An easy and delicious glazed gammon

This glaze is the perfect finish on top of the smokey, flavourful festive centrepiece. Christmas is not Christmas without a gammon, but its too good to have it only for Christmas!

Cut:

Ingredients

Gammon:
  • 2 kg Uncooked, boneless smoked gammon
  • 10 Whole cloves (plus a whole lot extra to stud)
  •  7.50 ml Peppercorns
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 2 Fennel bulbs (and some green stems), quartered
  • 2 Onions, quartered
  • 2 Carrots, roughly chopped
  • 4 Nectarines, halved
  • 80 ml Honey
  • 4 cm ginger, sliced
  • 5 ml Fennel seeds
  • 1 Cinnamon stick, broken
  • 2 Star anise pieces
  • 125 ml Water

Method

Place gammon ingredients in a large saucepan and cover with enough cold water to submerge the gammon (or alternatively, use another liquid of your choice, like cider or ginger beer).

Bring to a simmer and cook over a gentle heat for 20 min per 500g, or until tender and cooked through –when the tip of a sharp knife slides into the meat quickly it should be cooked.

Remove from heat and allow gammon to cool in cooking liquid.

Place the cooled gammon in a roasting tray and discard the liquid.

Preheat oven to 200˚C.

To make the glaze, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently for 30-40 minutes (adding more water if necessary) until the nectarine breaks down completely.

Strain the jammy mixture through a sieve and discard the solids.

Using a sharp knife, carefully peel the skin off the gammon, leaving a good layer of fat on the surface of the meat.

Score diamond- shapes into the fat.

Stud with cloves where the lines intersect (on the cross).

Brush gammon with glaze and roast for 20-30 minutes, basting with more glaze occasionally until dark golden and caramelised.

Allow resting for 15 minutes before slicing and serving.