Christmas Ham with Honey

⏳ Time

3 hours + 12 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Pork ham baked in honey is a staple in every respectable Irish home during Christmas, serving as an alternative to the English Christmas turkey. For three centuries, hams from County Limerick have been considered the finest in Ireland—thanks to the oak groves, local pigs enjoyed an acorn diet which enhanced their flavor. Interestingly, there was a long-standing rule in Ireland regarding the slaughter of pigs that corresponded with months containing the letter 'R', similar to the well-known rule for catching oysters, meaning pigs could feel relatively safe in the summer. However, winter was a busy time for butchers, who made use of every part of the carcass: hams were salted, hung, and preserved for Christmas; the legs were boiled to make something akin to jellied meat; bacon was smoked; the stomach was stuffed and roasted (this dish was known as 'mock goose'); and even the bladder was not wasted—it was inflated, dried, and used as a ball.

Ingredients

Pork Blood - 9 lbs
Onion - 2 heads
Carrot - 1 piece
Clove - to taste
Whole egg - 2 pieces
Honey - 2 spoons
Espresso - 1 fl oz
Dijon Mustard - 3.5 oz
Salt - 5.3 oz

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Place the boneless pork leg in a large pot with salted water (150 grams of salt for 4 liters of water). Leave it overnight.

Step 2

Peel the onions and insert several cloves into each one. Place the ham in a heatproof dish, and arrange the onion heads and a whole peeled carrot alongside it. Pour in enough water to cover the vegetables (about 3 liters). Bake at 248°F until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 75 degrees (2–3 hours, depending on your oven's characteristics). You can check the temperature with a culinary thermometer. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature.

Step 3

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Whisk the yolks with honey, cooled espresso, and mustard. Increase the oven temperature to 446°F. Carefully transfer the ham from the broth to a baking sheet with a rack, cut off any culinary twine (if used), then brush the ham with the glaze. Bake for 8 minutes until a golden crust forms.