Maple Glazed Ham
Cook Notes
BBQ Used: Kamado Joe Classic II
Cooking Method: Indirect
Fuel used: Kamado Joe Big Block Charcoal
Cooking Temperature: 160-170c
Accessories used: ETI ThermaQ Wifi
Ingredients
Raw Gammon from Hillstown Farm Shop
American mustard
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
For the Glaze
100ml Maple syrup
100g Soft light brown sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of allspice
Pinch of chilli powder
Method
To prepare the gammon, remove the rind if your butcher hasn't already done so. Try to leave as much of the fat cap in tack as this will render down throughout the cook and baste the ham. Score the fat cap in a diamond formation using a sharp knife. this serves 2 purposes - it will allow your seasonings to penetrate through the fat cap and get down to the meat but it will also give the glaze something to cling to when we apply it later.
Before seasoning the gammon, it's usually a good idea to tie the ham with some butchers twine to stop it falling out of shape when cooking. Tie the ham 2-3 times along it's length.
Rub the fat cap all over with some American mustard to act as a binder for your seasonings. I don't usually apply seasonings to the ends of the ham as I like to keep it for presentation. Mix the cinnamon and allspice together in a small bowl then season the fat cap with it. Apply a little sprinkling of sea salt and a good amount of fresh ground black pepper.
Fire up your BBQ and set it up for indirect cooking at a temperature of 160-170c, placing a drip pan below the cooking grate to stop any drippings making a mess of your BBQ. Place the ham onto the cooking grates directly over the drip pan and close the lid. Add a temperature probe to the middle of the gammon so you can monitor the internal temperature. This will let us know when the gammon is almost ready and time to apply the glaze. I used the ThermaQ WiFi from ETI for this cook so I could monitor it on my phone from anywhere in my house without losing signal.
While the ham is roasting, you can prepare your glaze. Add the maple syrup and sugar to a sauce pan over a low heat and gradually dissolve the sugar. Add the mustard, allspice and chilli powder and mix through the glaze to combine. I don't keep this glaze on the heat as there is so much sugar in it, there's a chance it could burn.
When the ham reaches 65c internal, start to mop the glaze over the top of the fat cap, allowing it to run down through all the cuts you made. As I mentioned, this glaze has a high sugar content so putting it on too early will cause it to burn and give the crust an acrid taste. Continue to baste the ham every few minutes until the internal temperature reaches 69c then lift it off and rest it for 20 minutes before slicing up and serving.
