Ingredients
1 cup ginger beer
3cm piece ginger, peeled, halved
2⁄ ³ cup lime marmalade
7-8kg leg ham
Cloves
Bunch of thyme for garnish, optional
Method
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Put ginger beer, ginger and marmalade in a saucepan over a medium heat and whisk until melted. Bring to the boil. Boil for about 10-12 minutes or until thickened slightly. Set aside to cool slightly and thicken.
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Preheat oven to 200°C. Make a zigzag cut around the shank of ham, about 8cm from the tapered end. Cut around rind at the widest end. Insert fingers under rind and start to rub across ham between rind and fat layer, peeling back rind until you reach shank. Remove rind and discard.
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Use a sharp knife to score fat in a diamond pattern. Pour a thin layer of water into the base of a large baking dish. Place ham on a rack in roasting dish. Brush half of the glaze over fat layer. Push a clove into the centre of each diamond. Cover shank end with foil.
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Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180°C. Brush with remaining glaze and continue to roast for a further 25-30 minutes or until golden.
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Stand for 15 minutes. Make a cover for the shank with baking paper and string, to make carving easier. To serve, transfer to a platter and garnish with thyme.
Tip
To store ham, dip a calico ham bag, clean fabric bag or pillowcase in a solution of 2 cups water and 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Squeeze out moisture, allow bag to dry then place ham in bag. In three days, remove ham, repeat dipping solution, return ham to damp bag and store for another four days. After this time, remove any ham from bone and freeze.
