By
delicious. team
This glazed ham recipe is cooked overnight to ensure it is meltingly tender. You can cook it on Christmas Eve for Boxing Day so that your oven is free on Christmas Day.
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- Handful of fresh parsley stalks
- 10 black peppercorns
- 1.5 litres cider
- 5-7kg smoked ham on the bone, soaked overnight in cold water
- 12 cloves
- 5 tbsp runny honey
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- Good pinch of cayenne pepper
- 2-3 tbsp demerara sugar
Method
- 1. Preheat the oven to 120°C/fan100°C/gas ½. Use a deep roasting tray (with a rack) that’s big enough to hold the ham. Put the onion, carrots, bay leaves, parsley and peppercorns in the tray. Pour the cider over, then put the rack on top.
- 2. Sit the ham on the rack and cover with a large tent of foil, sealing it well. Put on the hob over a high heat and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then transfer to the oven. Cook for 12 hours or overnight. (You can now leave it for 1-2 days before finishing the recipe – see tip.)
- 3. Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4. Using a sharp knife, carefully peel the skin away from the cooked ham, leaving as much of the fat behind as you can. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern and press the cloves into the crosses. Mix the honey with the ginger and cayenne pepper, then smear all over the ham. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar, then roast in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until sticky and piping hot throughout.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 168kcals, 7.9g fat (3g saturated), 24g protein, 0.2g carbs, 0.2g sugar, 2.8g salt
Chef's tip
Cook (but don’t skin or dress) the ham up to a couple of days before Christmas. Leave to cool (this takes a while) in a clean roasting tin, cover with foil and keep in a cool place until Boxing Day, then finish the recipe. If it won’t fit in the fridge, a cold garage or larder is fine.