Sticky Toffee Glazed Ham
This Christmas ham is poached in cider then glazed in a rich sticky toffee glaze! The slices of ham are tender, juicy & have a perfectly caramelised crust. This one's perfect for Boxing Day!
Servings: 10 People
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Large Skillet
- Small Saucepan
- Digital Food Probe
Ingredients
- 3 kg Boneless Gammon Joint (Soaked If Necessary - See Notes)
Poaching Liquid
- 1 Litre Cider
- 2 Carrots (Roughly Chopped)
- 2 Celery Sticks (Roughly Chopped)
- 1 White Onion (Roughly Chopped)
- A Few Sprigs Of Fresh Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 10 Black Peppercorns
Sticky Toffee Glaze
- 200 g Golden Syrup
- 120 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 100 ml Fresh Orange Juice
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 2 tsp White Miso Paste
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
To Roast
- Whole Cloves (Optional)
Instructions
Boiling The Ham
- Place the gammon joint into a large saucepan then add in the cider, chopped veg, herbs & peppercorns.There's no need to peel the veg just make sure that they're all clean! Make sure to use a pan big enough to hold enough liquid to completely cover the gammon.
- Add enough cold water into the pan, to completely cover the gammon then cover the pan with a lid, set over a medium heat & bring to a gentle simmer.
- Gently simmer the gammon until it reaches an internal temperature of 71°c/160°f. This will take 2½ - 3 hours. Make sure to top the stock up with water if needed, so that the gammon is always covered. Turn the heat down slightly if necessary, to keep the stock at a gentle simmer.You'll need a digital food probe to check the internal temperature. Make sure to keep the liquid at a gentle simmer at all times – don't let it boil! I'd recommend checking the internal temperature of the gammon at frequent intervals after around 2 hours. The gammon needs to be just cooked once poached, as it will finish off in the oven.
- When your ham is almost ready, preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Once cooked, transfer the ham into a large, ovenproof skillet/pan then set to one side whilst you make the glaze.
Sticky Toffee Glaze
- Add the golden syrup, brown sugar, orange juice, miso & mustard into a small saucepan then set over a medium heat.
- Cook the glaze, stirring frequently until the sugar has dissolved & everything is combined. This will take around 3-4 minutes. You might need to use a whisk, to dissolve the miso.
- Once cooked, take the glaze off the heat & set to one side.
Glazing The Ham
- Using a sharp knife, remove both the string & the skin from the ham, leaving a thick & even layer of fat then lightly score the fat in a criss-cross pattern.
- Poke a whole clove into each of the scored diamonds in the fat then pour the glaze all over the ham.
- Next, place the ham into the preheated oven then roast for 20-25 minutes until nicely caramelised. Take your ham out of the oven every 5 minutes or so & spoon the glaze in the skillet over the ham, to build up an even layer of caramelisation.
- Once cooked, let the ham rest for 20 minutes then use a sharp knife to cut it into slices. Spoon some of the excess glaze over the sliced ham then serve.
Notes
1. Cooking In An Aga - Poach the gammon on the simmering plate then bake on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the roasting oven. If your pan fits in the simmering oven, pop it in there once the gammon has been simmering for 10 minutes (it might take a bit longer to poach like this).
2. Gammon Joint - A 3kg gammon joint is pretty big, so you'll need quite a big pan to fit it in! For this recipe, you’ll need a boneless gammon joint that’s been rolled & tied. Check with your butcher if your gammon needs a soak, if it does place it into a container, completely cover with cold water then leave in the fridge overnight. Sometimes you need to soak gammon to make it less salty but this isn't always necessary.
3. Poaching Liquid - I like to poach my gammon in a mix of cider, water, herbs & veg. Feel free to use just water instead of cider or use another liquid like beer or cola instead.
4. Cloves - Christmas hams are often studded with whole cloves before roasting, for extra flavour & a traditional presentation. Feel free to leave this out if you'd prefer though. You won't want to eat them, so you can take them out before slicing or leave them in.
5. Leftovers & Storage - Leftover ham will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge & can be eaten hot or cold. For this style of ham, I like to reheat slices by baking them in an oven proof dish with any leftover glaze. You'll need to cover the dish & foil and the ham will take around 20 minutes to reheat when baked at 180°c/356°f.