Gammon help please
Discussion
Just taken delivery of my Gammon for Christmas (also having Turkey but the family do love gammon)
I have always just roasted it and then covered with honey and djon mustard. Is this the correct way or should I soak it first. I have also been told to roast it, remove the fat and then score and paste with honey/mustard mix. Can anyone please clarify the best way to cook gammon.
Cheers and a Happy Christmas to you all
steve
I have always just roasted it and then covered with honey and djon mustard. Is this the correct way or should I soak it first. I have also been told to roast it, remove the fat and then score and paste with honey/mustard mix. Can anyone please clarify the best way to cook gammon.
Cheers and a Happy Christmas to you all
steve
The favourite way is to slowly simmer it first in a mixture of pepper corns , a few cloves , half an onion and some garlic cloves 1 bay leaf. Cooking times obvioulsy depends on the weight but a normal size joint I would say around 1 hour 15 minutes. Dont over cook it, slowly is the key.
Then make a mix of Honey , orange juice Dijon mustard or wholegrain , you can replace honey with a dark brown sugar.
Remove most of the fat, diamond score it, studd the joint with cloves along the diamond pattern, then raost the joint at a medium heat regularly basting it with the glaze you have made. Once ready allow to cool and serve hot or cold, simple!!
Then make a mix of Honey , orange juice Dijon mustard or wholegrain , you can replace honey with a dark brown sugar.
Remove most of the fat, diamond score it, studd the joint with cloves along the diamond pattern, then raost the joint at a medium heat regularly basting it with the glaze you have made. Once ready allow to cool and serve hot or cold, simple!!
Edited by Watch-Collector on Sunday 21st December 12:25
Edited by Watch-Collector on Sunday 21st December 12:26
Whether you need to soak it first will depend on how it's been cured. It should say on the label, but most large joints will need a few hours soaking or overnight. Then throw away that water and as watch collector says simmer it (NOT boil!) before roasting with the aromatics mentioned.
If you boil it or simmer it too long, it will end up being dry once you've roasted it.
Glazes are usually some combination of mustard, sugar, marmalade etc. You can make your own up as you can't really go too far wrong with a glaze.
Remember to baste it regularly during roasting with the glaze.
Doing one tomorrow myself. Yum!
If you boil it or simmer it too long, it will end up being dry once you've roasted it.
Glazes are usually some combination of mustard, sugar, marmalade etc. You can make your own up as you can't really go too far wrong with a glaze.
Remember to baste it regularly during roasting with the glaze.
Doing one tomorrow myself. Yum!
This is the recipe I use. I can't remember where it came from originally but it has evolved over the years.
2kg Unsmoked gammon joint
Cooking ingredients:
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 carrot, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
1 litre apple juice
6 whole peppercorns
6 whole allspice berries
3 whole cloves
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
Glaze:
3 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 level tsp ground ginger
1. Soak the gammon overnight in cold water. Drain.
2. Place in a large pan, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Drain.
3. Rinse out the pan & put back the gammon with all the cooking ingredients. If the liquid doesn’t cover the joint, top up with water.
4. Bring to a simmer & cook for an hour. Turn off the heat and leave to cool, in the cooking liquid, for about 2 hours (longer doesn't hurt).
5. Remove the gammon, reserving the cooking liquid for use as a sauce and/or the base for a soup.
6. Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl & mix well.
7. Heat the oven to 200°C.
8. Cut the skin from the gammon with a sharp knife, leaving the fat in place. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern.
9. Put the gammon in an oven-proof dish and paint the glaze all over the gammon with a pastry brush.
10. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally.
11. Remove the lid and bake for a further 20 minutes.
12. Serve hot, with some of the cooking liquid thickened as a sauce or leave to cool completely.
2kg Unsmoked gammon joint
Cooking ingredients:
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
2 garlic cloves, halved
1 carrot, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
1 litre apple juice
6 whole peppercorns
6 whole allspice berries
3 whole cloves
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
Glaze:
3 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp orange juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 level tsp ground ginger
1. Soak the gammon overnight in cold water. Drain.
2. Place in a large pan, cover with fresh water and bring to the boil. Drain.
3. Rinse out the pan & put back the gammon with all the cooking ingredients. If the liquid doesn’t cover the joint, top up with water.
4. Bring to a simmer & cook for an hour. Turn off the heat and leave to cool, in the cooking liquid, for about 2 hours (longer doesn't hurt).
5. Remove the gammon, reserving the cooking liquid for use as a sauce and/or the base for a soup.
6. Combine the glaze ingredients in a small bowl & mix well.
7. Heat the oven to 200°C.
8. Cut the skin from the gammon with a sharp knife, leaving the fat in place. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern.
9. Put the gammon in an oven-proof dish and paint the glaze all over the gammon with a pastry brush.
10. Cover the dish and bake for 30 minutes, basting occasionally.
11. Remove the lid and bake for a further 20 minutes.
12. