Whisky marmalade glazed ham recipe

This whisky marmalade glazed ham is a lovely way to serve up one of our favourite festive meat joints.

Ham is a Christmas staple. Some families like to have it as an extra on Christmas Day, alongside the turkey. Others prefer it as a Boxing Day feast, or for a day of guests in the run up to New Year. Whenever you serve it, this is a great new method to try. It's a brilliantly easy glaze to create, with a wonderfully British feel - English mustard and marmalade, and Scottish whisky. Ham takes a long time to cook so you will want to do some of the work the day before you plan to eat the meat. However, it's an easy meal to make (more simple than roast turkey), as long as you leave plenty of time.

Ingredients

• 2.5kg unsmoked boneless gammon joint
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, unpeeled, cut into 5cm pieces
• 1 celery stalk, cut into 5cm pieces
• 1 tsp whole peppercorns

For the glaze:

• 3 tbsp thick-cut marmalade
• 2 tbsp whisky
• 2 tsp English mustard powder

Method

1. Put the gammon joint in a large, lidded pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over a high heat.
2. Remove the ham from the pan and put into a slow cooker with the onions, carrots, celery and peppercorns. Cover with fresh cold water and cook on high with the lid on for 4 hrs. Turn over halfway through.
3. Lift the gammon from the slow cooker onto a board (keep the stock for making soup or sauces – it will freeze well). Remove any string or netting, then carefully slice the skin away from the gammon, leaving as much fat as possible intact. Mix together the glaze ingredients and coat the ham, then cool, wrap and refrigerate.
4. On Christmas Day, transfer the ham to a small foil-lined roasting tin and pour over any glaze that has come off. 
5. Heat the oven to 180ºC Fan/Gas 6. Roast for 30 mins, basting with the glaze halfway through, until browned and glossy.

Top tips for making whisky marmalade glazed ham

For a smaller 1.2kg ham, reduce the slow cooker cooking time to 3 hrs, but keep the other times and amounts the same. If you don’t have a slow cooker, simmer in a pan on the hob for 20 mins per 500g, plus 20 mins.

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