Glazed Ham Hock Ballotine with Madeira and Clove

⏱ 330 min · Serves 6

Two slow-braised ham hocks, picked and rolled into a glossy ballotine, then lacquered with a sticky Madeira, clove and honey glaze. Sliced into thick rounds it's a proper show-stopper — deep, salty-sweet and burnished like mahogany, with all the comfort of a Sunday ham and the polish of a restaurant plate.

Per serving: 612 kcal · 48.0g protein · 19.0g carbs · 37.0g fat

Ingredients

• 2 smoked ham hocks (about 1.2kg each)
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 carrot, halved
• 2 celery sticks
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 250ml Madeira (Sercial or Verdelho)
• 3 tbsp runny honey
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 4 whole cloves, for the glaze
• 1 star anise
• 20g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Cling film and kitchen foil, for rolling

Method

1. Put the ham hocks in a large pot with the onion, carrot, celery, bay, peppercorns and 6 cloves. Cover generously with cold water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 3 hours, topping up with water if needed, until the meat pulls easily from the bone.
2. Lift the hocks out and leave until just cool enough to handle. Strain and reserve 500ml of the cooking liquor; discard the vegetables.
3. While still warm, pull off and discard the tough outer skin and any gristle. Pick the meat and the softer gelatinous fat into shreds in a bowl — warm meat binds far better than cold.
4. Mix the shredded ham with the parsley, both mustards and a good grind of pepper. Taste — it should be well seasoned but salty enough already, so hold back on extra salt.
5. Lay a double layer of cling film on the worktop. Pile the ham along the near edge in a log about 8cm thick and 24cm long. Roll up tightly, twisting the ends like a cracker to compress firmly into a neat cylinder. Wrap in a second layer, then chill at least 3 hours or overnight until completely firm.
6. For the glaze, simmer the Madeira, honey, sugar, vinegar, glaze cloves, star anise and 250ml of the reserved liquor in a small pan until reduced to a syrup that coats a spoon, about 12–15 minutes. Strain, then whisk in the cold butter off the heat.
7. Unwrap the ballotine and cut into 6 thick rounds, or leave whole for roasting. Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan over a medium-high heat and brown the ballotine (or slices) all over until crisp and golden, 4–5 minutes.
8. Transfer to a 200C/180C fan oven and roast for 10 minutes, brushing with the glaze every 3 minutes, until deeply lacquered and shiny.
9. Rest 5 minutes. Loosen the remaining glaze with a splash of the reserved liquor and spoon over. Serve with buttered greens and a silky celeriac or potato purée.