Moloney Family Chrismas Ham Recipe From Doolin Inn

Passed down from generation to generation, from father to son for more than a 100 years, this recipe is taken out every Christmas by the Moloney family at Doolin Inn. The Christmas Ham has been a tradition throughout the years and its signature smell in the Moloney household is a sign that Christmas has arrived.

We always cook it on the 23rd of December to let the flavours infuse so it would be perfect for the Christmas dinner of Turkey and Ham with all the trimmings. But the best was always the Christmas Eve late night snack of a thick ham slice between two slices of freshly baked bread accompanied by a generous licking of butter and mustard – Anthony Moloney, Doolin Inn

Ingredients:

1 x Smoked leg of ham on the bone, skin on.
2 x litres of dry strong cider
1 x onion
2 x carrots
3 x Bay leaf
Cloves
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Honey
Bread Crumbs
Toothpicks
1/2 cup of Colman’s mustard (preferably made from the powder)
2 x tins of pineapple rings (or fresh if you prefer but the sweetness of the tinned pineapple absorb the ham’s flavours better and are a real treat.)
A good glass of whiskey – we always used Paddy (guess it goes with the family name down the generations – Anthony Patrick / Patrick Anthony / Anthony Patrick as the generations go!)

Instructions:

1) In a large stock pot, place ham in cold water and set for two days, changing the water every 12 -18 hours. This helps remove a lot of saltiness from the ham.
2) Drain water and fill with 2 litres of cider, add onion (skin off and whole), add 6-8 cloves to the ham (studded), 2 carrots, and bay leaves. Fill the stock pot with water to cover the ham by an inch.
3) Bring to the boil and let simmer (skim off any impurities that rise to the top) (20 mins a pound or until the small bone in the knuckle twists without effort, normally 5-6hours).
4) Remove ham from liquor and let cool slightly (20 minutes).
5) Remove skin exposing lovely white fatty flesh – if any excess fat, trim a little but do leave a coating of fat on the meat.
6) When it cools a little more, drizzle over whiskey, and butter ham with mustard, and drizzle with honey.
7) Coat the ham with breadcrumbs and decorate with pineapple rings studded with 4-6 cloves each, using the toothpicks to fix to ham.
8) Gently drizzle more whiskey over the ham, especially the pineapple rings.
9) Sprinkle with brown sugar, this will give a little crust and a lovely browning to the crust.
10) Place in a moderately heated oven at 160 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Tip! To reheat, slice, place on a tray with a splash of cold water and cover with tin foil and gently bring back to temperature in a warm oven.