Traditional glazed ham

recipe

Traditional glazed ham

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Like its Christmas cousin, the turkey, a roast ham in the house has 101 uses and keeps its flavour and appeal from the first slice to the last. Hams (or gammon as it is usually sold as) come in all weights, depending on how many you want it to feed, so make sure you know its weight and follow the guide for simmering times. Ham is usually soaked in cold water overnight to help remove some of the saltiness which is a result of the curing process. If the ham has not been soaked, see below. Make sure you simmer the ham gently, as boiling can make it tough.

Ingredients

1 large ham or gammon joint, weighed
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 onion, cut into large chunks
1 stalk of celery, cut into large chunks
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns
whole cloves, as many as needed for decoration
2 tbsp dry English mustard
2 tbsp demerara sugar

Directions

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Place the ham in a large saucepan of fresh, cold water. If it has been soaked over night, add the carrot, onion, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns and bring to a gentle simmer, skimming off any white scum that rises to the top. If you have not soaked the ham, bring it to a simmer in cold water and cook for minutes. Meanwhile, bring another large saucepan to a simmer with the carrot, onion, celery, bay leaves and peppercorns and transfer the ham after its minutes cooking. (Subtract this initial cooking time from its total simmering time in the vegetable water.) Simmer for minutes per / lb.
When the time is up, turn off the heat and leave to cool for - minutes in the liquid. Carefully lift the ham out and place in a roasting tin. Drain the solids off the cooking liquid and reserve.
Using a small, sharp knife cut away the hard skin, leaving as much fat underneath as you can. Cut through the fat (but not the meat) diagonally, making a diamond pattern. Mix together the dry mustard and sugar and carefully pat all over into the fat, rubbing in so it sticks as much as possible. Stud each diamond with a clove.
Preheat the oven to / gas mark Pour a little of the reserved cooking liquid into the bottom of the tin. This helps keep the sugar from burning on the bottom. (Save the rest of the stock for soup.) Bake for - minutes or until the sugar has turned a golden colour.

Source: Terry Farris