Wow your guests with an expertly - glazed jambon at your next holiday dinner or other assemblage .
Hams are n’t only for the holidays . If you ’re looking for an easy and affordable mode to fee a crowd — whether it ’s a special occasion or a Saturday night assemblage where you need an entrée — ham are an often - overlooked but very luscious option . Because most hams deal at market stores are smoked and fully cooked , they onlyrequire heating plant before eat . However , glazing a ham actor add that special terminal touch if you need to wow your crowd with supererogatory flavor and texture .
Learn how to rack up and when to glaze a jambon , and what ingredients to conflate for a piquant - sweet flavor , honey - glass over , or table mustard - covered jambon . Keep this usher on hand for the vacation season and beyond ( and do n’t forget it makesgreat leftovers ! ) .
Credit: Jason Donnelly
Which Hams Can I Glaze?
In short , any of them!Spiral - excision hamsare democratic since they arrive sliced and are promiscuous to attend . Although your pre - cut pork may let in a glaze packet , turn over whipping up a simple glaze ( see below for formula ideas ) to customize it . no matter of your choice , glaze a gammon will add flavor , coloring material , and sheen you ’ll be proud to serve .
How to Score a Ham
Although we ’re convinced your guests will give your ham a " 10 , " this is a different kind of scoring : Prepping this way means stimulate shallow excision in the ham ’s surface . The point is to make grooves for glazing a ham , allowing it to infiltrate the thick skin for flavor all the direction through . grading also creates redundant texture on the outside of your jambon , which equals more surface area for the tasty glaze to coating . you could skip this step withspiral - cut ham .
Now lease ’s start scoring : Using a chef ’s knife , cut shallow slits , about ¼-inch deep , through the skin of the ham actor every inch or so . you could do this in a ball field shape for ocular appeal . Many mass also like to insert whole cloves where the cuts intersect for tang and as a cosmetic accent . Before you do this , make certain the taste of clove tree — subtly fresh yet mordacious — is compatible with the ingredients in your glaze .
Make the Ham Glaze
There are sempiternal recipe for glazing a gammon , but most are made with yield , preserves , orchutneysthat admit orange , cherry red , cranberry , apricots , or Mangifera indica . The sweetness of these fruits pair deliciously with the salt of ham ; added sugar or sugar - containing ingredients , such asbarbecue sauceor marmalade , heighten thissweet - and - saltycontrast . As a glaze heats up , the dough caramelizes , forming a rich , glossy coating over the exterior of your ham .
If you need to add kick when you ’re glazing a ham , a duo of chopped ( and drained ) chipotle chile peppers will do the trick . Or complement the smokiness of the meat with the tangyzing of mustard . no matter of the flavor you opt , most glaze take only minutes to make using just a few ingredients .
How to Glaze a Ham
start up glazing a gammon in the last 15 to 20 minute of baking . If you start brushing it on sooner , the sugar could cause the glaze ( and the ham ’s tegument ) to burn . Prepare at least one cup of glaze per five to 10 pound of gammon .
To glaze the ham , displume theroasting panout of the oven and set it on a cooling wrack ; make indisputable to close up the oven door so heat does n’t break away . Using a basting brush or spoon , surface the gammon with the glaze , then return it to the oven . stay on baking until the jambon reaches the desired internal temperature ( we suggest 140 ° F ) . Serve it with additional glaze for extra flavor . ( Note : you’re able to follow the same glaze instruction manual for pre - sliced spiral - cut hams ) .
See how easy it is ? Buy apre - fudge ham , score the peel , prepare and brush on a fast glaze , and voila , you have a delicious repast for holidays , particular social occasion — or any fourth dimension the temper shine .
How long a gammon hold up calculate on the type . Fora fully make , unopened , vacuum - sealed gammon , the lasting prison term in the refrigerator is up to two weeks . Once you open up it , the gammon is just for about three to five day refrigerate . Whole cured hamscan last up to a calendar week in the refrigerator . Fresh hamshave a short ledge life because they do n’t contain preservatives ; they last a few days in the fridge and only three or four days after you cook it .
