Dining In 1 minute 24 December 2016

Smoked Honey Baked Ham Recipe from Chef Joshua Brown of Cut

Here's how an American chef celebrates Christmas.

Turkey might be a Christmas dinner essential but for some families, ham takes centre stage.That certainly rings true for chef Joshua Brown of one-Michelin-starred restaurant Cut.

“My mom would usually prepare a smoked honey baked ham [and] she always made fudge which was one of my favorite things to help her make for Christmas,” says the American chef.

It’s the season of warmth and family gatherings and one of chef Joshua’s fondest memories was going to his grandmother’s house.

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Chef Joshua Brown from Cut
Chef Joshua Brown from Cut
“The night before Christmas we would drive around passing out all the cookies and fudge my mom had made to family and friends,” he says. “Our last stop was always my Grandma Dee’s house where we would meet up with our cousins and open our gifts from here. I looked forward to going to her house – she always had a really nice Christmas tree and the whole house was lit up with lights.”

While our houses here certainly aren’t as large as those in the US, that feeling of warmth and family can at least be recreated in the kitchen. Here, chef Joshua Brown shares his mum's recipe for smoked honey baked ham. 

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Ingredients
Raw ham leg (cold-smoked if possible)
4 cups honey
1 cup maple sugar
3 cups maple syrup
½ cup sherry vinegar
Pineapple rings
Cloves

Steps
1. Unwrap the ham and place it overnight in the refrigerator to dry the outside
2. Cook slowly at 150 degrees for about 5 hours or until it reaches 68 degrees internally.
3. Collect the ham’s drippings as it cooks.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. Mix honey, maple syrup and maple sugar in a pan and heat until the sugar dissolved.
5. Add the sherry vinegar and ham drippings.
6. Place pineapple rings in oven to roast.
7. In the last hour, baste the ham with the glaze and stud it with cloves.
8. To serve, place it on a large serving dish and garnish with roasted pineapple rings.

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