Sounds like a great idea, Jammero. One year we did our entire Thanksgiving dinner in Dutch ovens, and it was so much fun.
Does your wife have a favorite ham recipe she uses? If so, you might consider just using it. The nice thing about using a recipe you're familiar with is you know what to expect. That's a big help when you're learning a new technique. You already know what the food is supposed to do and what it'll look like when it's done, etc. It saves a lot of wondering if it's cooking as it should, because you already know how things should progress. That way all you'll need to concentrate on is getting the heat right, which generally isn't that hard.
I've only cooked a ham once in the DO and used pretty much the same method as Uncle Bob described. Although instead of using a regular trivet, I placed my ham on a bed of pineapple rings. Anyway, here are a couple of recipes I have in my files. Maybe they'll give you some ideas.
Pineapple Glazed Ham
12-inch Dutch oven
1 (6 to 8 pound) bone-in ham
Whole cloves
Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (14-ounce) can crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Take meat out of package and prepare by poking a series of small holes in it using a special meat tenderizer or fork. Place in your Dutch oven, fat side up. You may have to trim a little to fit it into pot. Cover surface of meat with whole cloves, about 1 every inch. Arrange 16 coals on the lid in checkerboard pattern and 9 coals on the bottom in a ring close to the outside edge of oven. Roast until inside temperature is 170°F, changing your coals during the process when they are spent — about 1 hour later. You may want to inject the ham with pineapple juice during cooking process. Prepare glaze by mixing all ingredients together in an 8-inch Dutch oven or saucepan. Stir thoroughly. Place on low heat, stirring occasionally until thickened. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving, remove all drippings and moisture from around meat inside the pot. Pour glaze all over meat and replace lid. Make sure you have hot coals around the outside edge of the lid. The glaze will solidify and sweeten the ham. Cut meat into chunks and serve with your favorite vegetable. Takes about 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
Tangy Glazed Ham
1 (5 to 7 pound) precooked ham
1 (15-ounce) can pineapple rings
1 (2-ounce) bottle maraschino cherries, optional
1 cup water
Glaze:
1 (8-ounce) jar orange marmalade
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
6 ounces amaretto or almond/cherry liqueur
Mix the glaze ingredients together and let sit while you're getting the charcoal ready. Place the ham on a rack in a deep 14-inch Dutch oven along with juices from the cherries and pineapple and the water. Brush the ham with the glaze and any other seasoning you wish to add. Place pineapple rings on the ham with a maraschino cherry in the center of each ring, if desired. Use toothpicks to secure pineapple rings and cherries to ham, if needed. Set the Dutch oven in a firepan with 8 to 10 briquets underneath and 12 to 14 around the outside of the lid and cook for an hour. Brush ham with the remaining glaze 2 to 3 times during cooking.
Recipe adapted from Cee Dub's Dutch Oven and Other Camp Cookin', Page 111
