Jamies Christmas Jerk Ham Food

GLAZED JERK HAM

Steps:

• 1. Peel the garlic and red onions, and halve and deseed the Scotch bonnets, then place in a food processor - wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. Add the chives, sugar, rum, vinegar, all the spices and the salt. Pull off and discard the bay stalks, then add the leaves to the processor. Strip in the thyme leaves and blitz until very finely chopped.
• 2. Place the ham on a board and trim off the outer layer of skin, leaving a 1cm layer of fat behind. Score the fat all over in a criss-cross pattern, making sure you don't cut down into the meat itself. Transfer the ham to a roasting tray and pour over the marinade. Rub it all over the meat, getting into all the nooks and crannies, then cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight. 3. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4 and leave the ham to come up to room temperature. Cover the tray with tin foil and reheat according to pack instructions. Around 40 minutes before the time's up, remove the foil and pour over the rum. Add the marmalade and orange juice to the tray and mix together with the pan juices. Brush the glaze all over the ham and return to the oven for the remaining time, brushing and spooning the juices and rub over the top every 5 to 10 minutes until dark, stick and gnarly. Once glazed to perfection, remove to a board to rest for 30 minutes before carving into nice thick slices. Pour the cooking juices into a jug, skimming away the fat - it'll make an epic spicy gravy to drizzle over at the end, if you like. Serve with a fresh, crunchy salad and some Spiced peach chutney.Jamie's Tip: Using a herb brush to baste the ham will infuse it with lovely flavour. Tie a bunch of woody herbs together at the stalk-end to create a brush, then bruise the leafy end by lightly bashing it with the bottom of a pan - this will release the oils and help amplify the flavour.

JAMIE'S CHRISTMAS JERK HAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180/350 degrees/gas 4. Put the ham in a large roasting pan with all of the poaching ingredients. Add water until it comes halfway up the side of the pan. Cover the ham with tinfoil ( making a tent over the ham to allow the steam to circulate).
• Bake for two hours or until pink and cooked through, remove from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes, remaining covered.
• While your ham poaches add the bay leaves and the dry spices to a food processor with the garlic cloves. Whizz it to form a paste then add the onions and chillies and whizz again.Pour in the rum and malt vinegar and keep whizzing while adding the thyme. Once it has a nice loose consistency the marinade is ready.
• When the ham has had it's 30 mins out of the oven, transfer it to a roasting tray and let it cool down a bit. While it's still warm, put your hand underneath the skin and gently pull it away from the meat, leaving a bit of the fat underneath attached. Then with a sharp knife, score the ham by lightly making diagonal cuts across the leg.
• Spoon the marinade over the pork (using the back of a spoon,it's hot stuff!) and into the scored fat. If you want to use your hands to rub it in PLEASE wear gloves!
• You can cover the ham with cling film and chill it overnight if you wish, or cook right away.
• Pour a small glass of water into the bottom of the roasting tray and put the ham into the preheated oven for 2 hours (350/180 degrees). Try to baste it every 30 mins or so to get it good and dark.
• After the two hours are up, scrape a bit of the marinade off with a spatula ans spoon about 3/4 jar of marmalade over it and a good swig of rum on top. Smear this mixture all over the ham and let it drip down the sides too. Spoon the juices off the bottom of the pan back over the ham and put it back in the oven for another 30 minutes, basting every 5-7 minutes to build up the crust.
• When it's lovely and dark, it's done!