Maple Glazed Ham

My Maple Glazed Ham is a regal yet EASY centerpiece for Christmas!! The subtle fragrance of maple and hint of festive spices makes such a perfect glaze for ham. Great for preparing ahead or making ahead completely, and just wait until you see that moment in the video when I pull this out of the oven….

The RecipeTin Eats 2017 Christmas series has officially commenced!

For years and years, I was scared of making Christmas ham, thinking it was technically difficult or tricky to make. I didn’t want to risk making it for a special event, nor did I want to do a practice run – I mean, we’re talking about giant hunks of meat here!! Then one Christmas, I watched a friend make it. Peel off the skin, cut diamond shapes into the fat, slather on a glaze and bake until sticky and warmed through.

What?? What? No special equipment, I couldn’t see any failure risk. It’s not tricky to handle, it’s not like roasting meat where you have to worry about overcooking. Really, it’s just about getting the surface golden and sticky, because by the time that happens, the inside will be warmed through and that’s all you need.

That’s my big tip for a perfect Christmas Ham. Yes, really. Go by eye. When the surface looks like THIS, it’s DONE!

I’m sure there are some real fancy Glazed Ham recipes out there. But for me, this is simply perfect and I have no intention of changing this as my go-to Baked ham recipe. I use a fairly simple Maple Brown Sugar Glaze. Brown sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon and All Spice (Christmas flavours!) and mustard for a bit of tang and to thicken it into a slather.

The ingredients list is so short, it’s almost magical how it transforms once baked. It’s the combination of the Brown Sugar Glaze, the caramelization of the fat on the surface of the ham and the salt in the ham itself (which is why I don’t use any salt in the glaze).

As for the ham itself. Come Christmas time, you’ll find ham legs widely available, ranging from economical to really great quality free range legs. I’ll be honest with you – if a baked ham makes it on the RecipeTin Eats family Christmas menu for this year, it’s likely we will get it from a butcher and indulge a bit.

But for the recipe video and the photos, I used an excellent value half ham leg from Woolworths. And I have to say, I was mighty impressed, as were all my taste testers who sampled it.

What’s the difference, really? Well, quality. The more economical hams tend to have a higher water content because of the way it’s been prepared, and that affects texture and flavor. Quality of life of the pigs comes into play, as does the amount of preservatives and additives in the ham, and how intense / “good” the smoked flavour is.

Christmas is certainly a time for indulgence, and I know there are some who may take a view to buy top end, or don’t bother. I take a more pragmatic view. Buy the best you can afford. The more you pay, the better quality it will be, translating into better flavour.

BUT for an economical option, the $9/kg ($4.50/lb) Smoked Half Leg of Ham I got from Woolworths is excellent value. I was really impressed. (OK, the glaze goes a long way to dress it up!!)  (PS I did also see there was a $6/kg ham leg, I bypassed that because it wasn’t smoked and smoked ham has a better flavour, for an extra $3/kg, I really think it’s worth it).

There’s something so iconic, so sentimental about a shiny, almost glowing Maple Glazed Ham taking pride of place on the centre of a Christmas table. It’s completely incomparable to the ham slices slapped between sandwich bread that you get over deli counters. I even know people who hate deli ham who go nuts over Glazed Ham.

Plus, as I said right up front, this is easy, easy, easy! It’s also make ahead or prepare ahead, is fabulous served warm OR at room temperature. Oh – and wait until you see the VIDEO!!! ⬇⬇⬇ – Nagi x

PS And that’s my mother making this in the video. I don’t think she’s ever made a ham before and she absolutely nailed it. See? EASY!!!

PPS When it comes to Christmas, minimum effort for maximum wow factor and taste are absolute gems. And Maple Glazed Ham is at the top of my list.t

PPPS Last PS, I swear. The excess glaze that drips down into the pan combined with the ham and orange juice transforms into a fantastic sauce to drizzle over the ham. I know it makes the pile of ham look a bit messy, but I truly think it’s worth doing. 🙂

5 from 26 votes

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Maple Glazed Ham

Prep

15 mins

Cook

1 hr 30 mins

Total

1 hr 45 mins

 

A ridiculously easy baked ham that comes out gloriously sticky and jammy. The subtle fragrance of maple is absolutely beautiful with ham, especially with the hint of festive spices. This can be made ahead and served warm or at room temperature. If using a larger ham, use recipe Scaler (click on Servings and slide) to ensure you have enough juices to drizzle on the sliced ham (everybody loves it!). RECIPE VIDEO BELOW.

Course: Christmas, Easter, Festive

Servings: 20 - 25 people

Calories: 275 kcal

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats

Ingredients

• 4 - 5 kg / 8 - 10 lb leg ham, bone in, skin on (Note 1)
• Cloves (for studding the ham) (optional - mainly for decorative purposes)
• 2 oranges , cut into quarters
• 1 cup water

Glaze

• 3/4 cup maple syrup, real (not artificial) (or substitute with honey)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp All Spice (or nutmeg)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 300F/150C (all oven types). Arrange shelf in lower third so the ham will be sitting in the centre of the oven (not right at the top of the oven, this causes more uneven cooking on surface).

