3 deliciously different glazes for your Christmas ham

Glazing your ham won’t significantly flavour the meat because there is a layer of fat in between (this keeps the ham moist while it bakes). But the glaze does make the house smell amazing and the ham look fantastic – also, those who eat the fat will taste your glaze.

Prepare the ham by slipping your hand under the skin and separating it from the fat. Remove skin, score the fat in a diamond pattern and insert a clove into the centre of each diamond. Calculate the cooking time (it’s just heating through, really) by allowing 20 minutes per kilo. Preheat oven to 160°C.

Old school
Pineapple & brown sugar
Combine 300ml pineapple juice with 1 cup brown sugar and 1 Tbsp wholegrain mustard. Heat until sugar dissolves and mixture slightly thickens. Pour half the glaze over the ham around 1 hour before the end of cooking and glaze with the remainder in the last 30 minutes of cooking.

If you want the whole shebang complete with cherries and pineapple rings, then stud the ham with pineapple rings each held in place with a glacé cherry in the centre skewered on a toothpick. Add the pineapple rings and cherries in the last 30 minutes of cooking so they hold their shape.

Classic
Orange marmalade glaze
Combine 1 cup orange marmalade with ¼ cup brown sugar and ½ cup orange juice in a saucepan. Heat gently until dissolved then simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Brush the ham with the glaze before it goes in the oven, then glaze again at 10-minute intervals in the last hour of cooking.

Boozy
Bourbon and maple
Combine ¼ cup bourbon, ¾ cup orange marmalade, ¼ cup pure maple syrup, ¼ cup wholegrain mustard, 2 Tbsp lemon juice and ½ tsp ground ginger in a small saucepan. Heat gently and glaze the ham before placing in the oven, then frequently in the last hour of cooking.