Christmas would not be quite the same without my mother’s roasted ham. But as with any tradition, this has evolved to suit its audience, and so I have created a hybrid between mine and my mother’s paletes. The ham itself is flavoured in a traditional, English way, whilst the glaze verges somewhat into the spiciness of Asian territory. It makes for absolutely stunning christmas sandwiches with chilli jam or cranberry sauce.
ingredients
- 1 x 2.5kg unsmoked gammon joint
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp juniper berries
- 1 tbsp pink peppercorns
- 1tsp mustard seed
- 4 cloves
for the glaze
- 3 tbsp ginger preserve (with chunks of ginger)
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 hot red chilli, chopped very finely
method
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
- In a large casserole (with oven proof lid) place the ham and all ingredients except those for the glaze.
- Pour boiling water over the ham until just about covered. Clamp on the lid and cook in the preheated oven for about three hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the ham reads at least 71 degrees Celsius.
- Once fully cooked, remove from the oven and remove the rind from the joint, leaving around 0.5cm thickness of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, cover the joint with foil on a roasting tray and place to one side. Turn oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
- To make the glaze simply place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a vicious boil. Pour this over the ham and return to the oven for 15 minutes, or until the glaze is scorched and bubbling.
- Allow the ham to cool before serving.
Merry Christmas.
