Cider Ham Recipe

A ham can provide multiple meals which means less work for you! This recipe works well for a bone-in gammon, too.

This ham is simmered in apple juice and cider and then placed in the oven with a honey, mustard and calvados glaze to crisp up the skin and is the perfect addition to a Boxing Day spread.

It’s important to only simmer your ham, rather than boil it, to prevent it from getting dry and tough.

The cooking liquid makes a good stock for soups (but taste first for saltiness).

If you have a middle piece of gammon and it’s tied, keep it tied during boiling for neatness, remove string for scoring and glazing, then re-tie for roasting to keep its shape.

If you find it too fiddly, skip the studding step with the cloves, this is mainly just for the aesthetic.

For the best taste, buy the highest quality ham you can afford and you will reap the benefits.

Ham is traditionally served with parsley sauce and is delicious served alongside any leftover sides you may have from Christmas Day. If you don’t have any leftovers, rustle up some hasselback potatoes and serve with a simple green salad.

Yields: 8 servings

Prep Time: 25 mins

Process Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 25 mins

Calories per Serving: 561

Ingredients

• 4

  kg whole boneless smoked/unsmoked gammon

• 1 L

  Cider

• 1 L

  apple juice

• 2

  bay leaves

• 20

  peppercorns

• 40

  whole cloves

For the glaze

• 50 g

  (2oz) light muscovado sugar

• 1 tbsp.

  runny honey

• 2 tsp.

  English mustard

• 1 tbsp.

  calvados or brandy (or use water)

Directions

1. Weigh your gammon, then put it into a large deep pan and add the cider and apple juice. Top up with cold water to cover and add the bay leaves and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 25min per 450g (1lb) until cooked through.
2. Remove ham from cooking liquid (see GH Tip) and put on a board. Leave to cool for 15min.
3. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan) mark.
4. Use a knife to remove the skin, leaving a good layer of fat covering the ham. Score a diamond pattern into the fat (not cutting down into the meat), and stud the centre of each diamond with a clove. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, honey, mustard powder and calvados/brandy (or water), then brush over the ham and cook to brown in the oven for 20-25min until golden.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature in slices.

Per Serving:

• Calories: 561
• Total carbs: 17 g
• Sugars: 17 g
• Total fat: 25 g
• Saturated fat: 9 g
• Protein: 60 g