Mustard and ale baked ham recipe
There is nothing that captures the warmth of winter than a cooked ham. Enjoy warm or slice for thick, chunky sandwiches.
Tips:
• This quantity of ham will feed eight, with leftovers.
• You will need a large pan, like a pasta pan, for the ham.
• The glazed ham will keep for up to three days in the fridge.
• Calculate the cooking time for the ham by allowing 20 minutes per 500g/17.6oz
Ingredients
For the ham- 3 kg unsmoked gammon joint
- 3 l ale (we like Old Speckled Hen or use an IPA)
- 2 onions, quartered
- 3 carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 4 tbsp black treacle or molasses
- 4 tbsp dark muscovado or molasses sugar
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Details
- Cuisine: British
- Recipe Type: Ham
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 155 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- Place the gammon joint into a large lidded saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat. This is to eliminate any excess salt and scum from the curing process.
- Drain the water from the saucepan; pour in the ale (the gammon should be covered so top up with water if required).
- Add the onions, carrots, celery, bay leaves, cloves and peppercorns and bring to the boil once more. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer the gammon and vegetables gently for 2 hours for a 3kg (6.6lbs) gammon. (See tips on how to calculate the cooking time for other weights).
- Remove the gammon from the saucepan and set aside to cool for fifteen minutes. Reserve 300ml (0.5 pint) of the stock and the rest can be used to make soup.
- Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan oven 200°C/425°F/gas mark 7.
- Cut away the skin leaving a thick layer of fat underneath. Use the tip of a sharp knife to score the fat in diamonds or straight lines. Place in a roasting tin lined with a double layer of foil, fat side up.
- Pour the reserved stock into a pan and boil rapidly to reduce to around 5tbsp.
- Mix together the treacle, sugar, mustard and the reduced stock and brush over the fat, using a basting brush to ensure all the fat is covered.
- Bake for 25 minutes, basting every five minutes, until the ham is golden brown and crisp at the edges. Serve hot or cold with coleslaw and chutney.
This recipe was originially devised for Old Speckled Hen and adapted by Jane Curran. Image: Elena Veselova/Shutterstock
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