The perfect BBQ Christmas ham recipe
Make the most of the festive, summer season with an incredible BBQ Christmas ham. Nothing says Kiwi Christmas like a baked ham, this year try taking it out to the barbeque to give it a beautiful rich smoky flavour and free up your oven for other festive treats.
Inspired by Nadia Lim’s Sticky Christmas Glazed Ham recipe and refined by our team over several Christmas’ this recipe is sure to become a staple on your Christmas menu.
Ingredients
- Your choice of a half leg of ham
- ¼ cup whole cloves or black peppercorns if you prefer
- 1 ½ cup water*
- ¼ - ½ cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you like your glaze)
- ¼ Barker’s NZ Grapefruit & Orange Marmalade or Barker’s Seville Orange Spreadable Fruit
- 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
- ½ cup brandy or pineapple juice
* Tip: replace the water with the juice of an orange and add some zest for an extra kick.
Method
Step 1
Take the ham out of the fridge 45 minutes before cooking.
With a small sharp knife cut a zig-zag shape into the skin at the base of the ham hock. This is where you will remove the skin to. Using a small knife, loosen the skin away from the white fat along the cut edge. You want to keep the white fat on the ham, as this keeps the ham moist (and very tasty!). Loosen the skin by slipping your fingertips underneath, then pull the skin away, back to the zig-zag at the base of the hock. Use a knife to score the white fat diagonally at about 2cm intervals. Push a whole clove into the crisscross or centre of each diamond. Not sure how to remove the rind? We found a helpful video that shows you how using the method above.
Prepare your barbecue for indirect cooking. Indirect cooking is using the surrounding heat in a hooded BBQ to cook the food, rather than using direct heat such as the plate or grill. For a large hooded gas barbecue, heat one burner on medium-high and leave the other burners off. For a small hooded BBQ such as a Weber Q or Baby Q turn to medium-high heat and we suggest using the roasting pack for Weber Qs. Use your Weber’s built in thermometer to get the temperature right. Some BBQs even have a roasting rack included. If yours has this, definitely use it.
Step 2
Put the ham in your baking tray or rack and pop it on the side of the barbecue that is turned off or on the grill plate of your small hooded BBQ. Close the lid and leave to cook (when the hood is closed the barbecue temperature should be around 190 degrees for 1.5 hours or until the ham is 42 degrees at the thickest part (use a meat thermometer to check).
Step 3
While the ham is cooking, make your glaze. Place brown sugar, marmalade and mustard into a saucepan and heat for a few minutes over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in brandy rum or pineapple juice.
Step 4
Once the ham has warmed through, increase the barbecue temperature slightly to 200 degrees. Using a spoon and a silicone brush, glaze your ham with about half of the glaze (or enough to cover the ham with an even coat). Cook the ham for another 45 minutes, basting it about every 5 minutes with the glaze. When the ham is ready the thickest part will measure 52 degrees on your meat thermometer and the outside of the ham is evenly caramelised.
Step 5
Remove your ham from your barbecue and place on a carving board for 10 minutes to rest. Cover with a tea towel or a layer of foil to keep warm. Pour the left-over juices from your baking tray into heatproof glass jug and allow the fat to come to the top. Skim off as much of the fat as possible. Over a low heat add the juices and remaining glaze into a small pan and heat through until thickened. Serve in a small bowl or jug as a glaze sauce.
Step 6
Serve ham your favourite sides and the glaze sauce.
Pair with boiled potatoes, herb butter and some steamed greens or a salad for a Christmas meal your family will remember. If you have any leftovers (and we’re not entirely sure you will!), try Nadia Lim’s Leftover Christmas Ham, Leek, Tomato and Basil Pasta recipe. And with gas flowing well into the future, you’ll be able to enjoy the perfect Christmas ham on the BBQ for years to come.
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