Every Christmas feast needs a leg of glazed ham holding pride of place on the table. Where turkey might be the centrepiece of choice in the Northern Hemisphere, in Australia, a delightfully sticky leg of smoked ham is synonymous with Christmas Day — and every day for the week after. Serious ham enthusiasts might order theirs a month in advance, spending the weeks leading up to the big day trialling glaze recipes and bottling their own chutney to serve alongside it. Others wouldn’t dream of straying from their family’s tried and tested method.  

But that’s before they’ve tried Gewurzhaus’ moreish take on the Christmas classic. Made using the spice boutique’s Christmas Cake and Pudding Spice, Gewurzhaus’ will entice even the staunchest of glaze traditionalists. Read on for the recipe.  

Gewurzhaus Glazed Christmas Ham  

Ingredients 

For the glaze: 

• 1 tbsp Gewürzhaus Christmas Cake and Pudding Spice (available on Ground Floor) 

• ¾ cup (200g) orange marmalade  

• ⅓ cup (40g) brown sugar  

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard  

• 4 tbsp orange juice  

• 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce  

For the ham: 

• 6-7 kg leg of ham  

• 1 jar Gewürzhaus whole cloves (available on Ground Floor) 

• 1 cup of water  

• ½ cup of orange juice  

Method 

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (conventional).  

2. To make the glaze, place a small saucepan over low heat and add the Christmas Cake and Pudding Spice, orange marmalade, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, orange juice, and sweet chilli sauce to it. Mix well and keep stirring until the marmalade has dissolved and the mix is well combined. Set aside.  

3. To prepare the ham, remove its rind by cutting around the ham hock using a small, sharp knife. Run your fingers under the rind, then gently peel it back from the end opposite the hock and discard.  

4. With the same knife, score the fat in a crisscross fashion. Stud the centre of each diamond with a clove.  

5. Transfer the ham onto a wire rack suspended over a large, deep baking tray. Add the water and orange juice to the bottom of the tray, this will prevent the glaze from burning as it drips down the ham during the roasting and basting process.  

6. Brush the ham with the glaze prepared earlier, making sure the ham is well coated.  

7. Place it into the preheated oven and bake for 1 ½ hours, basting with glaze every 10-15 minutes until golden and caramelised.  

8. To serve, cut the ham into thin slices. Serve warm or cold.