Gordon's Honey Glazed Ham
Gordon's famous honey glazed ham is an easy crowd pleaser
Equipment
- 1 Large Saucepan
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 Large Roasting Tin
Ingredients
- 3 kilo unsmoked boneless gammon 6 1/2 pounds
- 4 large carrots, rough chopped
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 leek, trimmed and chopped
- 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 25 approximate whole cloves, for studding
Honey Glaze
- 100 gram demerara sugar 3 1/2 ounces
- 25 ml sherry vinegar shy of 2 tablespoons
- 50 ml Madeira wine 4 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
- 125 gram honey shy of 4 1/2 ounces
Instructions
For the Ham
- Put the gammon in a large pan and cover with cold water. Add the carrot, onion, leek, cinnamon, peppercorns, coriander seeds and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, then turn down to simmer for around 2 1/2 hours, topping up the water with boiling water [from the kettle] if necessary. Skim off any impurities that rise to the top during cooking.
- Carefully drain the liquid [note 1], then let the ham cool a little - heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/Gas 5/375F. Lift the ham onto a roasting tin, then cut away the strings and the skin, leaving a layer of fat. Score the fat all over in a criss-cross diamond pattern, taking care not to cut into the meat. Place a clove in each diamond.
Make the Glaze
- Put the sugar, vinegar and madeira in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the honey, bring to a boil and remove from the heat [see note 2].
- Returning to the the cooling ham, pour half the glaze over the ham and roast for 15 minutes., then pour over the remaining glaze and return to the oven for another 25 - 35 minutes, basting with the pan juices 3-4 times as it bakes. turn the pan around a few times during this time, so the ham cooks evenly.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Continue to baste as the meat cools – the cooling glaze in the pan will get gradually stickier until you get a fully glazed, sweet honey ham. [see note 3]
Notes
Note 1. this liquid makes a great stock for soups; you'll have buckets of it, and generally, I'll freeze it in manageable-sized batches.
Note 2. Keep an eye on this because you do not want it to boil over
Note 3. This can be prepared on the day of serving, or up to 2 days in advance and served cold. Thinly sliced ham is an excellent treat in a baguette with roquette (arugula) in the lunch box or picnic basket.