This is a very important part of Christmas in our house, mostly because of Mima's Dad, he loves it on toast with butter and mustard. I haven't made one for a few years and with the addition of Mima I thought it was time to get back into the tradition.
In the past I have made my glaze with mustard, beer and a lovely fig jam from and small producer Mustard Makers based in Puhoi north or Auckland where we live, but I don't think they make this product any more, so I had to re-think my glaze.
Beer is a lovely starting ingredient as it helps keep the ham vey moist. I know some people who have used other liquids including Coca Cola and rave about, but beer is perfect for us. Mima's Dad is passionate about boutique beer brewing and his choice for the ham was Tuatara London Porter.
I had a little search around and decided this recipe on the Cuisine magazine website would be good to try. It involved grinding a selection of spices (star anise, cloves, fennel seeds, ground cinnamon and ground ginger) then adding a cup of dark brown sugar and enough beer to form a thick paste.
The rest of the beer is poured over the ham, then you cover it in tin foil and cook for 40 minutes. The glaze paste is then added and you continue to cook for 30 minutes until golden brown. Super easy and I was right it was lovely.
Then it is important to put the ham in a ham bag which has been soaked in a vinegar solution or lemonade, before placing it in the fridge.
