How to choose best Christmas ham and glaze it to perfection

A festive glazed ham is the centrepiece of the Christmas spread for many families and it’s important to choose the right one. Here is what to look out for when buying your family’s ham.

Christmas is just around the corner and a big, juicy ham is a staple on the table of many Toowoomba households over the festive period.

It is the centrepiece of the Christmas spread for many families, but choosing the right ham and deciding how to cook it can be a difficult decision.

Borrowdale Free Range Pork, of parent company, Arcadian Organic and Natural Meat Co is based in Toowoomba and its marketing and innovations director Paul da Silva said it was essential to make sure the ham you’re serving was really top-notch.

Ms da Silva said he had several tips to choosing the best ham, including to ask if you could taste a sample.

“Look for a rich dark brown colour on the surface. That shows that it’s been well smoked,” he said.

Ryan McBurney and Paul da Silva with Borrowdale Christmas hams.

“At Borrowdale we use natural beech wood to smoke our hams.

“My best advice is to chat with your local butcher as early as possible. That way you can order exactly the size and style you want before the competition gets too fierce.”

Mr da Silva said although there were reports about COVID-19 causing a ham shortage this year, there were plenty to go around.

“Every December there is strong demand for ham and fresh pork to serve at Christmas. This year will be no different,” he said.

“The good news is that during 2020, Australian farmers have raised the same number of pigs as usual. There are just as many hams as always but remember that competition for good hams is always strong every year.”

Borrowdale chef Ryan McBurney said each of their hams were cured using genuine beech wood smoke, bringing to life an authentic artisan flavour that is delicious cold.

“Although, the natural flavours of a quality ham, work really well with deep caramelised and acidic flavour notes, perfectly complementing the hero ingredient,” he said.

“If you have some extra time up your sleeve this Christmas I would give the glazing process a go, it can be time consuming so make sure to allow plenty of time to achieve a moist result.

“A hot tip for glazing ham is to remember it is already a cooked piece of meat. The ‘cooking’ process at home is only to warm up the core temperature to 60-65℃.

“As for a ham glaze, you can whip up yourself, alternatively there are now many commercially available options which any good butcher should have available and can help you with.

“My tip is to lean toward glazes crafted by local BBQ teams who masters at complementing sauces & ham glazes with smoked meat.”

Mr McBurney said his beer, brown sugar and mustard glazed ham recipe was a fan favourite at home each year.

“This recipe is a beautiful festive dish to serve at all Christmas functions and it is important to note that the alcohol is removed during the cooking process, so there is no need to worry about feeding this to children,” he said.

For more information or to find out where you can buy Borrowdale Christmas ham visit borrowdalefreerange.com.au.

Borrowdale Free Range Pork, of parent company, Arcadian Organic and Natural Meat Co ham.

Ham glaze recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 x 8-10kg Borrowdale ham leg, rind removed

Closed, for studding (about 50)

A selection of mustards, to serve

GLAZE

375ml bottle dark ale

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon golden syrup

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan-forced. Meanwhile, using a sharp knife, score the ham fat (not the flesh) in a honeycomb pattern at 2cm intervals. Wrap the hock in foil (this prevents it from burning).

Place ham on a greased rack in a large baking pan lined with foil.

To make the glaze, combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring, over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until reduced by a half.

Brush the ham fat a few times to evenly coat with the glaze. Roast, brushing with remaining glaze occasionally, for 1 hour or until ham is golden and caramelised. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes.

Slice and serve warm or cold with a selection of mustards.