Christmas Ham with Marmalade Glaze. This beautiful Christmas ham will take pride of place on any festive table.
1 (9-11kg) IGA whole leg ham, on the bone
1 cup Black & Gold Marmalade
Whole cloves
800g cherries, to garnish
Preheat oven to 170°C and place shelf at the lowest position. Carefully remove the rind from the ham, making sure you don’t trim all the fat. Use a small sharp knife to score the fat into a diamond pattern, about 5mm deep. Transfer the ham to a large roasting pan and pour in 1 cup of water.
Spread the marmalade over the ham then place a clove in the middle of each diamond of fat. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 1 hour.
Remove the foil, glaze again and bake for another 20 minutes or until the surface of the ham is golden and caramelised.
Remove the ham from the pan to a large chopping board and rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until a nice thick syrup results.
To serve, place the ham into the middle of a large serving platter.
Surround with fresh seasonal cherries and serve with the marmalade syrup in a little jug on the side.
Slice and serve warm or cold.
IGA Tip
Use leftover ham in quiches, omelettes, homemade pizza or barbecued and served with fresh pineapple salsa or good old ham and eggs for brekkie!
Ham Storage Tips
Attributed to Deian Humphreys, IGA Ham Expert
Repeat winner of the PorkMark Ham Award, the IGA bone-in leg ham is naturally beechwood smoked and sourced only from Australian producers.
Once ham has been purchased, it must be stored properly to remain fresh and avoid possible contamination las. Here are some tips from your local IGA expert;
Store in a damp ham bag
A ham bag can be purchased from IGA, alternatively use a damp tea towel. Simply soak the bag in a litre of water to 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, then squeeze out the excess liquid so the bag is left damp.
Do not wrap ham too tightly
Allow room for some air to circulate and give the ham a little breathing space.
Keep in the coldest part of your fridge
Your fridge should be between 2-4 degrees Celsius. The coldest part of your fridge will maintain the ham the longest.
Change tea towel/ham bag daily
For best results, change the tea towel or ham bag every day. Alternatively, keep checking the dampness of the bag or tea towel and re-soak when dried out.
After the ham has been glazed and cooked, it should again be covered with a damp tea towel or put in a damp ham bag and returned to the coldest part of your fridge. Alternatively, it can be frozen for a couple of months, however once defrosted it must be eaten as soon as possible.