Amazingly moist gammon with a deliciously sweet and crisp crust. You will all be fighting for the end piece! This Honey Glazed Ham is one of my favourite things in the world to eat.
Honey Glazed Ham is a family tradition
As with a lot of families, we always have ham around Christmas – traditionally on New Year’s Day. My Grandad used to come and stay with us for Christmas and New Year.
He would always bring a huge ham with him. My Mum always used to joke that he wasn’t allowed to come and stay with us if he forgot the ham.
I remember looking forward to her New Year’s ham all year. As soon as my Mum had finished cooking the ham I would loiter in the kitchen waiting for the chance to sneak a slice.
Which ham is best to choose?
When it comes to buying ham, they come either smoked or unsmoked. As with bacon, I don’t think there is any reason why you wouldn’t buy smoked ham. Personally I think it has a much nicer flavour.
However if you really don’t want to use smoked ham, you can buy unsmoked.
You want to try and find a ham with a good layer of fat on the top. This seems to be a little harder to come by these days! It takes a little bit more hunting to find them but they are out there.
If you can’t find a ham with an even layer of fat, buy the best one you can.
Do you have to boil the ham before you bake it?
The hams I tend to use are between 1.3 and 1.5kg in weight. As they are small, I don’t think they need boiling before they are baked.
Most ham comes with instructions of how long to cook it on the packaging. Alternatively your butcher will be able to advise you.
Baking a ham of these size is still moist and delicious. It also means you are cutting down on the extra step of boiling the ham.
Can you use a larger ham?
Yes of course. My Mum used to cook a much larger ham in those days. She would boil it before putting it in the oven and finishing with the glaze.
If you are cooking a ham that is more than 2kg then I would recommend boiling it before you bake it. Most hams come with the instructions of how long to boil them on the packaging.
You would then coat the boiled ham in the glaze and bake it for thirty minutes or until it was golden and delicious.
Depending on how much larger your ham is than the one in my recipe, you will need to increase the glaze quantities. My advice if you’re not sure is to always add a little more rather than be stingy!
which honey is recommended to use
You need to use a clear, runny honey for this Honey Glazed Ham. Set honey wouldn’t be very easy to mix with the sugar.
I wouldn’t bother using something a bit fancier like Manuka honey. These are usually more expensive and have delicate flavours.
I don’t think you would be able to taste the difference in this recipe so I don’t think it would be worth the extra expense.
Use a foil roasting tin
I am very conscious about my impact on the environment. I try to use reusable options wherever possible. But in this instance, I really would recommend using a disposable foil tray to cook this in.
I used to line my roasting tins with foil but the honey and sugar mix always seemed to manage to seep under the foil.
This would then burn and stick the foil to the roasting tin. So after far too many times scrubbing my roasting tins to within an inch of their lives, I now use the disposable foil trays.
Make sure you wash the foil tins so that they can be recycled.
What to serve with this Honey Glazed Ham
My Mum always served creamy mashed potatoes, carrots and sweetcorn with her Honey Glazed Ham which is what I tend to do.
I do like to serve some additional vegetables of tenderstem broccoli or Pressure Cooked Red Cabbage (recipe coming soon) though.
You could also serve my Potato & Thyme Stacks or Roasted New Potatoes if you would prefer.
If you want to add even more pork to your meal, my Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Garlic would be the perfect choice.
It would also be a great addition to any holiday meal. It would be perfect as part of the main meal or cooked in advance and eaten cold as part of a buffet.
Make sure there are leftovers!
You definitely need to make sure there are plenty of leftovers when you make this ham. It is as delicious cold as it is hot.
There is nothing better than cold Honey Glazed Ham, Bubble & Squeak and a fried egg. Or you can serve it with chips, either homemade or frozen.
Leftover ham will keep in the fridge for up to three days. However if it lasts longer than one day without being eaten you will be doing very well!
Other recipes you might like
- Air Fryer Gammon Joint
- Air Fryer Roast Beef
- Slow Cooker Pork & Mustard Stew
- Pork, Sage & Apple Stuffing
- Caramelised Onion Chutney
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Honey Glazed Ham
Amazingly moist gammon with a deliciously sweet and crisp crust. You will all be fighting for the end piece! This Honey Glazed Ham is one of my favourite things in the world to eat.
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg smoked boneless ham joint
- 50 g demerara sugar
- 70 g clear honey
Instructions
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Unwrap the ham joint and place it on a disposable foil tray and cover with foil. Cook the joint for 30 minutes less than the time specified on the cooking instructions. The temperature is usually specified on the packet but would be around 180°C (fan assisted, 200°C non fan)
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When the joint has 30 minutes left of cooking time, remove it from the oven and dispose of the foil
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Cut off the rind and the majority of the fat leaving a couple of millimeters. Score the fat with a knife diagonally one way and then the other
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Mix the sugar and honey together in a bowl and then pour over the fat of the ham. Put the ham back into the oven uncovered for the remaining 30 minutes of cooking
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Take out of the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes loosely covered in foil before carving
Recipe Notes
Nutritional information is given as a guide only.
