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Clove-Studded Glazed Ham
The classic use for whole cloves — studded into scored fat so they lift out with the rind.
This is the recipe whole cloves were made for. Studding is not decoration: it places the clove where its oil can render into the fat, and it means every clove comes out with the rind rather than ending up in someone's mouth.
Ingredients
- 1 gammon joint, about 3 kg
- About 30 whole cloves
- 2 Ceylon cinnamon quills
- 150 g soft brown sugar
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 onion, halved
Method
- Put the gammon in a large pot with the onion, bay leaves and cinnamon quills. Cover with cold water, bring to a simmer and cook gently for about 90 minutes.
- Lift out and let it cool just enough to handle. Keep the oven heating to 200C fan.
- Cut away the skin, leaving an even layer of fat behind. Score the fat into diamonds, cutting into the fat but not through to the meat.
- Press a whole clove into each intersection of the scoring. They should sit proud, not buried.
- Mix the brown sugar, mustard and honey into a paste and spread it over the studded fat.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, basting twice, until the glaze is dark and bubbling. Watch it closely in the last 10 minutes — sugar turns quickly.
- Rest 15 minutes before carving. The cloves lift away with the rind as you slice.
Tip. Thirty cloves sounds like a lot but almost none of it ends up in the meat — the fat and the rind carry it, and both come away as you carve.
More in the recipe collection, or read about the spices themselves.
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