Christmas ham - recipe recommendations

[BumgrapesofWrath]

I've got a Christmas ham and looking for a nice recipe. Last year we did ham in coke, and because we did it in the slow cooker it came out all a bit stringy, so am loathe to do it again. Though oven space is a premium this year, so using the slow cooker should maybe be considered, though I'm not keen on the meat falling apart! I don't bloody know what to do...

Nigella's ginger ham. We did ours today and will cook further and baste on Boxing Day

Yep, Nigella's ginger glazed ham here too. The family demands it now. Boil in ginger ale and then glaze with ginger conserve mixed with mustard and ground cloves. Delicious.

I've made Felicity Cloake's perfect Christmas ham before with success.

Maybe I should ditch the slow cooker and just boil the ham on the stove then? Could do that tomorrow and finish off in the oven on Christmas day.

Both recipes do look good!

Yes! That's exactly what I'm doing. Boil ham in coke tomorrow and glaze it then put in oven to finish off on Xmas day.
I take my turkey out to rest for about 30 mins so It makes space for the ham.

Buy gammon joint, boil for time specified minus last 30 mins, today or tmrw. Boil with 10 peppercorns, 1 x celery stick, 3 x garlic cloves, quartered onion (skin on, important, better colour, more nutrients), 2 x carrot ( unpeeled, snapped, don't bother chopping). No cola of shredding, just juicy gammon .

Today/Tmrw. Cool, cut off rind, (give to the birds, they need it), leave thin layer of fat, score in diagonal diamond fashion. Baste with honey, push whole cloves in where diagonal score marks meet so get a matrix/ lattice effect.

Xmas day, follow turkey instruction, take out turkey to rest, increase heat, stick in potatoes 45 mins before eating time, stick in sausages wrapped in bacon and glazed ham 30 mins before eating time.

Get veg on 20 mins to go, make gravy, veg off after 10 mins, then sitting in steamer. 15 mins to go sausages out of the oven, cover in foil and tea towel, 10 mins to go, turn off oven, 0 mins ham out, gravy on simmer.

Meat carved first, then pots, then veg, last the gravy ( as it heats up any issues you may have had with timing).

You'll be fine

Thanks for starting this thread, I am doing our Ham for Christmas Eve and was thinking of slow cooking so I've got more time with the kids in the day. I'd even eyed up a bottle of coke. Having a rethink and a look at these recipes now!

Last years ham was terrible, and my usual ham is slow cooked which isn't what I want for xmas dinner, so I am place marking here as will need to boil it tomorrow.

I boil and change water at least twice. Dry off in kitchen roll...leave to cool. Then make a glaze out of; juice of three oranges, a lot of honey(about half a jar) 3 to 4 desert spoons of dijon mustard, black pepper and dash of lea perrins. Score the ham and pour the glaze all over, cover and leave in fridge overnight and slow cook in oven in foil for approx hour and then 20 mins with foil open.

Lovely recipe for ham is a maple mustard one off bbc good food website..super easy and delicious.

www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3032/maple-and-mustard-glazed-ham

Link above.

DH boils it and changes the water.

Then he scores it, coats it in honey and roasts it for about 30 mins.

I am making Felicity Cloake Ham right now. The house smells amazing!

I do like the cherry coke one.

The people who change the water during boiling - so this means you don't boil in anything other than water then? What about the flavour?

I'm thinking of preparing a ham for a party tomorrow night.

Can I boil it and roast it on the same day? Am I asking a dumb question? Is the obvious answer, yes I can? Don't want to screw it up for other party guests!

Yes you can boil and roast on the same day.

Just marking my place for responsible persons timings!

Thank you. My first, and last, ham tasted shit - no room for fuck ups tomorrow

nigella Christmas ham.

It's delicious

Going to boil my ham today - just need to toss a coin whether to do Felicity Cloake's or Nigella's Ginger...

ResponsibleAdult - really like the sound of your recipe, going to do that in the New Year - thank you!

Dont keep changing the boiling water as you will reduce the flavour. If you are concerned about it being too salty you can check the label, some advice an overnight soak, but I always buy unsmoked which doesn't seem too salty. I keep the gammon water as stock for soup.

Don't forget with the roast potatoes, try to get King Edwards.

Put goose fat and groundnut oil (50/50) in roasting tray on oven with the turkey. (if you can't get duck/ goose fate don't worry), boil potatoes, ie stick a sharp knife in and they fall off, drain water into a gravy boat, you need to reserve boiled water as the starch in potato water will help thicken your gravy. I put stock cube in jug first, it dissolves in the hot water.

Leave potatoes in the pan with lid on to dry out, shake gently to fluff edges. 45 mins before eating time put potatoes in the hot fat, baste, turn up heat, keep and eye on them. Use same saucepan to stem veg to reduce washing up. 15 mins later, ie 30mins before eating put in glazed ham, then as above.

Hope you have a lovely Christmas, one and all.