Gammon dilemma

I’m cooking 2 fairly big pieces of unsmoked gammon tomorrow, both Waitrose higher welfare (I won’t buy any non U.K. pork or gammon, since it’s so often factory farmed) - they come with skin and a reasonable layer of fat.

About half an hour from the end of cooking time I strip off the skin, score the fat into diamonds, and add a glaze made from marmalade, brown sugar, English mustard and a very little allspice. Maybe a little fresh orange juice if it’s too thick. Then back in the oven for around 20 minutes.
Smells amazing while it’s cooking!

Half my family wouldn't eat gammon so I would cook a chicken as well, or grill a nice steak.

I am doing myself a smallish piece of gammon tomorrow as I love it cold, I buy smoked but soak it first, then roast it with honey and mustard powder over the top.

Witzend

I’m cooking 2 fairly big pieces of unsmoked gammon tomorrow, both Waitrose higher welfare (I won’t buy any non U.K. pork or gammon, since it’s so often factory farmed) - they come with skin and a reasonable layer of fat.

About half an hour from the end of cooking time I strip off the skin, score the fat into diamonds, and add a glaze made from marmalade, brown sugar, English mustard and a very little allspice. Maybe a little fresh orange juice if it’s too thick. Then back in the oven for around 20 minutes.
Smells amazing while it’s cooking!

Thanks for this- I am doing a ham for Boxing Day and haven't cooked one for years- this sounds really good although I don't have a Waitrose nearby I do have an M&S so maybe that would be just as good?

I googled slow cooker gammon and it suggested putting your joint on a trivet of onion, carrot and celery, then covering it with apple juice or cider. When I do mine, I cook it and then take it out and remove the fat layer (can’t abide fat) and smother the meat in a mixture of grainy mustard and maple syrup. Then roast it to caramelise the coating. Cover it with foil and leave it to rest so it slices better.

I pour a bottle of good red wine over my gammon and a few cloves and cook it very sowly in my slow cooker, once even overnight. The result was pulled gammon. Delicious, but not quite what I wanted, so now it is 3 or 4 hours.

I am an offhand slap-dash cook, but I have never had a problem with this way of cooking gammon. I start by bringing the gammon to boiling point in water and then pour water and scum away before pouring over the wine. The stock from the ham is then used to make gravy.

M0nica

I pour a bottle of good red wine over my gammon and a few cloves and cook it very sowly in my slow cooker, once even overnight. The result was pulled gammon. Delicious, but not quite what I wanted, so now it is 3 or 4 hours.

I am an offhand slap-dash cook, but I have never had a problem with this way of cooking gammon. I start by bringing the gammon to boiling point in water and then pour water and scum away before pouring over the wine. The stock from the ham is then used to make gravy.

Mine turned into pulled gammon last year, not what I wanted either M0nica.

Often I have par-boiled it, then sliced off the skin, criss-crossed the fat and slathered it in marmalade or a mixture of honey and mustard, wrapped most of it loosely in foil apart from the top and finish it off by roasting it in the oven.

Similar to Witzend.

Sometimes cook it in cider.

Oh dear the best made plans and it's tiresome for you . I don't like pork chops nor cola , but spare ribs cook well in cola !

I've cooked gammon much as Witzend describes in her recipe .
I like to serve it with cranberry sauce which is sweet and goes well with the tangy orange self sauce .
Buttery baked potatoes and salad go nicely with it ,but it's nice with the traditional Christmas vegetables.

Thanks for all your replies. Mine is a Waitrose Higher Welfare joint but it has almost no fat, & why I bought smoked I’ll never know! I’m thinking I could soak it for a few hours to obviate the need for boiling, but still have the issue of the glaze.
. @Moth62 - when you put it in the oven what temperature/Gas mark do you set? Gas 4?

Slow cooker smoked gammon for me and after I strip off the skin my glaze is whole grain mustard, honey and brown sugar. Lovely after 25 mins crisping in the oven!

A chef on TV this morning cooked his gammon in a mulled wine and dark chocolate glaze. It looked lovely.

Esmay

Oh dear the best made plans and it's tiresome for you . I don't like pork chops nor cola , but spare ribs cook well in cola !

I've cooked gammon much as Witzend describes in her recipe .
I like to serve it with cranberry sauce which is sweet and goes well with the tangy orange self sauce .
Buttery baked potatoes and salad go nicely with it ,but it's nice with the traditional Christmas vegetables.

Goodness, I've found someone else who doesn't like Cola!

It's also good for cleaning the loo, Esmay 😁

I par boil gammon, plain or smoked, and then drizzle with honey and wholegrain mustard before baking it. Superb! And makes a cheap cut look very posh.

Same as Witzend. Love the smell when its roasting. I serve with onion sauce, new potatoes or roast potatoes and christmas vegetables.

Turkey free zone here this year. Thank goodness.

Thank goodness for Gransnet!

Allira I do not like cola in any form.

Cooked a Lidl smoked gammon joint in Pepsi Max last week very tasty. I was wondering what to do with the rest of the Pepsi so thanks for the tip Allira 😀

I do a wonderful gammon in the slow cooker and oven. It can be found on the Taming Twins website and the whole family love it.

M0nica

Allira I do not like cola in any form.

Me, neither! Revolting stuff.

I cooked a big, unsmoked gammon yesterday, too big for my slow cooker.
First, I brought it to the boil in water with a good splash of vinegar. Then drained it, rinsed in cold water and patted it dry with paper towel.
I then coated it with a thick layer of orange marmalade with the skin still on and slashed into diamond shapes. I wrapped it tightly in foil and put in the fan oven on 140ºC for a little over 4 hours. (I took it out of the oven a couple of times and basted it thoroughly in the melted marmalade and its own juices.)

After 4 hours, I removed the foil, basted again and returned it to the oven at 170º for approximately another hour so the outside and the skin were golden brown. Then turned off the oven and left it there to rest for half an hour while I dealt with the veggies and apple& cider sauce.
It tasted sublime and we had delicious cold ham sandwiches for lunch today. What's left will be great with salads and jacket potatoes for the rest of the week.

Saving your post, Scribbles 😀

I always boil my gammon with onion , carrots, bay leaves and black pepper and finish off in the oven with a glaze , either honey , marmalade or treacle. I use the stock for ham and pea soup .

I don’t think anybody should be frantic about anything at Christmas!
Burn the turkey (forget to order one), get stotious on the Ginger Wine, find the dog has finished off the cheese- so what?
If you’re with those you love and love you that’s all that matters.

Frantic over a bit of dead pig?

Allira

Saving your post, Scribbles 😀

🙂 Enjoy!