Pineapple and Sake Glazed Ham

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me….. the sweetness of pineapple, an exotic dash of Asia, glazed over a traditional ham – and the best thing is, the leftovers will last you the whole 12 days!

This one is traditional enough to keep the purists happy, while still allowing you to throw in the delightful twist of fresh Queensland pineapple (plus an exotic dash of sake), infused with incredible spices and flavours including lime, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, star anise, and chilli.

The recipe is courtesy of Taste Magazine.
 

Pineapple and Sake Glazed Ham

Ingredients

• 7kg whole leg ham, on the bone
• 250ml (1 cup) water
• Pineapple and sake glaze
• 500ml (2 cups) pineapple juice
• 400g (2 cups, firmly packed) brown sugar
• 250ml (1 cup) sake
• 2 limes, rind finely grated, juiced
• 2 long fresh red chillies, halved lengthways
• 5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, sliced
• 5 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 20 whole cloves
• 4 star anise

Pineapple relish

• 1 small pineapple, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 lime, rind finely grated, juiced
• 1 long fresh red chilli, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan forced. Place an oven shelf in lowest position. Remove other shelves. Line a roasting pan with baking paper.
2. For the glaze, combine the ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until sugar dissolves. Simmer for 22 minutes or until thickened slightly. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Reserve 2 tbs syrup for the relish.
3. Use a sharp knife to cut around the ham shank, about 10cm from the end. Run knife under the rind around the edge of the ham. Carefully lift off the rind in 1 piece, running your fingers between the rind and fat.
4. Score the fat in parallel lines, about 5mm deep and 1.5cm apart. Pour water into the prepared pan. Place ham in the pan. Wrap the shank in foil. Pour half the glaze over ham. Brush evenly to coat. Bake, brushing with glaze every 20 minutes, for 1 hour 30 minutes or until golden. Transfer to a platter. Cover with foil. Set aside to rest.
5. Meanwhile, for the pineapple relish, combine all ingredients and the reserved glaze in a bowl. Set aside for 15 minutes to develop the flavours.
6. Serve ham with the pineapple relish

If you loved this Pineapple and Sake Glazed Ham recipe, check out another 11 in our round-up of Classic Christmas recipes for 2019.