Sticky Cherry Glazed Ham
Juicy cherry glazed ham is the perfect Christmas centerpiece. The sticky glazed flavored with ginger and cinnamon is delicious with the smoky, salty ham.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Full cherry glazed ham recipe with instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ham/Gammon. I used a smoked (uncooked) bone-in ham/gammon but you can use a boneless ham too.
- Fresh cherries.
- Sugar.
- Cinnamon stick.
- Fresh ginger.
- Lemon juice.
- Balsamic vinegar.
- Salt.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Rosemary.
- Apple juice.
How to make cherry glazed ham
- Bake the ham: Place the ham in a large roasting dish. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, apple juice and water. Cover tightly with foil and place in a preheated oven. Bake the ham for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb.
- Make the glaze: While the ham is cooking, combine the pitted cherries, aromatics, vinegar, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook the glaze, mashing the cherries with the back of a wooden spoon, until thick and glossy (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from the heat then discard the ginger and cinnamon. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Set aside.
- Glaze the ham: Once the ham is cooked, remove from the oven. Place the ham on a chopping board and allow to cool slightly then carefully slice the skin off, leaving a layer of fat behind. I use a pairing knife for this but any sharp knife will work. Discard the skin, onions and cooking liquid. Score the fat in a diamond pattern then spoon over the glaze. Place the ham back in the oven and allow the glaze to caramelize and get sticky, spooning the glaze that collects in the pan over the ham every 10-15 minutes. Once the ham is glazed and sticky, remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Slice and serve.
Can I make this ahead?
Ham is a great make-ahead dish. The ham can be baked up to 3 days in advance and kept in the fridge before the final glazing and baking until sticky. The glazed ham can be made a day in advance and kept in the fridge. Leftovers will last for 3 days if kept in a sealed container in the fridge.
What to serve with ham
Ham recipes
Sticky cherry glazed ham
Juicy cherry glazed ham is the perfect Christmas centerpiece. The sticky glazed flavored with ginger and cinnamon is delicious with the ham.
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Calories: 305kcal
Servings: 16
Ingredients
- 4 kg / 8lb smoked ham/gammon
- 2 onions quartered
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 cups apple juice
- 2 cups water
For the cherry glaze
- 2 cups fresh/frozen cherries pitted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup Balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 slices fresh ginger
- 1 cinnamon stick
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 160°C/320ºF.
- Place the ham in a large roasting dish. Add the onion, garlic, rosemary, apple juice and water. Cover tightly with foil and place in a preheated oven.
- Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb. A 4kg/8lb ham/gammon will need 2 hours 40 minutes.
- When the ham is cooked, remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 200°C/390ºF.
- In a small saucepan, combine all the glaze ingredients and allow to come to the boil. Cook until the sugar has dissolved and the cherries are soft. Remove the cinnamon and ginger then blend with an immersion blender.
- Cut the skin off the gammon and cut a diamond pattern into the fat.
- Pour the glaze over the gammon and place back in the oven to cook for another 20-30 minutes.
- Allow the glaze to get sticky but check on it regularly as it can burn quickly. Glaze the ham once or twice while baking to allow the glaze to get thick and sticky. When the glaze is sticky and dark, remove from the oven.
- Allow the ham to cool for 30 minutes then slice and serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 305kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 3376mg | Potassium: 787mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 4mg