Glazed Ham
Olive Magazine asked me to ‘challenge Gordon’ in their December issue, with a Christmas recipe of my choosing; I went for the glazed ham. A reader and their mates then tested both his recipe and mine and decided on a winner.
The idea of a straight ‘glaze-off’ seemed a bit dull and predictable so I decided to mix things up by using the cola method, which I’ve tried before and loved. The ham is covered and bubbled in the syrupy liquor, resulting in a ham infused with an addictive spicy caramel sweetness, helped along a bit by a couple of star anise and the humble onion. I kept the glaze simple with marmalade (zesty bits essential) and teeny hints of ginger and cinnamon. The cola makes the edges caramelise to a sticky, tooth-tacky sheen . And that’s what it’s all about. I burnt my fingers several times trying to pull off the edge bits.
It was a dead heat between mine and Ramsay’s ham, by the way. I can’t say I wasn’t hugely relieved not to lose. I bet he’s quaking in his sweary little boots…
Sweet and Spiced Glazed Ham
1 x 2kg mild-cure gammon
1 x 2litre bottle of cola
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 star anise
For the glaze
Cloves, for studding
225g marmalade (with zesty bits if possible)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Bring the gammon up to room temperature, then put it in a large pan, skin side down, add the onion and star anise and cover with the cola. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and rest the lid on top so that it is not fully sealed. Let bubble for about 2 1/4 hours.
Discard the cooking liquid, remove the ham to a plate and allow to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to gas 7/210 C. Remove the skin from the ham, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern and push a clove into the point of each diamond.
To make the glaze, put all the ingredients into a pan and let it bubble up to the boil then simmer for a few minutes until syrupy.
Brush the glaze all over the ham and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the ham, brush on some more glaze and bake for a further 10 minutes. If you do this more often then the outside will be even stickier. If you want to let the ham cool and then glaze it the next day, it will need longer in the oven – about 30 to 40 minutes.
Category: Christmas, Meat, Picnic | Tags: Christmas ham recipe, coca-cola ham, glazed ham recipe 23 comments »
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
Hurrah, what a timely post – I’ve got a ham in the fridge at the moment and I was trying to decide on my glaze. I shall give this a try. Thanks Helen!
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:17 am
Merry Christmas Helen, all the best for 2010
Cheers
David x
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 am
Take that Gordon. I love glazed ham… what would you suggest serving it with?
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:00 am
We often do our Christmas ham very traditionally – simmered for hours, and then glazed with mustard. I will try and convince Pops to do it this way, as it looks delicious.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:03 am
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December 22nd, 2009 at 10:08 am
oh my lord that first photo had me drooling on my laptop! YUM! love the idea of cola as well, i can see how that would work. I bet yours was way better than Gordon’s
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
I did a ham with a similar glaze at the weekend but cooked it in cider rather than cola and mixed the marmalade with English mustard and ginger. Sooo Christmassy.
Well done drawing with Gordon. (Suspect you’d have won but I seem to remember he got beaten last time so they probably thought he needed a break!)
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:25 am
Looks fantastic – would it be wrong to just eat the glaze?! I’ll serve with a glass of coke.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:17 pm
This looks fab, ginger beer also works really well for that sweet stickiness with a hint of spice.
December 22nd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Helen, I would pick your ham…food always tastes better when made from charming people.
December 22nd, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Have a wonderful holiday season Helen. Your kitchen will be full of successes and your heart filled with peace and joy.
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Congratulations on beating Ramsay!
And happy Christmas!
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:43 pm
brilliant you beat big sweary! Do you reckon a similar recipe might work with cherry cola and lamb ribs?
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Ding dong! Looks wonderful. Saw this in Olive and liked the look of yours more – sorry Gordo.
Like Claires suggestion of ginger beer.
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:04 am
Good on you Helen! I’d be so nervous going up against old Gordon.
Merry Christmas, hope you have a great one.
December 23rd, 2009 at 5:26 am
Eyes just glazed over dreamily at sight of superior glazed ham….
December 23rd, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Nice! Can’t beat a glazed ham.
December 24th, 2009 at 10:47 am
The ham that marked the beginning of the end for Ramsay. Looks delicious Helen. Merry Christmas!
December 24th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Hello all and thank you for your kind comments. Apologies for my tardy response – been very busy in the Christmas kitchen!
In answer to your questions…
Jonathan – Well I can think of nothing better than the cold collation! Pickles, cheese, bread etc… and of course, there is the duh duh duuuuh – SANDWICH!
Discover Unearthed – no! that is all…
Happy Christmas all!
December 26th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
What a fantastic posting, that ham looks so utterly delicious I am drowning in my own saliva here! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Luiz @ The London Foodie
December 26th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Droolworthy!
Happy Holidays!
January 15th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
What a thing of true beauty! I do love a glazed ham but have never tried the famous cola method – definitely want to give it a go this year!
December 24th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I used it last year for the Christmas ham and it was lovely. I wanted to do it again this year, but in the meantime I’d had a ruthless clear out and had chucked the Olive issue with this recipe in. Lifesaver.