Christmas isn’t Christmas without a festive ham. Prepare this ham up to 2 days before, keep it covered in the fridge and slow cook on the day. Serve it with our root roasted veg.
Ingredients
3 – 4kg raw pork joint (preferably leg)
For the brine
- 250 g Maldon Sea Salt
- 250 g soft brown sugar
- 12 whole black peppercorns
- 12 whole coriander seeds
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 2 cloves
- 2 wide strips of lemon zest
- 2 bay leaves
For the glaze
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- Juice of half an orange
- 15 cloves
Instructions
Heat 6 litres of water in a large saucepan and stir in the salt and sugar until dissolved. Remove from the heat, add the remaining ingredients and leave to cool.
Add the pork to the pan, ensuring it is submerged and refrigerate for 48 hours.
Remove the pork from the brine and refrigerate, uncovered overnight.
Prep and get your oven to around 160 - 200 degrees.
Place the ham in a large roasting dish and slide into the oven for 4 - 5 hours. Careful temperature control is required here, adding just a small piece of wood at a time.
Thirty minutes before the end of the cooking slide the ham out of the oven and carefully remove the skin; it should come away easily with the help of a sharp knife. Discard the skin.
Mark the remaining fat on the ham with a criss-cross pattern, and stud a clove into each cross section.
Mix the honey, mustard and orange juice together in a bowl and brush over the meat.
Cook for a further 30 minutes, glazing 3 - 4 times until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 80 degrees c
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