If you've ever wondered what the difference is between our Christmas hams and the ones at Coles - or why ours start arriving in the cabinet from October - here's the proper answer.
It starts with the leg
We start with whole pork legs from free-range Australian producers. No skipping straight to a re-formed product. The bone stays in for the traditional cuts; for our boneless versions we bone and tie ourselves.
The cure
Most supermarket hams are injected with a brine solution - pumped, basically, to add weight and speed up curing. They're ready in 24 hours. The result is wet, salty, and weeps liquid in the pan.
Ours are dry-cured or wet-cured the slow way. Salt, sugar, our own spice mix - rubbed in or floated in a brine bath, then left to sit for 7-14 days depending on the cut. The cure penetrates evenly. The meat firms up. Excess moisture leaves; flavour intensifies.
The smoke
After curing, we hang the hams in our smokehouse and slow-smoke over real Australian hardwood for 8-12 hours. Real wood, real smoke. You can taste it.
The two versions we do
Traditional - cured with food-grade nitrites for that classic pink colour and depth of flavour. Same way hams have been made for hundreds of years.
Nitrite-free - cured with sea salt, sugar and natural celery powder over a longer period. Slightly less pink, slightly more savoury, no nitrites added. Available in half, whole, or boneless.
Why pre-order
December is the busiest week of the year for us. We can only cure as many hams as the smokehouse holds at one time, and once the orders start landing, sizes go fast. Pre-ordering by mid-November secures your size and saves a stressful run on Christmas Eve.
How to glaze it (the Morpeth way)
Score the rind in a diamond pattern, push a clove into each corner. Mix 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup hot mustard, 1/4 cup orange juice, a splash of bourbon. Brush on. 160?C oven, 15 min per kg, basting every 20 minutes. Rest 20 min before carving.
Cold ham sandwiches the next day are arguably the best part of Christmas.
Pre-order your Christmas ham
Whole, half, traditional or nitrite-free. Pre-order before mid-November.
Order Christmas ham →