2. Place the Glaze ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.

3. Remove the skin of the ham, ensuring you leave the fat on (Note 3 for steps, step photos below and refer recipe video below).

4. Use a small sharp knife to cut 2.5cm / 1" diamonds across the fat surface of the ham. Avoid cutting into the meat.

Glaze and Baking

1. Place the ham in a large baking dish.
2. Squeeze the juice of 1 orange (4 quarters) over the ham. Then place them along with the remaining orange into the baking dish around the ham.

3. Rub/brush a little bit of Glaze on the underside of the ham. Then slather about 2/3 of the remaining Glaze on the top and sides of the ham, including the cut face (save some for basting).

4. Insert a clove in the intersection of the cross of each diamond on the surface (optional).

5. Pour the water in the baking dish, then place in the oven.

6. Bake for 1 1/2 hrs, basting very generously every 30 minutes, or until sticky and golden. At the first 30 minutes, slather with remaining glaze, then after that, spoon over  pan juices very generously (or dab with brush). Rotate pan if required to brown evenly.

7. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Baste, baste, baste before serving - as the glaze in the pan cools, it thickens which it means is "paints" the ham even better - but be sure to save pan juices for drizzling. 

8. Wrap handle with baking paper and ribbon if desired. Remove cloves. Then slice thinly - try to get a bit of the glaze on every slice! 

9. Personal preference wether to serve at room temp or warm, I like warm. I also like to drizzle with pan juices - it looks messier but tastes fabulous. Drizzle sparingly as the glaze flavour is intense! Note juices need to be warm for drizzling, it thickens when cooled.

Notes

1. HAM: Make sure you get the ham with the skin on. Between the skin and the ham is a layer of fat which is what makes this ham gorgeously sticky. There are some hams which come with the skin and fat removed. Though you can use this recipe for those hams too, you won't get the sticky exterior you see in the photo.

Buy the best ham you can afford. The more you pay, the better the quality (read in post for description of difference). However, for an economical option, I can recommend the Woolworths Smoked Ham Leg for $9/kg (I used a half leg). I was very impressed with how great it was for such good value. There is an even cheaper one for $6/kg - I bypassed this because it wasn't smoked and looked a bit pale.

Also, make sure you get a cooked ready-to-eat ham, not a raw one (also referred to as "gammon"). All ham sold in Australia in supermarkets is ready-to-eat but if you get your ham from the butcher, double check that it's not raw. If you have a raw ham (gammon), this recipe is not suitable.

2. Any larger than 5 kg/10 lb ham, scale the glaze by using the recipe slider (click on the Servings)

3. Removing the skin of the ham (refer VIDEO and step by step photos below):
- Using a small knife, cut through the skin around the top of the ham handle.
- On the cut surface of the ham (i.e. the side that the pink ham is showing), run the knife between the skin and the fat, then insert your fingers and run your fingers around the ham to separate it even more. Leave as much fat as possible - that's what makes your ham gorgeous and golden.
- Starting in one corner, peel back the skin. As you pull back more, insert your fingers between the fat and the skin to assist. Use knife if required to assist.
- Repeat with the skin on the underside of the ham.

4. SERVING: I like to place the uncut ham on the table as a centrepiece, then when ready to eat, slice it and pile the slices onto a plate. Add orange quarters for decoration, then drizzle over pan juices if desired (or serve on the side). Mustard is also great - Dijon and/or Hot.

5. MAKE AHEAD OPTIONS

a) PREPARE THEN BAKE FRESH: Remove skin, cut fat, insert cloves, make glaze. Then refrigerate until required, then glaze etc  and bake on the day of per recipe.

b) COOK AHEAD: Elevate the handle of the ham by propping it on the edge of the baking dish (or use ramekin) so the surface of the ham is as level as possible. Then follow recipe but bake at 180C/350F for around 1 hour, basting every 20 minutes, until golden and sticky. Then cover loosely with foil and cool, then refrigerate. To reheat, remove from fridge and bring to room temperature, then reheat covered loosely with foil in a 160C/320F oven for 40 minutes or until a metal skewer inserted into the middle comes out warm. When the inside is warm, remove foil and baste, then bake until the surface is sticky and golden - it should not take long. 

The juices thicken into a jelly when cool so it needs to be reheated (microwave is fine).

DO NOT MICROWAVE!!! It can make the fat diamonds "pop" and you might lose the best part - the golden, sticky surface!

7. SERVINGS: If ham is the main protein, I would cater for 250g/8oz ham per person (including bone, so excluding is about 200g/7oz). So a 4kg/8lb ham would serve 16 people. 

8. Nutrition per serving, assuming 25 servings for a 4.5 kg / 9 lb bone in ham. I assumed the bone was 500g / 1 lb. 

WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

HOW TO REMOVE SKIN OFF HAM

See description of steps in recipe, Note 3.

LIFE OF DOZER

Surely you know Dozer well enough by now to know that there’s only one reason why he wouldn’t be gagging over a giant hunk of meat….

….. food on the Christmas tree, of course!!

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