Christmas Ham

Before starting this Christmas Ham, take the leg of ham out of its packgaging. Make sure you get a ham with a good layer of fat on the surface. Choose a fully-cooked leg of ham.

Peel the skin off by gently pushing your fingers under the skin, trying to leave the fat unbroken.

Repeat the operation over the whole surface...

... as shown in the photo. The skin will come off easily. Make sure the fat remains intact.

This is what the result should look like at this stage.

Using a sharp knife, score the fat into a grid pattern. Make sure you don't touch the ham in this operation.

Start with parallel lines...

... with a space of 2cm.

Repeat over the whole surface of the ham.

Rotate the ham and start cutting parallel lines...

... to create a grid pattern.

The result should be as shown in the photo. The scored lines are not visible at this stage but they will become obvious while cooking.

Place the ham in a roasting tray.

We're going to cook the ham with Guinness first.

Pour the stout over the ham. You might need 2 cans to have enough moisture to cook the ham for 2 hours.

Reserve 4 to 5 tablespoons for the glaze.

Place the ham in a fan-assisted oven preheated to 140°C and cook for 2 hours, basting with the beer regularly.

For the glaze: If you don't have ground cardamom in your pantry, place black cardamom pods in a food processor...

... and mix until you get a fine powder.

Pass the ground cardamom through a fine sieve to remove any chunks.

Collect the ground cardamom on a sheet of greaseproof paper. Black cardamom has a smokier flavour than green cardamom.

In a separate bowl...

... place the ground ginger.

Get 2 teaspoons of ground black cardamom...

... and add to the bowl.

Get the mustard powder...

... and add 2 teaspoons to the bowl.

Get the ground cinnamon...

... and add 1 teaspoon to the bowl.

Combine the dry ingredients carefully with a teaspoon.

Add the spice mix to the sugar...

... and combine with a whisk until homogeneous.

Add the stout slowly while whisking...

... until you get a thick paste consistency that will coat the surface of the ham without dripping.

The glaze is ready. Set aside.

Baste the ham regularly with the beer at the bottom of the tray. As shown in the photo, the scored fat is retracting and opening during cooking.

Baste the ham again. Repeat as often as needed if you find the moisture is evaporating quickly.

Continue cooking, while basting regularly.

When cooked, take the ham out of the oven and spread the glaze paste over the surface of the ham. Apply the paste with a brush, making sure it gets into the grooves cut in the fat. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C (gas 6) and return the ham to the oven.

Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, until the surface caramelizes. For a bigger ham, this operation can take up to 45 minutes.

When cooked, the ham fat is caramelized and crispy.

Take the ham out of the oven.

The Christmas ham is ready. Take the ham out of the roasting tray and serve the ham on a chopping board, ready to slice with a ham knife. The juice at the bottom of the tray can be skimmed and served on the side. Bon appétit!