4 Amazing Christmas Ham Glazes

All delicious, all totally different. Which one will you choose?

Christmas is so close! Blimey! Break out your favourite Christmas film, crank up the AC, and check out our favourite 4 twists on classic Christmas ham glazes.

All of our ham glazes can be prepared according to the instructions in the recipe, then brushed over your Christmas ham. Cook the ham for around an hour and a half at 170°C (or according to the instructions on the packaging), brushing with your preferred glaze around every 25 minutes to ensure a beautifully sticky well flavoured ham leg.

Chinese Inspired

The fusion of traditional Chinese cooking flavours and Australian ingredients is a real winner.

Ingredients

• 2 cups honey
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• a generous sprinkle Chinese 5 spice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• handful quandong (also known as Australian wild peach)

Method

Wash your quandongs and cut in half. Then combine all ingredients in a small bowl and use as glaze.

Whiskey Marmalade

The combination of sharp mustard, sweet marmalade and smokey whiskey is perfect for the strong savoury notes of a Chrissy ham. Traditional and yet surprising!

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 cup whiskey
• a pinch sea salt
• cloves, enough to stud the whole ham leg

Method

Score the skin of your Christmas ham into diamonds (as shown). Stud each diamond with a clove by pressing into the skin. Then, in a bowl, whisk together the rest of the ingredients. If the mixture is a little too runny, add a little more marmalade. Likewise, adding more whiskey will thin it out. Brush over the ham and baste regularly while roasting.

Ginger and Orange

A more Christmassy combination there may never have been. We like to use freshly squeezed orange juice and Buderim ginger, but any juice and cordial combination will do really.

Ingredients

• 1 cup orange juice
• 1 cup ginger cordial
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon hot English mustard

Method

In a small saucepan, add the orange juice and reduce to about 2/3 of its original volume, then add ginger cordial, brown sugar and mustard and whisk until the sugar has dissolved and all ingredients are well incorporated.

Spiced Stout

Christmas cooking dictates some alcohol will be involved (it just makes everything taste more indulgent!). For this recipe, eschew sickly sweet tipples for a good strong stout that will develop in flavour as it cooks.

Ingredients

• 2 cups stout beer (or your favourite dark beer)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons wholegrain mustard
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon cardamom, crushed
• 1 stick cinnamon, broken in half

Method

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and allow the sugar to dissolve as the stout reduces it volume by half. Strain out the cardamom and cinnamon if you like and use as a glaze.