This ham was so delicious and the meat was so tender. The ginger beer really tenderises the meat a bit like coca cola ham. The glaze is so yummy and I love the bits of orange zest you get now and then. I made 2 salad’s and some ham croquettes for the both of us, it really does go a long way.  I also think with ham you need to have the gooey caramelised bits too. This is such a crowd pleasure, everyone loved in our house.

Ingredients

For the gammon

• 2 – 3kg unsmoked gammon joint
• 700ml ginger beer
• water, to cover
• 8 cloves, plus extra for studding the gammon
• 1 star anise, broken into pieces
• 2 onions, peeled, halved
• 4 large bay leaves

For the glaze

• 100g soft brown sugar (I like muscovado)
• zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 50ml ginger beer
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 3 heaped tbsp orange marmalade
• 3 tbsp wholegrain mustard

Directions

 

1. For the gammon, place the gammon into a large, deep pan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and drain.
2. Return the gammon to the pan, then pour in the ginger beer. Pour in enough cold water to cover the gammon completely.
3. Push two cloves and two pieces of star anise into each onion half and add to the pan along with the bay leaves. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook gently for three hours, adding more hot water to the pan as necessary.
4. Preheat the oven to 160C degrees (fan)
5. Remove the gammon from the pan and place into a roasting tin lined with parchment paper. Remove the top layer of skin, leaving behind a thin layer of fat. Score all over.
6. For the glaze, mix together all of the glaze ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Spoon the glaze evenly over the gammon.
7. Roast the gammon in the oven for 45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the glaze and pan juices, until the gammon is cooked through and golden-brown all over.