Hairy Bikers Christmas Ham Recipes

CHRISTMAS HAM

Steps:

• Put the gammon in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then drain. Rinse off any white starch from both the ham and the saucepan, then return the ham to the saucepan. Cover with water again.
• Stud the onion with the cloves, and add to the pan with all the remaining ingredients.
• Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 2-2½ hours, or until the ham is cooked through - the internal temperature should reach 68C/154F (you can use a meat thermometer to check). Remove from the heat and either leave to cool in the liquor or immediately transfer to a work surface.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• To prepare the gammon for glazing, cut off the string and cut away the outer rind, leaving at least half the thickness of fat underneath attached to the ham. Score a diamond pattern on the fat and stud cloves into each corner.
• To make the glaze, blend the cherry conserve using a food processor or hand-held blender to get it as smooth as possible, then put it in a saucepan with the bourbon, ginger, sugar and cinnamon.
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced enough to coat the back of a spoon. Brush the glaze over the ham, making sure you use it all.
• Place the ham in a roasting tin and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until it is well browned. Serve in slices.

HONEY-GLAZED GAMMON

Steps:

• Place the gammon joint into a large lidded saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Drain the water from the saucepan, add fresh cold water, the onions, carrots, celery, bay and peppercorns and bring to the boil once more. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer the gammon and vegetables gently for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz. (If your pan is not quite large enough to cover the joint completely, turn the gammon over halfway through the cooking time.)
• Remove the gammon from the water and set aside to cool for 15 minutes. (The cooking liquid can be strained and reserved for making soup for another time.)
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and line a large roasting tin with kitchen foil.
• Use a small knife to remove the rind from the gammon joint, leaving as much of the fat intact as possible. Score the fat in a diamond pattern, and push a clove into the centre of each 'X'.
• Place the gammon into the foil-lined roasting tray, ensuring that the sides of the foil come halfway up the joint to contain any roasting juices.
• For the glaze, mix the honey and mustard together and brush half of it evenly over the gammon, including one side of the joint. Roast in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes, then take the joint out and brush the top and remaining side with the rest of the glaze. Return the gammon to the oven for a further 10- 15 minutes, rotating the tin so that the opposite side of the gammon faces the back of the oven.
• The gammon is ready when the fat on top is glossy and golden brown. Cover loosely with foil if the top begins to look too brown. Remove the gammon from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Pour any juices that have collected in the kitchen foil into a small pan, and warm through gently.
• Carve the gammon, serve on a large platter and spoon over the warmed juices .