Forget the big roast bird, the mince pies, figgy pudding and pigs in blankets… For our food team’s Pollyanna Coupland, Christmas isn’t complete without a burnished, glossy ham, offering abundant opportunity for festive feasting – not to mention between-meals snacking
I absolutely LOVE ham. In my eyes it’s the unsung hero that sits back and lets the turkey take all the glory. But what’s always there in the background when you want a betwixtmas snack, a quick dinner or an emergency buffet for surprise guests? That’s right, it’s the big glazed ham: reliable, versatile and crowd-pleasing for days after it’s cooked.
This year, we’re tempting you to dress up your ham in the finest of riches; to adorn her in jewels of cranberry and studded cloves; to drape her in a glossy coat of pomegranate and fig glaze; and to wrap her up in a fabulous belt of bay and candied oranges. Let the glam ham steal the show!
Before we begin, there are a few things you need to consider in order to give this glorious piece of meat its due.
CHOOSING YOUR GAMMON
There are a few decisions to be made here: bone-in or boneless? Dry-cured or brined? Does the meat need to be smoked? Do I need to soak it first? Here’s what I like to order – and why.
First, a quick lesson on cookery semantics: gammon is the name given to cured or brined pork leg. Only once it’s cooked does it become ‘ham’. Depending on the cure or brine used, you may need to soak the gammon for a few hours or overnight to remove excess salt, so do ask your butcher to advise on this (or check the pack instructions).
If you want a big showstopping ham like the one pictured here, I’d advise getting one with the bone still in. You probably won’t have a pan big enough to boil it in, so you’ll need to roast it for a long time (roasting on the bone helps keep the meat moist). You can keep the bone afterwards to make an amazing stock. If you’re getting a smaller piece of gammon (to serve around 4 people), I’d boil it before roasting and glazing for maximum juiciness.
Whether you go for smoked or unsmoked is down to personal preference; for the record, I choose smoked every time. More flavour is a good thing in my book and the acidity in the glaze cuts through the smoked flavour exquisitely.
AN AMAZING GLAZE
My favourite way to do a Christmas ham is to buy big and glaze fruity. Fruit gives natur
