Mama put into preparing them for that smokehouse" (via Guideposts). It hardly surprising, then, that hickory-grilled ham would remain one of Dolly Parton's favorite foods. Parton's recipe is certainly fit for a feast, and calls for a ham capable of feeding 10 to 23 people, grilled over a mixture of charcoal and soaked hickory.

Even if you lack her personal history with this dish, the "9 to 5" songwriter's recipe is one so simple (yet enticing) that any further modifications might seem like gilding the lily. Prior to grilling, Parton's ham calls for a simple glaze of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and water, as well as studding the meat with whole cloves. It is then served alongside juicy, caramelized pineapple that has been grilled until charred.

If the thought of this holiday centerpiece already has you licking your lips but you lack a grill yourself, don't sleep on this simple trick to keeping ham moist in the oven. If you're looking to emulate the unmistakable taste of hickory that Parton's ham would be imbued with, you have some options. Remember that you can replicate this taste with some varieties of liquid smoke, which comes in various flavors.

More of Parton's hearty, unpretentious family recipes can be found in "Good Lookin' Cookin': A Year of Meals", the cookbook she co-authored with her sister, Rachel Parton George. If you are sticking with her ham for now, however, you may want to avail yourself of the 12 best recipes for when you need to use up leftover ham, from split pea soup to a sweet and savory Monte Cristo sandwich. After all, it would be a disservice to the country icon's memory if anything went to waste.