Slow Cooker Ham For Christmas: Incredibly Simple And Easy With Vitaclay

Recipe courtesy of Ciara from myfussyeater.com

Let’s make life as easy as possible this Christmas season. Cooking Christmas Ham or Gammon in your slow cooker has never been easy with this recipe. Kick it up with a little spice and serve it with salad for a complete set of Christmas dinner centerpiece. You can cook this the day before Christmas; let it cool and keep it on your fridge overnight. Simply whack on the glaze and warm it up in the oven when the big day arrives! Enjoy this easy slow cooker ham recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

• For the ham:
• 4.4-5.5 pounds gammon
• 1 or 2 white onions
• 1 liter / 4 cups apple juice
• 10 black peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 star anise
• 2 bay leaves

• For the salad:
• 1 red cabbage
• 2 red apples
• 2 small carrots
• 3 spring onions
• seeds from 1/2 pomegranate
• 3 tbsp cider vinegar
• 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley to garnish

• For the ham glaze:
• handful of whole cloves
• 4 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp sugar (or coconut sugar, brown sugar)
• 1/2 tsp all spice

 INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Ham: Cut onion in half and place both pieces on the bottom your slow cooker. Sit the gammon on top of the onions, fat side up (prevents it from sticking as it cooks). Pour in the apple juice and add the peppercorns, cloves, star anise and bay leaves. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on how crumbly you want your ham to be.
2. Salad: Chop the red cabbage, apples and spring onions into small pieces. Add the grated carrot and pomegranate seeds and mix well.
3. Dressing: Mix the cider vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper together in a lidded jar or bottle and shake well. Add the dressing to the salad just before serving.
4. Once ham is cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and rest it on a plate for a few minutes to allow the liquid to drain away.
5. Preheat oven to 220c and double line a baking tin with foil (don’t skip this as the honey glaze will burn into your baking tray and it’s a nightmare to get off!)
6. Transfer the ham to the lined tray. Remove the skin with a sharp knife leaving a layer of fat on top. Score the fat and stud it with whole cloves.
7. Glaze: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Pour half the glaze onto the fatty part of the ham, spreading it around until the top is fully covered.
8. Bake ham in the oven for 20-25 minutes, adding the remaining glaze half way through. Allow ham to rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.