RECIPE: Tequila Glazed Ham

Tequila is the ultimate celebratory drink, so why not celebrate Christmas with a tequila glazed ham! Tequila has a smoky flavour which goes perfectly with ham. This recipe also has chillies and agave syrup.

The chillies go perfectly with tequila. As the glaze get poured over the ham it turns the chillies into glacé – which are super delicious and far nicer than the glacé cherries that are often the traditional ingredient of choice.

The key ingredient in any glaze is sugar, which crystallizes and caramelizes on the ham. As a form of sugar in this recipe we use agave syrup – which is a natural sweetener from the agave cactus plant and is what tequila is made out of.

All of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process so it is fine for the whole family to enjoy, and enjoy it they will.

Ingredients (for every 1kg of ham):

• Ham pre-cooked 1kg
• Tequila 100ml
• Agave syrup (can easily be substituted for brown sugar) 200ml
• Chillies x4
• Apple cider vinegar 100ml
• Ginger 1 thumb
• Peaches (or any fruit of your choice) 500g
• Mustard seeds 1 tablespoon
• Coriander ground 1 tablespoon
• Chilli powder 1 tablespoon
• Garam masala 1 tablespoon
• Salt 1 teaspoon
• Cloves to garnish (optional)

Method:

Turn the oven on to 150°C fan bake to heat up. If you want to add cloves to garnish, score the ham diagonally both ways about two centimeters apart. Then stick cloves into the ham in a pattern of your desire.

Mix the tequila and agave syrup into a jug – remember to increase the recipe for every kilo of ham you have (although you don’t have to quite double it for every kilo).

In a blender add the chillies, ginger, cider vinegar and salt and blend until smooth. Then mix in with the tequila and agave syrup into the jug.

Slice peaces into quarters and add into a baking dish with the ham and lavishly pour over some of the glaze so the ham is completely covered. Put the ham and peaches into the oven.

Brush or spoon the glaze over the ham every 10 minutes for the 1.5 – 2 hours cooking time. This is extremely important!

After 1 hour take the ham out of the oven and pour as much of the cooking juices i.e. the glaze and peach juice into a pan. On high heat simmer the sauce down for about 7-8 minutes. You will know when it is done when the sauce starts bubbling furiously which is a sign that the agave syrup is caramelising. Once you notice the bubbles keep it on the heat for another few minutes to reduce and caramelise it further.

Add the caremlised glaze back into your jug and keep adding it to the ham every 10 minutes for the next 30-60 minutes. Also make sure you turn the peaches over when you take them out of the oven to make them moist.

Once the ham looks like it has a good glaze take it out of the oven to cool. Put peaches into a pan with a bit of the cooking juices i.e. the glaze. Put as much as you see fit to taste. The peaches should be sweet but not overwhelming. Add more cider vinegar to balace the sweetness.

Add the mustard seeds, coriander ground, garam masala and chilli powder into the peaches and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the peaches start to break down. Put into a jar and leave to cool.

All done. Tequila glazed ham for all of the family to enjoy!