Buy an Australian ham for Christmas
Anyone who doesn't know how much we need to support our struggling farmers has been living in a bubble.
Drought, fires, poor farm gate prices, financially -stretched consumers and cheaper, but usually substandard, overseas imports have hit our agricultural producers hard.
So how about helping out an Australian pig farmer this Christmas.
If it's on the bone, then it's one of our own.
- Mitch Edwards Australian Pork Limited
The greatest gift you can give an Aussie pork producer this year is to make sure you buy Australian.
The sad fact is that the majority of ham sold in this country is made from imported pork.
Mitch Edwards from Australian Pork Limited said Christmas and ham went hand in hand and there were some simple tips to ensure the ham on your Christmas table was 100 per cent Australian pork.
"When it comes to ham, if it's on the bone, then it's one of our own," said Mr Edwards.
"However if you're buying a boneless ham, look for an almost full bar chart on the packaging to make sure you ham is made from 100 per cent Australian pork.
Look for an almost full bar chart.
Australia's labelling laws have changed to make it easier to identify if food is imported. This is called country of origin labelling and is overseen by the government.
The green and gold kangaroo only indicates that a product has been made in Australia. The product can contain imported pork and still use this image on the label.
With these labels, it is necessary to look closely at the bar chart and number in the written statement - for ham and bacon made from Australian pork the bar chart should be almost full.
Unfortunately, in Australia you'll be unlikely to find ham and bacon made from 100 per cent Australian ingredients. That's because the brines and salts that are used to make ham and bacon are not produced in Australia. So remember, look for an almost full bar.
The written statement should have a percentage of over 60 per cent. Anything that is made from less than 60 per cent Australian ingredients most likely means the product is made with imported pork.
The PorkMark is a registered pink square logo that guarantees the pork is 100 per cent Australian. Any company using this logo has signed an agreement with Australian Pork Limited to only use the logo on 100 per cent Australian pork products.
Any fresh, raw pork sold in Australia is proudly 100 per cent Australian pork.
So buy an Australian ham and try this recipe for a delicious glaze courtesy of Australian Pork
Burnt honey, whisky & orange glazed ham
Support our farmers, buy an Aussie ham - plus a great glaze recipe
Ingredients
- 1 x 8-10 kg ham leg, rind removed
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup Scotch whisky
Method
- To make the glaze, place honey into a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes (the mixture will bubble so keep an eye on it while it is on the heat) or until deep golden. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar, orange juice and whisky. Return to heat and simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 45 minutes or until syrupy.
- Preheat oven to 180C fan-forced. Using a sharp knife or Stanley knife, score the ham fat (not the flesh) lengthways in 2cm intervals. Wrap the hock in foil (this prevents it from burning).
- Place ham on a greased rack in a large baking dish lined with foil (see tip in'General Information' tab).
- Brush the ham fat a few times to evenly coat with glaze. Bake for 50 minutes, brushing with remaining glaze occasionally, or until ham is golden and caramelised.
- Slice and serve warm or cold with mustard and ham jam.
Tips:
For ease, use a large disposable foil roasting pan and place on a large baking tray.
For some ham carving advice and more delicious recipes visit the Australian Pork website or watch the video below:
- Read more: Recipe: Gingerbread biscuits
- Read more: Recipe: Nectarine Honeycomb Ice-cream
EW
Eileen Wood
Senior Journalist
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
I'm a senior news journalist at The Senior newspaper, the leading publication bringing targeted news on issues affecting older Australians. We cover NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, SA and WA. If you have a story idea I would love to hear it. You can email me: eileen.wood@thesenior.com.au or phone The Senior 02-4355-5000, mob. 0487 495 805
