Mum’s hams are the best and we usually can’t wait til christmas to make them, any excuse will do!

Juicy on the inside and caramelised and crunchy on the outside – what more could you ask?

(See that one pale little square of missing fat? I just couldn’t wait!)

ingredients – serves approx 10 – 12 with sides

4kg cooked ham off the bone
1 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup dry sherry
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground 5 spice
2 tsp red food colouring (yes i know!!!!!)
30 cloves

method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Remove the rind by cutting a slit at one corner and slowly peel back from fat and discard.

Using a sharp knife, cut lines diagonally across the fat, 3cm apart, ensuring not to cut through to the ham. then do the same in the opposite direction to form diamond like shapes in the fat.

Combine the soy, honey, garlic, sherry, sugar, five spice and colouring in a container, place the lid on and shake.

Place the ham in a deep oven tray and pour water into the base, 2 cm up the side of the dish and then brush the top of the ham with some of the marinade.

Poke cloves into some of the diamonds in a uniform pattern.

Gradually pour about 1/4 of the marinade slowly over the ham until it has a thin red film (as in above picture).

Cover the ham with greased foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove and brush the ham generously with more marinade, top up water in base if required, replace foil and return to oven for another 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and discard foil. Pour another 1/4 of the marinade over the ham and return to the oven.  Bake for a further 15 minutes, brushing with a little marinade at half-time.

Remove from the oven, pour remainder of marinade over ham, empty water from the tray and allow to cool. Cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to carve. (You can warm the ham in a moderate oven for 10-15 minutes before carving if you would prefer it to be room temperature).