Christmas Ham

Name: Christmas Ham
Cuisine: Trinidadian
Ingredients: 1 fully cooked bone-in smoked ham (8 to 10 lb / 3.6 to 4.5 kg); 30 whole cloves, approximately; 2 cups (480 ml) pineapple juice or water, for the pan; 1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar; ½ cup (120 ml) pineapple juice; 2 tbsp prepared mustard; 1 tsp Angostura aromatic bitters (optional); ½ tsp ground cloves; ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

A smoked ham studded with cloves and baked under a sticky glaze of brown sugar, pineapple and mustard. Sliced for ham and hops all season.

Trini Christmas

3 hr 10 min est.
Serves 20
Medium

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Trini

13 October 2026

The Christmas ham is the centre of the season’s table and its leftovers: sliced thin and tucked into warm hops bread with chow chow, it becomes ham and hops, the Christmas morning breakfast and the snack that keeps going until the new year.

This recipe uses a fully cooked smoked ham, the kind most people buy. It only needs heating through and glazing; the glaze goes on in the last part of the baking so the sugar doesn’t burn.

Check the label: a ham marked ‘cook before eating’ needs longer and a higher finished temperature, given in the notes.

The recipe

Christmas Ham

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 2 hr 30 min
Resting: 20 min
Total: 3 hr 10 min
Serves: 20

Times and quantities are our best estimates. This recipe is still being kitchen-tested, so trust your eyes and taste as you go.

Ingredients

Tick items off as you gather them.

For the ham

1 fully cooked bone-in smoked ham (8 to 10 lb / 3.6 to 4.5 kg)
30 whole cloves, approximately
2 cups (480 ml) pineapple juice or water, for the pan

For the glaze

1 cup (200 g) packed brown sugar
½ cup (120 ml) pineapple juice
2 tbsp prepared mustard
1 tsp Angostura aromatic bitters (optional)
½ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Method

Prepare the ham

Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Take the ham out of its packaging and pat dry.
If it has skin, cut it away, leaving a layer of fat. Score the fat in a diamond pattern about ¼ inch (5 mm) deep, and press a clove into the centre of each diamond.
Set the ham in a roasting pan, pour the 2 cups (480 ml) juice or water around it and cover loosely with foil.

Bake

Bake for about 15 minutes per pound (450 g), 2 to 2½ hours in all, until the centre reaches 140°F (60°C).

Glaze

While it bakes, simmer the glaze ingredients in a small pot for 5 minutes until syrupy.
For the last 45 minutes, remove the foil, turn the oven up to 375°F (190°C) and brush the ham with glaze every 15 minutes.
Let the ham rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Serve it with

Sliced thin in hops bread with chow chow and mustard
With pastelles, sorrel and ponche de crème on Christmas morning

Substitutions

Glaze: sorrel syrup or marmalade can replace the pineapple juice.
Boneless ham: bake for about 10 minutes per pound (450 g).

Storing and reheating

Wrap leftover ham well and refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze slices for up to 2 months.
Use the bone for split pea soup.

Cook's notes

A ham labelled 'cook before eating' must reach 145°F (63°C) and usually needs 18 to 20 minutes per pound (450 g).
Check the temperature in the thickest part, away from the bone.

https://trinbagorecipes.com/recipes/trinidad-christmas-ham/