Honey-glazed gammon recipe

Martin Ng
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A lovely must-have staple over Christmas, served hot and/or cold, is honey-glazed gammon. Any leftover ham could be eaten cold the following day in a simple salad with crisp, green lettuce, hard boiled egg, tomatoes and Stilton. Any stock shouldn’t be thrown away as it acts as an excellent base for soups, risottos and sauces. If you have a large amount of stock, you can always freeze it in convenient, manageable batches.

Ingredients

2 kg Unsmoked boneless gammon joint
2 Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Leek, cleaned and roughly chopped
1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Bunch Flat Leaf Parsley
0.5 tsp Black Peppercorns, crushed
0.5 tsp Cinnamon Stick
1 Bay Leaf
1 handful Cloves

For the honey glaze

50 g Demerara Sugar
2 tbsp Madeira
1 tbsp Sherry Vinegar
60 g Runny Honey

Details

Cuisine: British
Recipe Type: Main
Difficulty: Medium
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 180 mins
Serves: 4

Step-by-step

If possible, buy the gammon joint a minimum of 24 hours in advance of when you are planning to cook it. This way, immerse it completely in cold water for 24 hours to soak out any excessive salt the gammon was originally cured in.
Pre-heat your oven to 190°c. Put the gammon in a large enough pan to be able to contain the joint in and cover with cold water.
Add the vegetables, parsley, peppercorns, cinnamon and bay leaves and bring to the boil, then turn to a rolling simmer, i.e. medium heat.
Cook for 2 hours, skimming off any froth and impurities that rise to the top. Leave to cool for 30 minutes, then remove the joint. Strain and reserve the stock for soups, etc.
To make the glaze, heat the sugar, Madeira, sherry vinegar and honey over a low heat and bring to the boil, lower to a simmer for 3 minutes until you have a dark, shiny syrup.
Prepare the ham before baking in the pre-heated oven. Cut any string off and level off the fat on the ham; leaving an even layer. Score the fat in a criss-cross diamond pattern, taking care not to cut into the meat. Press a stud of clove into the centre of each diamond.
Pour half of the glaze over the ham and roast for 10 minutes. Pour rest of the glaze over the ham and roast for a further 20 minutes, until you get a golden brown colour. Baste the roasting juices over the ham frequently. Also turn the tray you roast the ham to ensure it gets roasted evenly.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.