Pineapple glazed ham

This recipe is so daggy, so 1970s Margaret Fulton, it’s cool again. Australians invented pineapple glazed ham and it has become a colossus in the pantheon of glazed ham cookery.

INGREDIENTS

Large (7-8kg) whole ham on the bone.

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

80ml (1/3 cup) maple syrup

Big pinch of salt

1 tsp powdered ginger

Canned pineapple slices in juice, drained, juice reserved (you might need up to five cans of pineapple)

Glace cherries to garnish

MAKE IT

Preheat oven to 180C. Place an oven shelf in the lowest position of the oven and remove the other shelves. Line a large roasting pan with non-stick baking paper.

Place the brown sugar, maple syrup, ginger powder and 125ml (1/2 cup) of reserved pineapple juice in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until sugar dissolves. Bring to a gentle simmer. Simmer for 6 minutes until reduced slightly.

Use a small sharp knife to cut around the shank of ham in a zig-zag pattern, about 10cm from end. Carefully run knife under rind around the edge of the ham and then, when you can get your hand in between the rind and the fat, gently leverage the skin away from the fat with sweeping gestures of your hand.

Now for the fun bit. Place a pineapple ring on one of the bottom edges of the ham. Place a glace cherry in the centre of pineapple and secure with a toothpick. Working upwards, continue to place pineapple rings and cherries over ham, slightly overlapping to cover. If the pineapple rings look like slipping off, secure them too with toothpicks.

Pour about 500ml water into the roasting pan and place the ham on a wire rack. Wrap exposed shank in foil. Brush over a third of the glaze. Bake for 40 minutes. Turn pan 180 degrees. Pour over half remaining glaze. Bake for 40 minutes until golden. Brush with remaining glaze. Set aside for 15 minutes to rest.