How to Cook Christmas Spice Marmalade Butter Smoked Ham by Gizzi Erskine

Name: How to Cook Christmas Spice Marmalade Butter Smoked Ham by Gizzi Erskine
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 8

30 mins
3 hours
8

Recipe by

Gizzi Erskine

Ingredients

For the ham:
1 x 2kg Boned and rolled smoked gammon ham (about 1/4 a ham), soaked overnight loads of cold water
3 Litres (5 ¼ pints) water
2 Onions, peeled and quartered
2 Carrots, peeled and halved
2 Sticks of celery, halved lengthways and sideways
1 Cinnamon stick
10 Black peppercorns
A good few thyme sprigs
2 Bay leaves
For the glaze:
3 Tablespoons of Brandy butter
2 Tablespoons of Marmalade
½ Teaspoon mixed spice
½ Teaspoon smoked paprika
½ Teaspoon ground cloves

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Introduction

A really good ham is very simple. It needs a long soak to remove the salt, a slow cook to break down the gelatine and make it juicy and a fast roast. A lot of people don't have anything to soak or cook a ham in, and I've had many a SOS in my Instagram DMs on Christmas eve asking for help. What I do is empty one of those clip lock storage boxes and give it a good clean before filling it with water and ice and leaving it overnight to soak. However, if you're really stuck fill up a sink before bed in the same way. Cooking there really is only one solution and that's to buy a 6/7 litre pan, but if you're really stuck, soak it for a further 12 hours, changing the water halfway through and then slow roast at 140°C for 3 hours under foil over a trivet of water so it steam roasts, before removing the foil and finishing with the glaze and hot roast stage!

Method

Find the biggest pot you can in which the ham will fit.
Put the ham in the pot, pour in the water and top up if needed so that the ham is covered.
Add the onions, carrots, celery, spices and herbs to the pan. Slowly bring the liquid to the boil, removing any scum as it appears until the surface appears clear.
Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to a fast simmer and allow it to bubble away for 1¼ hours, topping up the water level regularly to ensure the ham is fully covered at all times.
Once the ham is cooked, remove it from the pan very carefully so as not to tear any of the meat. You may find this easier if you let the ham cool a little in the cooking liquor, (keep this for soup).
Then allow it to drain and cool in a colander for 10 minutes.
Place the ham in a large roasting tin. Very carefully, carve the skin away to reveal the thick layer of white fat - if you're lucky it will peel away easily - then score the fat so you make loads of slashes all over it, or crossways in both directions to make little diamond shapes if you prefer.
Heat the oven to 240°C. Put all the glaze ingredients in a pan and simmer until reduced to a syrupy glaze that will stick to the ham.
Rub the glaze all over the ham and into the fat.
Roast for 20-25 minutes, until sticky and caramelized, basting halfway through.
Leave the ham to rest for 15 minutes if you want to eat it warm, or let it cool completely.