Baked Christmas Ham with Honey Mustard, Cloves and Apple Juice
Serves: 8-10
Book: WEB EXCLUSIVE
All the team at Joe Mcgee’s Butchers will be happy to advise on the right choice of gammon for your Christmas cooking.
Ingredients
- 1.5Kg (approx. 3lbs) gammon joint
- 2 onions cut into large chunks
- 1 leek
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 carrot
- 2 bay leaves
- 8-10 black peppercorns
- Bunch of fresh herbs e.g. parsley
- 1 pt water
- 2 pts apple juice (unsweetened)
To finish the Gammon
- 2-4 tsp English Mustard
- 50g/2ozs Demerara sugar
- 4 dsp honey
- ½ pt apple juice
- ¼ pt water or stock
- 2-3 small apples – halved
- Small box/packet of whole cloves
- 2-3 apples
Method
Firstly rinse the gammon well under cold water or if time permits place in a large basin covered with cold water and leave to steep for 1-2 hours.
Place in a large saucepan, cover with apple juice and sufficient water to ensure the ham is covered. Add the onion, carrot, leek, celery, herbs and peppercorn.
Place over a medium heat, bring to boiling point then reduce the temperature to simmering. Cover and leave to cook gently for 1¾ hours. Turn off heat and leave to cook slightly before removing from the stock.
Using a sharp knife carefully remove the skin from the gammon ensuring you leave a good layer of fat.
Score the knife through the fat in a lattice fashion then smear the entire skin of the joint with mustard. Pour over the warmed honey. Using whole cloves place in the ham in a lattice effect.
Dust with Demerara sugar then return to a foil lined dish.
Pour around the gammon ½ pt apple juice, sprinkling of 2-3 whole cloves and ¼ pint water and 2-3 apples halved.
Season well with black pepper and bake in the oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas No. 4 for 40-45 minutes approximately. Baste often.
There is no need to enclose the ham in the foil, I find it better to leave it open. The Christmas Ham takes on a wonderful honey coloured glaze.
To Serve
Sprinkle with the glaze