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Crackling Ham for a Great Christmas
Prepare this festive ham 2 to 3 days in advance and store it covered in the refrigerator (along with the crackling in a sealed container) to alleviate stress while hosting friends & family.
Ingredients
1kg uncooked skin-on smoked gammon
1 onion, halved
three bay leaves
1 tbsp vinegar de vinaigrette
3 tbsp powdered English mustard
100 g dark brown granulated sugar
METHOD
STEP 1 Place the gammon, onion, bay leaves, and vinegar in a big saucepan. Pour enough water over the gammon to thoroughly submerge it. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Take the gammon out of the kettle and set it aside to cool.
STEP 2 Once the skin has cooled enough to handle, gently cut it away, leaving a layer of fat attached. With a clean tea towel, pat the skin dry, then move to a wire rack to thoroughly dry.
STEP 3 Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/160 degrees celsius fan/gas 4. 4. One small roasting pan and two small baking trays should be lined with foil. Place the gammon fat-side up in the foil-lined pan and spread all over with the mustard, followed by the sugar. Place the skin on one of the baking pans, followed by the second baking tray. Add a weight to the top (a heavy pan works well), then place the gammon and skin in the oven together. Roast for 30 minutes, basting twice throughout the cooking time, or until the gammon is browned.
STEP 4 Remove the ham from the oven and increase the temperature to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Cook the crackling for a further 10 minutes, or until it is deep brown and crisp. Carve into slices and serve with crackling shards.