Sharp and tangy, Classic Mustard Glazed Ham makes a spectacular centrepiece for your festive table. Easter, Christmas or any large family gathering, there’s guaranteed to be lots of leftovers!
We’re still consuming our Easter Mustard Glazed Ham. Because it’s poached first, then roasted and then glazed the ham itself is moist, juicy and far less salty. It makes for amazing sandwiches. I suspect that today some will find its way into the freezer for later, appearing in breakfasts and cornbread muffins as the seasons shift.
Poach for the Win
As a cured product, any commercial ham is going to contain a considerable amount of salt. In this case, we’re using a shoulder-cut ham that’s been both smoked and cured.
Many would simply tent the ham and bake, using low heat, for several hours. While this method cooks the ham, I find it also leaves the meat tough and very salty. Instead, we poach the full ham in a big pot, remove the hide, score the fat, render the fat slightly in the oven apply the mustard glaze and roast – for a beautiful result.
To Poach: To cook food submerged in liquid; water, milk, stock or wine. Poaching is differentiated from the other “moist heat” cooking methods, such as simmering and boiling, in that it uses a lower temperature.
When we poach a ham before roasting, we submerge the meat in cold water, then bring the water to just under a simmer, for about three hours (depending on size) making for a tender result with less sodium and more flavour. It’s key to ensure your ham never comes to a boil or it will split the meat. So bring it to simmering and immediately reduce the heat to a minimum.
Adding a couple of carrots and onions to the poaching liquid creates a layer of sweetness. A few peppercorns lend seasoning and bay leaves impart both aroma and flavour. Once your ham is finished, these elements create a deep stock that can be used in soups, stews or in a big pot of baked beans (which I believe, is where the two litres of ham stock I froze will end up).
Savoury Glaze vs. Sweet Glaze
Many glazed ham recipes lean sweet. Maple, honey or brown sugar glazing creates a beautiful dark hue to the surface of the ham and an almost candy-like coating.
A Mustard Glazed Ham is slightly punchy thanks to both the prepared Dijon Mustard and dry mustard which we use in the glaze. In this recipe, we used both flat and whole mustard, for a bit of texture and thinned the mustard glaze slightly with water to make it easier to spread.
We also tend to score the fat more deeply before glazing with a savoury glaze so that the mustard comes in contact with the meat below. The result is a mustard-coated crust that bakes on in the final stage of cooking, permitting the fat, into the meat. Altogether a delicious outcome.
Passive Cooking Makes Life Easy
Cooking large joints of meat is always time-consuming, they take some extra planning and a bit of kitchen prep, but once they get going you don’t have to stand by the stove all day. Once your Mustard Glazed Ham gets going, particularly as it’s poaching, just let it be.
There are often plenty of other tasks involved in big, festive meals so once my ham is set to simmer, I set a timer and check it once an hour. I often use little timers that clip to my shirt or apron if I’m stepping outside the kitchen. My cell phone often acts as a timer as well. It can be so easy to lose track of time when you’re busy living your amazing life.
You’ll know your ham is done if you can easily pierce the ham with a carving fork (which is dam handy to lift it out of the water). Once it goes into the oven, it needs a bit of babysitting, as you shift it back and forth, coating it with the tangy mustard glaze – being sure not to burn your mustard – so it comes out a beautiful golden brown.
Then you can do what I do and insist on helping hands to carve and serve. I mean, after all, you did all the hard stuff! Celebrate. And… have a ham sandwich!
Sharp and tangy, Classic Mustard Glazed Ham makes a spectacular centrepiece for your festive table. Easter, Christmas or any large family gathering, there’s guaranteed to be lots of leftovers!
Ingredients
UnitsScale
1 – 10pound Ham, full shoulder, smoked & cured
2 large carrots, peeled, halved
1 large onion, peeled, quartered
20 peppercorns, whole
5 – 7 bay leaves, dried
Mustard Glaze
1/4cup Dijon Mustard, flat
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard, old fashioned grainy (optional)
1 1/2 tablespoons dry mustard
1 – 2 tablespoons water (see note)
Instructions
In a pot large enough to hold the entire ham, load in your ham, carrots, onion, bay leaves and peppercorns. Then submerge the meat in cold water, so that it is completely covered and floating, just enough so as to not be in contact with the bottom of the pot. Slowly bring the water to just starts to simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and poach the ham for about 3 hours (depending on the size of your ham), checking to ensure the meat remains covered with water, once an hour.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare a shallow roasting pan with non-stick spray and reserve. Test the ham with a carving fork or thin blade, if it inserts easily, right down to the bone, it’s ready to move into the oven. Once removed from the oven, remove the outer, dark brown hide over the fat cap with a sharp blade to expose the soft fat below. Score the fat, right down to the meat, cutting the entire length of the ham, first from top-to-bottom then side to side in one-inch strips to create a criss-cross pattern. Some like to score in a diamond shape. Best advice; keep your cuts regular and evenly spaced. Then pop the ham into the hot oven for about 30 minutes to render the fat and start it crisping.
In a small bowl prepare your mustard glaze mixing flat, grainy (if using) and dry mustard into a paste, then thinning with about a tablespoon of water so it’s easy to spread. Remove ham from the oven, quickly glaze covering the entire surface of the ham, coating the fat cap well with mustard before returning the ham to the oven for the final roast, about another 30 minutes.
Once the glaze is well solidified and golden brown, remove the ham from the oven, rest for ten to fifteen minutes and care and serve immediately.
It’s key to ensure your ham never comes to a boil while poaching or it will split the meat from the bone. So bring it to simmering and immediately reduce the heat to low. Remove it from the burner if you have to. Just keep that water from boiling.
Cooking in her home kitchen just outside Ottawa, Canada; Cori Horton is a food photographer and recipe blogger. A Cordon Bleu-trained Chef, Cori spent five years as the owner of Nova Scotia's Dragonfly Inn and has been sharing all things delicious - right here - since 2010.
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