Caribbean Christmas Ham and Chow Chow Recipes

Christmas Day was always my favourite because having ham was a must for breakfast.  The smell of ham on Christmas Eve gave you that reminder that Christmas was just one sleep away.  In every pork eating home in the Caribbean, it was a must to have Christmas Ham.  When I was old enough to help my mom in the kitchen, I was given the opportunity to bake the Christmas Ham.  Sticking cloves in the Ham was tedious to do yet fun at the same time.

The other favourite part to ham was having chow chow.  It is not well known in St. Vincent but it is a must to have in Trinidad.  It is a cross between relish and pickles and is really nice to put on the slices of ham.  I grew up in St. Vincent so we did not have chow chow; however, when I moved back to Trinidad, every Christmas dinner or event that was serving ham had this tasty dressing on the table for all the chow chow lovers.

I found a nice recipe on www.caribbeanpot.com for making both the Christmas Ham and Chow Chow recipe for anyone wishing to try out how to bake this Christmas masterpiece.




 You’ll Need…
Ham (smoked/bone in) * about 8lbs
5 sprigs thyme
8 cloves
2 scallions
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Glaze…
1 cup pineapple juice
1 table spoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon orange marmalade
1/2 cup brown sugar (golden)
2 table spoon honey
pinch of cinnamon

Dressing the ham when glazing…

5-8 slices of pineapple
10-15 cloves
tooth picks for securing the pineapple slices
Note: If using a shoulder ham with a fat cap on the top, be sure to place that side up when roasting. As the fat melt it will keep the ham nice and juicy.

If  ham is encased in a cloth mesh be sure to leave it on at this point, but it mus be removed before getting it in the oven. Give the ham a rinse (smoked leg are better preference), then place it in a deep pot. Cover with water, add the scallions, cloves and fresh thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle boil and cook for about 30 minutes. This will help remove some of the smoky impurities and infuse it with the herbal notes.

Drain and get ready to finish cooking in the oven. Set your oven to 350F, use the lower rack. Remove the cloth mesh if ham is covered in one, then wrap the entire ham in tin foil and place in a roasting tray. On average you’ll need to cook for 20 minutes per pound.

*A good way to cook ham is to use a roasting pan with a rack, so you can add a couple cups of water to the pan without the ham sitting directly in it. If you find that the water dries out before it’s fully cooked, do add a cup or 2 more. This will help keep the ham moist.

While waiting on ham to roast evenly, prepare the glaze. In a sauce pan add all the ingredients mentioned above, bring it to a boil then simmer for about 5 minutes. Remember to whisk it so the sugar melts and everything is blended.

When you ham is fully cooked (use the 20 minutes per pound guide), it’s time to dress it up and start the glazing process. Trim off the skin and most of the fat (a little good), then stick in the cloves in a pattern evenly. Attach slices of the pineapple with the toothpicks and hit it a good dose of the glaze (I used a brush). Then place back in the oven for 10 minutes.

Repeat the glaze a couple more times.. brush and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Ham will start to get a lovely shiny finish, the slices of the ham will start to get lovely caramelized on the edges whilst at the same time giving the kitchen a lovely aroma. Remember to brush on the glaze evenly. For additional color use broiler (about 450 – 500 F)  and allow the ham to sit in there for about 5 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on it as the high heat can burn it very fast.

* You’re free to add as many layers of glaze as you like. 

Allow the ham to rest (cover in tin foil) before slicing. I assure you this will be the best ham you’ve ever had or serve… 

Recipe adapted from: www.caribbeanpot.com 

Chow Chow Recipe

This recipe was adapted from Caribbeanpot.com.  We thank them for their step by step instruction on how to make Chow Chow.

You’ll Need…

I cup carrot
1 cup cauliflower
1 cup green beans *
2 cups sweet peppers (bell peppers..red and green)
1 cup onion *
1 cup zucchini *
6 pimento peppers (aka seasoning peppers)
15 cloves
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons turmeric*
3 1/2 cups vinegar
3 tablespoon mustard
2 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon grated ginger

Notes: You’ll need salt and water to form a brine for soaking the vegetables overnight. I used green beans, but traditionally bodi or yard beans are used. Typically a cooking onion would work, but I used a white/sweet onion. The zucchini is not traditional to this recipe, but as I opened the fridge this morning… it started screaming “me! me! me!” so in the pot it went.Turmeric is what we call sorfran in Trinidad and Tobago. If you can’t source the pimento peppers, opt for any pepper with flavor and not heat.

The first step is to dice the vegetables into tiny pieces and soak them overnight in a simple brine. Please try to cut all the vegetables the same size.

Then place all the chopped vegetables in a large bowl, add the salt (about 1 heaping tablespoon) and cover with water. Be sure to mix well so the salt dissolves and store overnight.

The next day it’s time to put this chow chow recipe together. In a large pot, place the vinegar, turmeric, sugar, mustard, ginger, cloves and corn starch, whisk as you bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Do remember to keep whisking.

Now strain this liquid to remove the cloves and any lumps and return back to the pot on medium heat. Drain the vegetables and add to the pot.

Give everything a good stir and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a rolling boil/simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes of until it thickens up like a relish.

Do remember to stir every few minutes so everything gets incorporated well with each other for that perfectly blended chow chow. It will thicken up further as it cools, so try to keep that in mind. Store in clean glass bottles in the fridge or preserve (store in sterilize glass containers while hot) as you would normally do with summer fruits.

Recipes and photos adapted from www.caribbeanpot.com for both recipes.