Growing up, we always just had a cold ham at Christmas, but since marrying my husband, who’s mum does an incredible glazed ham, I’ve realised that I’ve been missing out! Baking the ham with a glaze causes the fat to render down so you get this beautiful sticky outer and lovely warm ham on the inside.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Here’s everything you will need to make this beautiful Spiced Whiskey & Apricot Glazed Ham. I found all of the simple ingredients at my local grocery store and bottle shop. I’ve listed the ingredients for you as well as any possible ingredient substitutions and notes. The full recipe is in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- apricots – rather than using apricot preserves or apricot jam for this recipe, we use fresh apricots with the skins removed and roughly chopped, then cooked down with the other ingredients to create a beautiful flavour filled glaze. Apricots can be swapped for another stone fruit like peaches or nectarines (just use the same weight as in the recipe).
- whiskey – you can use whiskey or bourbon in this recipe. The alcohol is cooked out of the glaze as it simmers, however if you wish to make this alcohol free then you can swap the alcohol for the same amount of orange juice.
- pure maple syrup – I always recommend using pure maple syrup and not maple flavoured syrup as it is much healthier for you but also works the best in this recipe.
- brown sugar – brown sugar can be swapped for coconut sugar or rapadura sugar. It might seem like a lot of sugar but because it is spread over such a large surface, it ends up being the perfect level of sweetness.
- spices – a cinnamon quill and star anise are added to the apricots and liquid and infuses flavour as it cooks.
- whole cloves – whole cloves are inserted into the ham before being glazed, which not only looks beautiful but infuses flavour into the ham as it cooks as well. Remove the whole cloves before eating.
- leg ham – for this recipe I’ve used a full 7kg/16.5 lb leg ham. There was some leftover glaze with this size so if your ham is a bit bigger or smaller it’s not a problem.
For Decoration
If you’re making this baked ham for a special occasion then it looks really beautiful when decorated. I’ve arranged some linen around the ham joint, which I tied on with some green ribbon. You could also tie rosemary sprigs into the bow.
Equipment You Will Need
Here is the equipment that you will need to make this apricot glazed ham recipe:
- extra large roaster – here is the one that I used and it fit the 7kg ham in it perfectly. If you don’t have a large roaster you could also use a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- large chopping board – you will need quite a large chopping board, this one is my favourite.
- sharp knife
- medium saucepan
- measuring cups and spoons
- basting brush
How to Make Spiced Whiskey Apricot Glazed Ham
First preheat the oven to 180°C/356°F (conventional). If you’re using a fan forced oven preheat to 160°C/320°F.
Make the Apricot Glaze
Start by making the glaze. To peel the apricots, half fill a large bowl with water and ice and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, carefully lower the apricots into the water. You might wish to do this in batches. Boil the apricots for one minute and then transfer to the iced water. You can now peel off the skins more easily.
Once peeled, roughly cut up the apricots and remove the seeds. Add the apricot flesh to a medium saucepan along with the whiskey, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon and star anise. Turn to a medium heat and stir occasionally as the mixture simmers. If it starts to stick then reduce the heat. Once all of the apricots are completely broken down and the sauce is thick and glossy, turn off the heat.
Prepare the Ham
To prepare the ham, use a sharp knife to cut a slice above the joint and then run the knife along the edges of the skin, right around the entire leg of ham. Use one hand to peel back the skin as you use the fingers of your other hand to seperate the skin from the fat, leaving the fat on the leg of ham. Discard of the skin.
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Use a sharp knife to score the fat with lines running in perpendicular lines to create diamonds. Insert a clove into the centre of each diamond. Place a sheet of aluminium foil over the joint.
Glaze the Ham
Place the ham into roasting pan. Spoon about one third of the glaze onto the ham and brush across the whole surface of the ham with a basting brush. Place the pan into the oven and roast for one hour. Remove the ham from the oven every 20 minutes the remaining two thirds of the glaze. Because the ham is already cooked, you don’t have to worry about checking the internal temperature.
Once baked, remove from the oven and let the ham rest for 5 minutes or so before transferring to a large dish. To present the ham, wrap a piece of fabric around the joint and tie up with a ribbon. You can slice the ham before serving or slice the ham at the table.
Storage
If keeping the ham on the bone, place the ham inside of a ham bag that has been soaked in vinegar and water and place into the refrigerator. You will need to refresh the ham bag every few days.
Alternatively, slice up all of the leftover ham and divide between airtight containers or freezer bags, label and freeze for up to 6 months. Use the sliced ham leftovers for ham sandwiches, wraps
If you have remaining glaze, keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend when spooning onto the ham, don’t cross contaminate the remaining glaze with the ham as then you can use it to serve in a small bowl on cheese platters – yum! Or serve the additional glaze on the table with the ham for anyone who might want extras, because who doesn’t love even more delicious apricot glaze!
Make sure you save the ham hock for soups! Place the ham hock in a freezer bag or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 6 months. Use the ham hock to make stocks for soup.
What to Serve With Apricot Glazed Ham
A glazed ham is such a family favorite for Christmas dinner or lunch. If you need help with deciding what to serve it with then don’t worry! I have loads of salads and side dishes to go with your ham. And a few desserts thrown in there for good measure.
Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad Recipe
Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad with Lemon Dressing
Harissa Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic Tahini Yoghurt
Maple Roasted Dutch Carrots
Gluten Free Sticky Date Pudding
Dairy Free Rice Pudding with Chocolate Sauce
Gluten Free Chocolate Tart Without Eggs – Vegan
Spiced Whiskey and Apricot Glazed Ham
Equipment
- Large roasting pan
- Large chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Medium saucepan
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
- 650 grams ripe apricots
- ½ cup whiskey
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon quill
- 2 star anise
- Whole cloves, to decorate
- Rosemary sprigs, to decorate
- 7 kg leg of ham, bone in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F (conventional).
- Half fill a medium sized saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Lower the apricots into the water carefully with a pasta scoop and boil for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of icy water. Depending on the size of your pot, you may need to do this in 2-3 separate batches. Use a sharp knife to carefully peel back the skin from the apricots. Cut up the apricots roughly to remove the seeds and discard of the seeds.
- Transfer the peeled and roughly chopped apricots to a saucepan along with the whiskey, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon and star anise. Turn to a medium heat and simmer for 25 minutes or until the apricots have broken down and apricot glaze has thickened, stirring throughout to help break up the apricots. Discard of the cinnamon quill and star anise.
- While the glaze simmers, prepare the ham leg. Use a sharp knife slice just above the ham hock and along the edges of the rind between the rind and the fat, leaving as much fat on the ham as possible. Use your hands to carefully peel back the rind, running your fingers between the rind and the fat. Discard of the rind. Slice the fat in lines about 1cm apart across the whole surface of the ham. Insert a clove into each diamond. Lay a piece of baking paper over a piece of aluminium foil the same size. Wrap the foil and baking paper around the ham hock with the baking paper side between the ham and the foil. Place the ham onto a wire rack placed inside a roasting pan.
- Brush half of the glaze onto the ham and reserve the remaining half of the glaze. Place the ham into the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. At 20 minutes brush more glaze onto the ham and return to the oven for another 20 minutes. Repeat this process with the remaining glaze and return to the oven for another 20 minutes, so that the ham cooks for a total of 1 hour.
- Remove the ham from the oven. To serve, remove the foil from the ham hock and replace with a piece of cloth, fixed in place by tying a decorative ribbon or cooking twine around the cloth. Decorate with the rosemary sprigs if desired. Serve hot or cold.
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