This ham has been my New Year’s feature every year since 2016. I based it on a Scottish cocktail of the same name - The Firecracker - which combines Irn Bru (Scottish soda) with Scotch whisky and ginger ale. You may be familiar with the idea of cooking ham in Coca-Cola and other sweet soda pops, but Irn Bru adds sweetness and a fiercely redheaded varnish to the meat. Once the ham is simmered to remove some of its salt-cure, the fat is shaved off and brushed with a sticky, spicy glaze of mustard and ginger that’s welded on in a oven. Just as it’s served, a warm trickle of Scottish whiskey is poured over the top and set alight with a match. A riveting watch. Plenty of excitement and a spectacle for New Year’s. Let’s go!
