Christmas ham with negroni glaze

Name: Christmas ham with negroni glaze
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 10-15 (with leftovers)
Cuisine: Modern Australian
Ingredients: 1 whole leg of ham, bone-in (about 8.5kg); 50g dehydrated kumquat slices; dried orange slices, to scatter; bay leaves, to scatter and decorate the hock

Katrina Meynink

December 7, 2022

Time:2 hours +Serves:10-15 (with leftovers)

The flavours of negroni are the perfect foil for your ham this Christmas. Warm, full of spice and that citrusy cut-through offering a necessary reprieve to the richness of the meat. Dried kumquats are worth seeking out for this – they add a glorious punch and they develop an intense crunch.

Ingredients

1 whole leg of ham, bone-in (about 8.5kg)
50g dehydrated kumquat slices
dried orange slices, to scatter
bay leaves, to scatter and decorate the hock

Negroni ham glaze

370g best quality orange marmalade
½ cup negroni cocktail (I used Brookies or make your own)
½ cup brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, grated
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Step 1
Bring the ham to room temperature for at least 1 hour prior to cooking. Remove the rind, and score in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut through to the meat below – you just want to cut through the layer of fat so the flavours of the glaze can penetrate.
Step 2
Add all the ham glaze ingredients to a bowl and stir until fully incorporated.
Step 3
Generously slather the ham in the glaze, reserving about half.
Step 4
Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional).
Step 5
Add the ham to a large roasting tray – one big enough to comfortably take the ham. I like to place the ham onto a drip tray within the roasting dish. Gently pour 2 cups of water into the base of the tray.
Step 6
Roast in the oven for 2 hours, regularly basting with the remaining glaze (at least every 20 minutes or so). For the final 20 minutes of cooking, and after your last glaze, gently place the dried kumquats onto the diamonds scored on the ham – these will caramelise in parts and stay bright orange in others.
Step 7
Allow the ham to cool to touch temperature. Transfer to a serving platter scattered with dried orange slices and bay leaves. Tie some baking paper around the hock with butchers' twine and a few sprigs of bay leaves before carving. Season generously with salt.
Step 8
Gently pour the juices from the base of the roasting tray into a jug. Season with salt and pepper and serve alongside the ham. If you are pre-cooking your ham, store the juices in the fridge and warm in a saucepan over low heat for 1-2 minutes before serving, and return to a jug for guests to help themselves.