Christmas Ham – Easy, with Black treacle

Oh my I realised I hadn’t got one of my favourite things to eat at Christmas on the website. So I spent this afternoon developing my perfect Easy Christmas Ham recipe, poached in cider and finished with black treacle and brown sugar slathered all over it – oh my!! 

Totally tender, juicy and so easy! Packed with delicious flavours 

You get an apple sweetness and a rich sticky sweet from the fat – and it’s not too salty – I promise- there’s nothing worse is there? 

Pass me a glass of water ha ha 

Should I use Salted or Unsalted Gammon? 

I use an unsalted joint – always as that’s my preference 

However if you have a salted ham you can always soak your ham before you cook it to remove a lot of the salt (couple of hours or overnight) 

Then you are good to go!

Christmas Baked Ham Recipe (Or Christmas Gammon Recipe) 

There are so so many Christmas Ham recipes out there.

Do you have a favourite?  

They all sort of follow the same theme 

• slow cooked in a slow cooker 
• Baked / Roasted 
• Boiled 
• Poached and roasted 

Well mine is poached in cider in the oven, then removed and smothered in black treacle and soft brown sugar – and roasted for 30 minutes – delightful. This is the way I love it! 

There are so  many things you can do and so many different ways – cider, coke, mulled wine, apple juice, orange juice – whatever 

Anyway here’s mine…… I hope you like it!  

What the difference between Gammon and Ham?

Gammon is sold in the supermarket or by your local butcher raw, and requires cooking before you can eat it.

Whereas ham is cooked and ready to eat immediately, but both are made in a very similar way.

Both gammon and ham are actually cuts from the hind legs of a pig, and are either salted, brined, or smoked.

How to make the perfect Christmas Ham or Christmas Gammon 

Full recipe on the recipe card below 

However here are a few pointers: 

I pop mine in a large ovenproof casserole 

(You can use a deep baking tray and foil too if you like) 

I cover it in cider (really doesn’t matter what type) and top it up with apple juice, it doesn’t need to be totally submerged but it can be 

I then poach in the oven for however long it needs (dependant on weight) 

How long should I cook my Ham for? 

Well they say 20 minutes per pound (or 450g) Plus an additional 20 minutes on top 

My joint  was reasonably small (1Kg) and I did 20 minutes per pound and then an extra 20 minutes on top – I actually left my 1Kg joint in for 2 hours in the oven, in the cider. To absorb all those lovely flavours 

Remove the rind and score the fat layer 

Then remove the ham and place in a roasting tin.

I lined the tin with foil as it’s very messy (and who wants to wash that up?) 

Then remove the netting and the rind – be careful as it’s hot.

The rind should come off perfectly easily 

My advice – do not leave the rind on. It will be chewy and rubbery! The rind does not crisp up – trust me.

It also tends to stop the lovely sweet flavours penetrating the ham when you bake it in the oven (second stage) 

Then score the fat with a sharp knife into diamond shapes 

Add the Christmas Ham Glaze 

Then I added a couple of tablespoons black treacle and topped with a couple of tablespoons soft brown sugar 

All that’s  left to do is roast it for 30 minutes and hey presto it’s ready 

You can baste the ham after 15 minutes if you like – but be really careful as the glaze will be flaming hot! 

Delicious roasted Christmas Ham – super special 

Your house will smell amazing too – trust me 

What should I serve with my Christmas Ham – ideas 

So many ideas – so so many 

1. Warm in a sandwich 
2. Cold in a sandwich 
3. Warm with bubble & squeak or just buttery mash 
4. Warm with jacket potato and pickles – or indeed cold
5. Full on roast dinner too – especially great with cauliflower cheese 🙂 Yum 

The list is endless – and it’ll keep for 3-4 days in the fridge 

However I’m not sure it’ll last that long 🙂 

Enjoy 

I’d love to know how you get on if you try it, please let me know 

Clare x

Other tasty ideas 

How about serving with these delicious Easy Roast Potatoes, they are simple the best 

Another Idea for your Christmas Ham 

This Christmas Ham is so delicious served as a meal with my wonder Easy Cauliflower Cheese, there’s something special with the combination of flavours – yum! 

Easy Christmas Ham, with Black treacle

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 422kcal

Print Pin Rate

A delightful Christmas ham, smothered in black treacle and brown sugar - delicious

Ingredients

• 1 Kg Ham / Gammon joint
• 2 carrots roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery roughly chopped
• Black pepper
• 2 Bay leaves
• 500 ml bottle cider
• 1/2 - 1 carton apple juice
• 2 Tablespoons Black Treacle
• 2 Tablespoons Soft brown sugar

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 160C/ 325F/ Gas 3
• In a large casserole dish pop in your chopped carrots, black pepper, chopped celery, bay leaves
• Then pop your unwrapped ham joint on top
• Next pour your cider and part of your apple juice over the ham and put the lid on
• Pop in the centre of the oven and cook for approx 2 hours (adjust according to weight of joint)
• Prepare a foiled lined roasting tin
• Once cooked, carefully remove from the oven and carefully lift your joint out and pop into your lined roasting tin. Discard the liquid and veggies
• Turn your oven up to 200C/ 400F / Gas 6
• Remove the netting with scissors (it will be hot - careful) and remove the rind with a knife, this should come off very easily - discard
• Next score the fat layer with a knife into diamond shapes
• Then add your 2 tablespoons black treacle and using a spoon spread and cover the fat
• Finally add your brown sugar on top of the treacle
• Bake in the centre of the oven for approx 25-30 minutes until dark and golden
• Remove, rest for 15 minutes and then carve - delicious

Notes

*** All nutritional information is approximate and intended as a guide 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Easy Christmas Ham, with Black treacle

Amount per Serving

Calories

422

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

8

g

12

%

Saturated Fat

 

2

g

13

%

Trans Fat

 

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

155

mg

52

%

Sodium

 

219

mg

10

%

Potassium

 

1283

mg

37

%

Carbohydrates

 

29

g

10

%

Fiber

 

1

g

4

%

Sugar

 

26

g

29

%

Protein

 

55

g

110

%

Vitamin A

 

5122

IU

102

%

Vitamin C

 

3

mg

4

%

Calcium

 

106

mg

11

%

Iron

 

3

mg

17

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.