To make this glazed ham perfect: add water to the baking tray to stop the glaze from burning on the base of the ham; allow time for each layer of glaze to set before basting with another; and if your ham is beginning to colour too much during the cooking process, cover loosely with tinfoil. If there is any leftover ham, try it with some watermelon — it’s delicious! Wrap any leftover ham in a clean tea towel soaked in a mix of water and malt vinegar to keep it fresh.
Tamarind ginger glaze
| 200 ml | Coconut nectar |
| 1 Tbsp | Red wine vinegar |
| 100 ml | Ginger beer (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Tamarind paste (Main) |
Ham
| 1 | Ham, skin on (Main) |
| ½ cup | Crystallised ginger, cut into matchstick-sized pieces (Main) |
| ¼ cup | Cloves |
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Directions
- To make the glaze, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until the glaze has reduced to a thickened consistency which coats the back of the spoon.
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Remove ham from the fridge well in advance of cooking, allowing the ham to reach room temperature.
- Peel off the skin, being careful not to tear the fat and leaving as much of the fat layer intact as possible. Use a sharp knife to score the fat diagonally to make diamond shapes (this is a two-person job as it helps having someone hold the ham). Stud with pieces of candied ginger so it is submerged into the ham fat, then stud with cloves.
- Cover with tinfoil and cook for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven and discard the tinfoil. Add a little water to the bottom of the pan then baste the ham with a generous coating of the Tamarind Ginger Glaze and return it to the oven. Baste the ham frequently.
- After being in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, it will be sticky and golden. (Cooking time is 45–55 minutes per kg. Ideal finished internal temperature is 62°C.)
- Remove the ham from the oven and allow to rest before carving.
