By Maggie Beer

Serving size: Serves 10 or more
Cooking time: Less than 60 minutes
Course: Lunch, Main
Favourite flavours: Pork

Maggie Beer cooked this delicious recipe on The Australian Women's Weekly's Christmas TV special.

INGREDIENTS

7 kg traditionally smoked leg of ham
whole cloves, to decorate
100g quince paste
100mls verjuice
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup water

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 250°C.

2. Cut through rind of ham 10 cm from shank end of the leg.

3. To remove the rind, run thumb around edge of rind just under skin. Start pulling the rind from the widest edge of ham; continue to pull the rind carefully away from the fat up to the shank end. Remove the rind completely (keep aside)

4. Score across the fat at about 4 cm intervals cutting lightly through the surface of the fat in a diamond pattern being careful not to cut through to the meat. Decorate the centre of each diamond with a clove. Cover shank end with foil.

5. Carefully melt the quince paste with verjuice in a saucepan on low heat and add sugar to form a thick paste.

6. Place ham on an oiled wire rack that rests in baking dish. Pour water in base of pan. Brush the ham all over with half of the glaze and place uncovered in oven till it begins to caramelise (approximately 20 minutes).

7. Remove from the oven quickly, reduce the temperature to 200°C and brush with the remaining amount of the quince glaze and return to oven until beautifully caramelised all over (approximately 20-30 minutes)

Cook's note: The reserved ham rind can be used to cover cut surface of ham to keep it moist during storage.

To store ham on the bone, wrap it loosely in a clean tea towel, ham bag or pillowcase which has been rinsed in water and wrung out tightly. Change the tea towel every day and the ham will keep well. Store ham in the refrigerator.

Ham will keep for about 2 weeks after opening or can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Hams taste more salty and less smoky after freezing.