Maple Glazed Ham
INGREDIENTS:
- 5 kg leg ham, bone in, skin on
- 30 Cloves for studding the ham
- 2 oranges, cut into quarters
- 1 cup (250ml) water
- 3/4 cup maple syrup (sub honey)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp All Spice (or nutmeg)
METHOD:
- Take ham out of fridge 1 hour prior.
- Preheat oven to 160°C. Arrange shelf in lower third so the ham will be sitting in oven center.
- Place the Glaze ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined – use whisk if needed.
REMOVE HAM RIND
- Run small knife around bone handle, down each side of the ham, and under the rind on the cut face.
- Slide fingers under the rind, and run them back and forth to loosen while pulling the rind back. Use knife if needed to slice off any residual rind.
- Lightly cut 2.5cm diamonds across the fat surface of the ham, about 75% of the way into the fat. Avoid cutting into the meat. Insert a cloves in the ham surface.
GLAZE AND BAKING
- Place the ham in a large baking dish. Prop handle up on edge of pan + scrunched up foil so surface of the ham is level.
- Squeeze the juice of 1 orange over the ham. Then place it along with the remaining orange into the baking dish around the ham.
- Brush half the glaze all over the surface and cut face of the ham.
- Pour the water in the baking dish, then place in the oven.
- Bake for 1.5 – 2 hrs, basting very generously every 30 minutes with remaining glaze + juices in pan.
- Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before serving. Baste before serving – as the glaze in the pan cools, it thickens which means it “paints” the ham even better – but be sure to save pan juices for drizzling.
