Adobo Glazed Christmas Ham Plus 2 Other Glaze Recipes

• 1 half-leg bone-in cooked ham (approx. 4–5
  kg)*
• 1 packet The Spice People whole cloves for
  studding, optional

Adobo-Apricot-Bourbon Glaze

• 1 cup sweet apricot jam
• 1 tbsp The Spice People Mexican Adobo
  Seasoning
• ¼ cup bourbon or brandy
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Other Glaze Ideas

Classic Brown Sugar Glaze

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1½ tsp The Spice People Mixed Spice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard,
• Juice and zest from 1 orange

Jamaican Jerk Pineapple Glaze

• 1 cup pineapple chunks with juice, blended
• 1 tsp brown sugar,
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard,
• 1½  tsp The Spice People Jamaican Jerk Spice Pack
• 1 tbsp lime juice.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Use a small sharp knife to cut the ham skin around the hock, then to peel back the outerskin of the ham*, leaving a thin layer of fat underneath. Score the fat in a diamond pattern (2cm cross-hatch), taking care not to cut into the meat.

Whisk the apricot jam, Adobo seasoning, bourbon or brandy, brown sugar, and and mustard in a saucepan over medium heat for 3 minutes until melted and combined.

Place ham on a lined roasting tray.

Brush a thick layer of Adobo glaze all over the fat. If using, place a whole clove into the centre of each fat diamond. Roast for 1 hour, brushing
generously with glaze every 20 minutes until deeply caramelized, sticky, and golden.

Rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Serve with remaining glaze on the side.

*Tip: For this recipe we used gourmet Black Berkshire ham shank from Hudson Meats. Divide the skin between two zip lock bags and freeze. Add to soups such as pea and ham, or mince sauces for added flavour. 

How to Score Christmas Ham: Peel the outer skin back gently using your fingers while tracing underneath with a paring knife. When scoring the fat layer, slice at an angle without pressing into the underlying ham meat. Cutting only the fat allows it to render while keeping the meat juicy and giving the glaze grooves to cling to.