This Christmas ham recipe is an unsmoked gammon joint poached in apple juice with bay and peppercorns, then glazed with clementine, fresh ginger, wholegrain mustard and dark muscovado. It simmers for 2 hours, roasts for 30 minutes and serves 12.
It’s the joint that keeps on giving through the whole holiday. Mary Berry says a cooked ham keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days, and that sliced cold, the same joint stretches to almost double the servings.
The step that keeps it juicy is cooking it twice. A gentle poach cooks the meat through without drying it, then a short blast in a hot oven sets the sticky glaze on top.
Christmas Ham Recipe
Course: Dinner, MainCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy12
servings25
minutes2
hours30
minutes340
kcal2
hours55
minutesOur own Christmas ham, served hot on the day and sliced cold for Boxing Day. The clementine and ginger glaze is less sweet than a honey glaze, so it doesn’t overpower the meat.
Ingredients
- For poaching:
2.5kg (5½lb) unsmoked boneless gammon joint, tied
1 litre (1¾ pints) apple juice
1 onion, halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
cold water, to cover
- For the glaze:
4 tbsp dark muscovado sugar
2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp grated fresh root ginger
finely grated zest and juice of 2 clementines
Directions
- Poach: Put the gammon in a large pan that fits it snugly. Add the apple juice, onion, bay and peppercorns, then top up with cold water until the joint is covered.
- Simmer: Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently with the lid on for 2 hours. Lift out on to a board and leave for 20 minutes until cool enough to handle. Discard the liquid.
- Make the glaze: Mix the sugar, mustard, ginger, clementine zest and 2 tbsp of the juice in a small bowl.
- Score: Heat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/Gas 7. Cut off the string and strip away the skin, leaving a thin layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern.
- Glaze: Stand the ham in a foil-lined roasting tin. Spread the glaze over the fat, working it into the cuts, then press a clove into each diamond.
- Roast: Roast for 25–30 minutes until bubbling and glazed golden, spooning over the remaining clementine juice halfway through.
- Rest: Cover loosely with foil and rest for 15–20 minutes before carving.
FAQs
What’s the difference between gammon and ham?
They’re the same cut at different stages. Berry explains in Mary Berry Cooks the Perfect that gammon is the cured hind leg of a pig, and it changes its name to ham once it’s cooked.
So you’ll buy a gammon joint for this recipe, but you’ll serve a ham. Look for “unsmoked” on the label, since that matters for the next question.
Do I need to soak the gammon first?
Not if it’s unsmoked, according to Berry. If you prefer the saltier taste of smoked gammon, she says to check whether it needs soaking, and supermarket joints usually say so on the label.
I chose unsmoked here because the glaze is fairly delicate. A smoked joint can drown out the clementine and ginger.
How long do I cook a different-sized joint?
Berry’s formula for cooking gammon in liquid is 20 minutes per 500g, plus 20 minutes. That’s where the 2 hours in step 2 comes from, so a 2kg joint needs 1 hour 40 minutes.
She adds that the roasting time stays the same whatever the size, so step 6 doesn’t change. Just keep the joint covered with liquid the whole time it simmers.
How do I get the skin off neatly?
Do it while the ham is still warm, because the skin peels away much more easily. Berry starts at one end and uses a horizontal sawing action with a sharp knife, holding the skin in her other hand as she cuts.
Leave a thin layer of fat behind, since that’s what the glaze clings to. Then the cloves go into the points where the scored lines cross, which is what gives a Christmas ham its classic look.
Can I cook it ahead and serve it cold?
Yes, and that’s when it’s at its best for Boxing Day. Berry keeps her glazed ham in the fridge for up to 5 days, and slicing it cold gives thinner, neater slices.
If you want it hot on Christmas Day, her Foolproof Cooking tip is to wrap the cooked joint well in foil, which keeps it hot for an hour. That gives you a whole hour of oven space for the potatoes.
What should I serve with Christmas ham?
A sharp, fruity side cuts through the salty meat, so our cranberry and apple Christmas chutney is the obvious match for cold slices. On the day, red cabbage with orange and star anise picks up the clementine in the glaze.
For a lighter plate between the big meals, try cold ham with Jamie Oliver’s Christmas salad. A spoonful of hot English mustard on the side never hurts either.
