Every December 22nd, two or three people walk into the shop hoping we’ve got a Christmas ham left. Most years, we don’t. Here’s why — and how to lock yours in by November.
The smokehouse is the bottleneck
Our Christmas hams aren’t made in a factory, shipped from a warehouse, or pulled out of a mass-production fridge in late December. They’re cured for 7–14 days in our brine room, then slow-smoked over real Australian hardwood for 8–12 hours. Each batch fills our smokehouse to capacity.
We physically can’t make more than the smokehouse holds. The math is simple — smokehouse size + cure time + smoke time = the maximum hams we can produce in a season. There’s no “we’ll just make more” option.
Sizes go fast
The 4–5kg hams (perfect for a family of 6–8) are usually gone by mid-November. Bigger ones (6–8kg, for the extended-family-and-cousins crowd) hold on a bit longer but still go. By early December, we’re working with whatever’s left.
How to pre-order
From mid-October, our Christmas hams appear on the website. Browse smallgoods, find the ham you want (traditional or nitrite-free, whole, half, or boneless), pick your size, and order. We’ll set it aside with your name on it. Pickup window opens December 18–24.
Or phone the shop on (02) 4933 7541 if you want to chat through size for your crowd. Old-school works fine.
The two versions
Traditional — cured with food-grade nitrites, classic deep-pink colour, the way hams have been made for hundreds of years.
Nitrite-free — cured naturally with sea salt and time, slightly less pink but every bit as flavoursome. Half, whole, or boneless.
What if you’ve missed pre-orders?
Honestly — ring us. We sometimes have a small contingency that’s not on the website. We sometimes don’t. Worth a call before December 22nd, not on December 22nd.
How to glaze it (the Morpeth way)
1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup hot mustard, 1/4 cup orange juice, splash of bourbon. Score the rind in a diamond pattern, push a clove into each corner, brush glaze on. 160°C oven, 15 min per kg, basting every 20 min. Rest 20 min before carving.
Cold ham sandwiches the next day are arguably the best part of Christmas.
