Tony “Tinsel” Taylor’s Rum and Pineapple Ham

Our CEO tells us his favourite Christmas recipe

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Ingredients for the Ham:

1 ham on the bone (about 7 kgs)
Cloves (about 25 or so)
Ground cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon)
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 and 1/2 cup of dark spiced rum (eg. Sailor Jerry)
3 and ½ cups of fresh pineapple juice
1 Cup of brown sugar
Nutmeg

Ingredients for the Pineapple Relish:

1 small pineapple – half cut into 1cm pieces; other half cut into slices
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 long red chilli – deseeded and chopped finely
1 lime – finely grate the rind, then juice the lime

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C/160C fan forced & line a large baking tray with baking paper
2. Place the sugar, ½ cup of the pineapple juice, ¼ cup of the rum, vinegar, cinnamon, 8 cloves in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil & simmer until syrupy (about 6 minutes usually). Transfer to a cup and let cool & thicken. Reserve a tablespoon for or so for use in the relish.
3. Reserve the remaining 1 ¼ cup of rum & 3 cups of pineapple juice in a small pitcher.
4. Gently lift the rind off the ham in one piece (get your fingers in under the rind and slowly manoeuvre it off) and then score the ham in 1cm lines diagonally and add another 15 cloves or so at various intersections.
5. Place ham in baking tray with a cup of water and pour 2/3’rds of the glaze over the ham. Brush evenly and cook for 1 and ½ hours glazing twice until golden brown. Once golden brown, set aside under foil for about 30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, prepare the relish by combine 1cm pieces, red onion, chilli, lime rind and juice and reserved tablespoon of glaze in a bowl. Toss to combine. If it tastes terrible, toss it again … in the bin! … but it won’t, guaranteed!
7. Transfer ham to a platter a, carve and serve with the pineapple relish.

…. and while it is cooking, you take the reserved spiced rum and pineapple juice, top with a cup of soda water, pour into highball glasses with a large ice cube, add the nutmeg and garnish with the pineapple slices … and drink the pitcher in the sun whilst occasionally returning to the kitchen to baste the ham!

And that is Tony’s rum and pineapple ham!

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