How to cook an Easter Ham or Gammon plus 2 of my favourite glazes
When we were kids we usually just ate Easter Eggs, no special meal on Easter Sunday because we were in the middle of lambing - this means all our sheep were having their babies and it’s all hands on deck for 6 weeks.
We were very good at fending for and feeding ourselves. Cereal was kept in a cupboard that we could reach and we would often make toast if we were hungry - there is nothing like toast made on an Aga (a massive cast iron cooker common in many farmhouses back home - it also doubles as a heat source and most farmers I know used them to revive hypothermic or sick lambs. We used to sit on top of it and warm our legs in front of the top oven when we were cold - first back in the house got the warm spot! - this also meant that we had let all the heat out so mum wouldn’t be able to cook in it until it got back up to temperature.)
Those days are long gone for me and I do have time to cook an Easter meal - though I don’t yet know what it will be yet this year. I am sure mum still doesn’t cook anything - and I can’t ask her because she will be busy in the midst of lambing! If I could I would send her one of our part cooked Hickory smoked hams as they basically only need reheating.
Tips
You can slow cook a smoked ham - it’s really easy, my friend Christie always cooks her smoked ham from frozen. She said she takes it straight from the freezer, puts it in the slow cooker in the morning and in the afternoon it’s done and delicious! You can’t get easier than that!
You can precook your gammon and glaze it just before you need to serve it - I never do this because Carl eats it all before I get a chance to glaze it! The upside of that is the whisky maple glaze is great on ice cream lol! -It’s my new favourite glaze!
You will need a longer glazing time for a precooked cold ham. Approx 45 mins from a room temperature.
Before carving your cooked ham, let it rest 15 minutes to redistribute juices and firm up the meat.
Cola Ham
Ingredients
4lb Cobblestone Farm Bone-in Gammon
1 onion (peeled and cut in half)
2 litres coca-cola - must be the full sugar stuff and this is the only time I buy cola & it is Christmas
Cloves for studding the fat
Directions
Put the gammon in a pan, add the onion, then pour over the Coke.
Bring to the boil, reduce to a good simmer, put the lid on, though not tightly, and cook for 2 hours. Or Cook in the slow cooker on high for 4 hours.
If the gammon's been in the fridge right up to the moment you cook it, you will have to give it a good 15 minutes or so extra so that the interior is properly cooked.
Make your favourite glaze.
Score the fat with a sharp knife to make fairly large diamond shapes, and stud each diamond with a clove.
Carefully apply your glaze
Finish in a 450F oven for about 10 mins until glaze is bubbly.
Oven-baked Smoked Ham
Ingredients
4lb Cobblestone Farm Smoked Ham
Glaze of your choice
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F
Score the fat.
Put ham in a roasting pan cut-side down.
Brush with your favourite glaze.
Tent it with foil.
Bake it for approx 20 minutes per pound until it reaches 160 internal temp.
Every 20 minutes or so, brush the ham with more glaze and baste it with the pan juices.
To finish, remove the foil tent, brush the ham with glaze and pan juices one more time, and turn the oven to broil.
Broil for about 3-to-5 minutes until the outside glaze is deliciously caramelized -- but watch it closely so it doesn't get too dark.
Whisky Maple Glaze
Ingredients
¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup of maple syrup
¼ cup of whisky - I used salted caramel whisky, it was delicious - I don’t know if you can stiill get that
Salt and pepper
Directions
Whisk together ingredients
Carefully pour over ham
You could use rum instead of whisky.
Honey Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
1 heaped tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons English mustard powder
2 tablespoons turbinado or brown sugar
Directions
Carefully spread the honey over the fat.
Gently pat the mustard and sugar onto the sticky fat.