Festive ham with an orange juniper glaze
This Christmas, serve a succulent ham joint coated in a tangy orange glaze. Recipe and image courtesy of Robert Welch, robertwelch.com. Recipe developed by Sarah Hemsley
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 3 hrs
Total: 3 hrs 10 mins
Serves: 14
Ingredients
- 2kg Gammon joint (boneless or half boneless)
- 1 Onion (peeled and quartered)
- 1 Orange (peel)
- Handful of fresh woody herbs (such as bay, rosemary and thyme)
- 1 tsp Black peppercorns
- 300g Golden granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp Runny honey
- 100ml Water
- 2 Oranges (peel and juice of 1 and 1 tbsp zest from another)
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 1 tbsp Juniper berries
- A few sprigs of rosemary, thyme and 3 or 4 bay leaves
Method
Step 1
Place ham in a large, deep pan. Add the onion, orange peel, herbs and peppercorns, then top with water to cover. Bring to the boil then simmer. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours, or as per the packet. Top with water if needed.
Step 2
For the glaze: add all the ingredients, except for the zest, into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the glaze has thickened and is sticky. Add more sugar if it’s too runny, or water if too thick.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 200ºC/180ºC fan/gas mark 6. When the ham has cooked, remove it from the pan and place in a baking dish. Score the fat into a diamond pattern.
Step 4
Brush some of the glaze onto the fat and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Brush glaze onto the fat 3-4 times during cooking. Sprinkle over the zest with the last layer of glaze. Remove from oven when the ham has a golden crust.
