Sticky honey-glazed ham
This succulent and sweet glazed ham could be made at any time of year, but in our house it’s a Christmas favourite!
Preparation time: Around 10 minutes
Cooking time: Around 3 ½ hours
Most of the cooking time is just simmering the ham, so it’s only the last hour or so that really requires your attention. Once cooled, this keeps for a week or so in the fridge and provides thick, tasty slices for sandwiches - and if there’s any left over, I usually shred it and add it to pea and ham soup.
Ingredients (one ham):
Unsmoked, boneless gammon joint – 2kg (I look for one that’s a good shape for slicing)
Carrot – 1, chopped into quarters
Leek – 1, chopped into quarters
Onion – 1, chopped into quarters
Bay leaves – 2
Coriander seeds – 1 tsp.
Black peppercorns – 1 tsp.
Cinnamon – 1 stick (or 1 tsp. if you can’t find a stick)
Whole cloves – lots!
Marsala wine – 100ml
Sherry vinegar – 25ml (or a slightly sweet substitute vinegar, such as a fruity vinegar)
Demerara sugar – 200g
Honey – 250g
Method:
Put the gammon on a large pan, together with the carrot, leek, onion, bay leaves, coriander seeds, peppercorns and cinnamon, and then add enough cold water to fully cover the gammon;
Cover with a lid, then bring to the boil on the hob, before turning the heat down to a gentle simmer for around 2 ½ hours. You may need to top up the water if there’s no longer enough to cover the gammon as it cooks, and you also may need to skim off any impurities that gather on the water’s surface;
After 2 ½ hours, remove the cooked ham from the pan and place on a chopping board (but keep the cooking liquid, as it makes a great base for a pea and ham soup). Start heating the oven to 170°C (for a fan oven);
Cut the skin from the ham with a sharp knife, but leave as much of the fatty layer on the ham as possible. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern with the sharp knife, then stud each of the resulting diamonds with a whole clove;
In a small pan, mix the marsala, vinegar and sugar together and then bring the mixture to the boil (to melt the sugar), then add the honey and return to the boil, before taking it off the heat;
Transfer the ham to a suitable high-sided roasting tin, fatty side up. Carefully spoon about half of the honey glaze over the ham, making sure it’s fully covered, then put the ham in the pre-heated over for 15 minutes. After its initial 15 minutes, take the ham out and carefully spoon the second half of the honey glaze over it, before returning it to the oven for another 7 minutes;
After those 7 minutes, remove the tray from the oven and carefully baste the ham with the glaze from the bottom of the tin, before rotating the roasting tray 180° and cooking it for a further 7 minutes. Then remove the ham, baste it again, and rotate the ham 90° before cooking it for a third blast of 7 minutes. Finally, remove the ham and baste again, then rotate the roasting tray 180° and cook for a final batch of 7 minutes (the fourth in total);
Remove the ham from the oven, and transfer to a carving board or serving plate. Leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before carving, or the ham can be transferred to the fridge once cooled and then served as cold sliced meat at your convenience.
Sticky honey-glazed ham
