Aromatic Spiced Ham Food

SPICY HONEY-GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 350 degrees F. Trim off any skin from the ham, leaving a 1/4-inch layer of fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife in a 1-inch crosshatch pattern without cutting through to the meat. Place the ham flat-side down in a roasting pan and add the chicken broth to the pan. Cover with foil and bake 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Whisk the honey, brown sugar, mustards, vinegar, hot sauce, thyme and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Remove 3/4 cup of the glaze to a separate bowl and set aside for serving. Remove the ham from the oven, discard the foil and brush with about one-quarter of the remaining glaze. Continue baking, brushing with the glaze and the pan juices every 30 minutes, until the ham is a deep reddish-brown and a thermometer inserted into the center registers 140 degrees F, 1 to 1 1/2 more hours. (Add 1/2 cup water to the pan if the juices dry out.)
• Transfer the ham to a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with the reserved glaze.

FULLY FESTIVE HAM

Steps:

• Put the ham into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then immediately drain and rinse it in a colander, to remove any excess saltiness. Alternatively, leave the ham soaking in cold water overnight.
• Rinse the saucepan and put the ham back in, and add all remaining ingredients. If the fruit juices do not cover the ham then add some water; it really depends on how snugly your ham fits into the saucepan.
• Bring the pan to a boil and then cook at a fast simmer for about 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Partially cover the ham with a lid if the liquid is boiling away too much and the top of the ham is getting dry.
• Once the ham is cooked, remove it from the hot and now salty juice, and sit it on a board. If you want, you can actually cook this far ahead of schedule and then let it get entirely cold before glazing and roasting it. If that's the case, then cook it for about 1/2 hour less and then just let it get cold in the cooking liquid.
• On the day of cooking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• When the ham is cool enough to touch then cut and peel the rind off the cooked ham, making sure to leave a thin coating of the white fat on the ham. Score the fat into a diamond pattern with a sharp knife, and stud the points of each diamond with a clove.
• Heat the remaining glaze ingredients together in a saucepan until the jelly or sauce melts into the honey, mustard, and cinnamon to make a smooth but syrupy glaze; it needs to be thick enough not to run off the ham completely as it cooks in the oven.
• Sit the ham on a piece of foil in a roasting tin, which will give you an easier time later washing up, as the sugary glaze will burn as bits of it do inevitably dribble down the ham. Pour the glaze over the clove studded ham so that all of the scored fat is covered. Cook the ham for 15 minutes or until the fat is colored and burnished by the sugary glaze.
• If the ham is completely cold prior to glazing, then cook for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F, and turn up the heat to 425 degrees F for another 15 minutes. These timings are based on the ham being cold at room temperature, not refrigerator cold.

SPICE-RUBBED FRESH HAM WITH CITRUS GLAZE

Steps:

• Score fat on ham in a 3/4-inchwide diamond pattern. Finely grind fennel, coriander, and peppercorns in a spice mill or clean coffee grinder. Transfer to a bowl; stir in zests and salt. Rub mixture over ham, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 1 to 3 days.
• Unwrap ham; let stand at room temperature 1 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine 2 cups water, grapefruit wedges, and lime halves in a roasting pan. Set ham on a wire rack in pan. Bake, basting every hour, and covering with parchment-lined foil after 1 hour, until a thermometer inserted into bottom part (avoiding bone) reads 140 degrees, about 4 hours, 30 minutes (about 20 minutes per pound). Remove from oven; let rest 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, increase heat to 400 degrees. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss assorted cut citrus with oil and sprinkle generously with sugar. Roast, turning once, until browned, about 40 minutes.
• While meat is resting, cook honey, sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring, until deep golden, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; slowly stir in citrus juices. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Brush 3 tablespoons glaze over ham.
• Serve ham with roasted citrus, pomegranate, fennel crowns, and remaining glaze.

SPICED POMEGRANATE AND ORANGE GLAZED HAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the cinnamon, star-anise, juice, sugar, pomegranate molasses and honey in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook for 4-6 minutes or until syrupy.
• Lightly grease a large wire rack over a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil. Use a sharp knife to score the skin around the sides and hock of the ham, before using your fingers to gently remove the rind. Trim any excess fat. Wrap the ham hock in non-stick baking paper then aluminum foil. Place the ham on the rack and brush with the glaze. Arrange the orange slices over the ham, overlapping slightly. Carefully brush with the glaze and roast the ham for 40 minutes, brushing with glaze halfway. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Brush the ham with the glaze and roast for a further 5 minutes or until golden and caramelized.
• Serve the ham with the remaining glaze.