Corina Blum says
I love a joint of ham cooked at home it really is so so much better than any ham you can buy precooked and presliced. This one looks so lovely and shiny on top too!
Curly says
It’s just so delicious isn’t it! Thank you, the glaze is the best part!
Susan McNulty says
Hello Curly. The gammon joint I have bought has a elastic sorting of netting around it. Should I remove this before cooking. It’s 3 kg so I’m going to boil it first and then finish it in the oven, but not sure about netting.
Curly says
Hi Susan, I tend to remove any netting but it doesn’t matter if you leave it on to cook. Just make sure you remove it before adding the glaze.
Jacqui Bellefontaine says
I’m so hungry now, It looks delicious. This would go perfectly with Jenny’s cauliflower cheese which I have just read. Thank you for linking up to #CookBlogShare
Curly says
Haha thanks Jacqui.
Jo Allison / Jo's Kitchen Larder says
Don’t you just love the recipe with the history, the one handed down just like yours! We do love a nice ham joint here too and the smell of it roasting always brings entire family to the kitchen lol. Fantastic recipe Cat and that glaze sounds super delicious too!
Claire says
I’ve made this so many times now!! It’s so incredibly tasty – love having the leftovers the next day with egg and chips too. Just adds so much flavour to the gammon.
Curly says
I always make sure I have enough for leftovers! We have it with bubble and squeak and a fried egg.
Kayleigh says
You say your mum used to boil the gammon before putting in the oven, but there is no mention of this in your cooking method? How long do you boil before transferring to the oven please?
Curly says
Sorry if it wasn’t clear, but I don’t boil it I just bake it because I use much smaller hams. I make it as per the recipe. Hope that helps 🙂
Janice Pattie says
Honey and ham are a great combination and I love a sticky glaze. This is a great recipe and ideal for easy entertaining too.
Curly says
So tasty aren’t they? I don’t know about entertaining though…I don’t like to share haha.
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
The Peas would have this ham demolished in two seconds flat! they LOVE it and we are absolutely not allowed to miss it out of our xmas food list! The smoked/unsmoked debate rages in this house with us split down the middle!
Curly says
Aaah they have good taste! You can definitely use unsmoked if you prefer.
Chloe Edges says
This looks absolutely bob on! I’ve always been a ham on boxing day girl although actually as a family we tend to cook gammons year round!
Curly says
Ah we used to have ours on New Year’s Day. But since moving out, I make it throughout the year. It is way too good to just save for the festive season!
Rebecca - Glutarama says
A deliciously simple recipe with exceptional results, perfect addition to this weeks round-up on #CookBlogShare and one that I’m going to keep for later as I’ve ordered a ham from a local butcher for Christmas this year x
Curly says
Thanks very much Rebecca. Oooh this would be perfect x
Helen - Cooking with my kids says
I love a honey glazed ham, this looks delicious!
Jacqui – Recipes Made Easy:Only Crumbs Remain says
We always cook a ham at Christmas. Sometimes it gets eaten Christmas evening but usually, we are all too stuffed so it’s served on Boxing day lunch with leftover turkey. wit a sweet glaze like this is my favourite way to serve it.
Curly says
I think I’m going to have to cook one for Christmas as well as New Year this year! After this year we all need more ham!
Jessica Cantoni says
Do you know what? I’ve not made honey-glazed ham or any ham for that matter, in such a long time! This looks sooo tasty! xx
Marilyn says
How hot do I need to set the oven?
Curly says
Hi Marilyn, apologies I didn’t make this clear in the recipe. I recommend people using the temperature and cooking time the packet suggests, this is usually around 180c fan assisted. The ham needs an internet temperature of between 63-65C at the end of the cooking time.
Kevin Brown says
This juicy, sweet and sticky ham is a must try. A Christmas staple… or a weekly one because it is too damn tasty to keep to just the festive period. Thanks again Curly.
Curly says
So pleased you liked it. It is definitely one of my all time favourites!
Barbara says
Do you have an air fryer cook book I can purchase
Curly says
Hi Barbara, I don’t I’m afraid. All of my air fryer recipes are here https://www.curlyscooking.co.uk/category/recipes/air-fryer/.
Dave says
I’m makeing honey roast ham
For the first time this year
My mouth is watering so much reading your recipe
Iv brought a big gammon joint so there will be plenty for boxing day too with chips , fried eggs bubble , mushrooms
Thank you so much
Really looking forward to seeing how it turns out
Ps I know what I’m like
I’ll smell it cooking and just want to keep taking bits off befor it’s done lol