The marinade is a borderline between brine and flavor essence. It is a traditional combination of salt, herbs and aromatic spices. The addition of mustard and honey enhances the flavor and creates a wonderfully caramelized crust on the ham. The mustard base gives the meat a subtle acidity, and natural sugars from honey give the roast a golden, crispy coating.
The addition of garlic, marjoram and herbs emphasizes the characteristic, home-made aroma. In my marinade for baked ham, I replace some of the honey with maple syrup. Thanks to this, the meat acquires a delicate sweetness and warm color. To achieve full success, I soak the ham in brine beforehand. However, you can skip this step if you have people in your family who avoid salt.
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The longer the meat is marinated, the better the final result will be. Therefore, start preparing the baked ham the day before so that it spends the night in an aromatic herbal mixture. If you have time, you can soak the meat in brine for 24 hours before marinating.
Ingredients for 1.5 kg of ham:
Brine (optional):
- 1.5 liters of cold water;
- 4 tablespoons of salt;
- 4 bay leaves;
- 6 grains of allspice;
- 8 cloves;
- 20 peppercorns.
You can marinate the ham in brine for 24-48 hours, the meat will be juicier.
Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons of mustard (coarse-grained or Dijon);
- 1 tablespoon of honey;
- 3-4 cloves of garlic (pressed through a press);
- 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil;
- 1 teaspoon of marjoram (or rosemary/thyme);
- Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste.
Preparation:
Dry the ham with a paper towel and mix the marinade ingredients into a smooth paste.
Rub the meat thoroughly on all sides, you can also make shallow cuts to allow the spices to penetrate better.
Place the meat in an ovenproof dish or bag, cover and chill for at least 6-12 hours (preferably overnight).
Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Place the ham in a dish (you can bake it in a sleeve or cover it for the first hour).
Bake for about 1 hour – 1 hour 30 minutes, until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 70 – 75 °C. Leave for another 10-15 minutes out of the oven until the juices stabilize.
Ham tastes delicious both hot as a dinner dish and cold. It is then a perfect addition to sandwiches. You can thicken the remaining baking sauce with a little flour or cream and serve it as an aromatic meat sauce.
