Jamie: Keep Cooking at Christmas
By Jamie Oliver
2 hrs 40 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 14
About the recipe
Beautifully finished with a sticky mulled wine-inspired glaze, this is Christmas ham at its finest. Fragrant and full of flavour, it makes the perfect festive centrepiece. Plus, it’ll give you a stash of beyond-delicious leftovers.
Recipe From
Ingredients
1 x 2.5kg (approx) higher-welfare unsmoked middle-cut gammon, with knuckle
a few sprigs of woody herbs, such as rosemary, thyme
3 fresh bay leaves
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
½ a fresh red chilli
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
olive oil
GLAZE
1 x 454g jar of orange marmalade (no-peel)
175ml full-bodied red wine, such as Rioja
1 star anise
a few cloves, plus extra for the pineapple
½ a stick of cinnamon or 1 pinch of ground cinnamon
1 fresh bay leaf
1 clementine
1 x 435g tin of pineapple rings in juice
Top Tip
After cooking, allow the ham to cool before covering tightly with tin foil and storing in the fridge – it will keep happily for up to three days.
If you’re giving this as a gift, it’s best to cook it on the day you want to give it – this will give the lucky recipient the maximum time to enjoy it. Once cooked and cooled, keep it well covered and chilled in the fridge at all times (don’t be tempted to pop it under the tree!) and make sure you pass on the same instructions.
BUDGET-FRIENDLY SWAPS:
If you’re after a more cost-friendly recipe, simply ditch the pineapple and swap the gammon for 3 x 1.3kg unsmoked ham hocks. Follow the recipe up to step 3, then simmer gently for just 1 hour 30 minutes, and continue with the rest of the recipe above. When you reach step 9, use a couple of forks to shred the ham off the bone, discarding the bones and any wobbly bits of fat, then transfer to a serving platter and pour over any remaining glaze. You’ll end up with something really special, without breaking the bank.
Method
- Take your meat out of the fridge and bring it up to room temperature before you cook it.
- Place the gammon in your largest pot, then strip in the woody herbs and add the bay. Roughly chop the celery and carrots, peel and quarter the onion, and squash the garlic cloves, then add it all to the pot with the chilli and peppercorns.
- Cover with water, bring to the boil, then pop the lid on and simmer gently for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender, turning it halfway, topping up with water occasionally and skimming away any excess fat.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Transfer the gammon to a large roasting tray (save a little of the stock for later), then carefully remove the skin and discard, keeping the fat on the meat. Score the fat in a criss-cross fashion, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil. Roast the gammon for 20 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden.
- To make the glaze, spoon the marmalade into a non-stick frying pan on a medium heat, pour in the red wine and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spices and bay, strip in the clementine zest using a speed-peeler, then pour in the pineapple juice, saving the fruit for later. Allow to bubble away and reduce by half, then switch off – it should be thick and syrupy.
- When the roasting time’s up, take the tray out of the oven, then arrange pineapple rings over the gammon, securing them with a few cloves. Arrange the rest of the pineapple in and around the tray, then pour the glaze over the meat.
- Spoon ½ a ladleful of the gammon stock into the pan you used to make the glaze, scrape up all the sticky bits from the bottom and pour into the tray, ensuring all the gammon and pineapple is coated. Roast for a further 20 minutes, or until beautifully glazed, basting with the glaze every 5 minutes.
- Remove the glazed ham to a serving platter, ready to slice hot, cold or at room temperature. Pour any remaining glaze from the tray all over the ham, and arrange the pineapple slices around it.
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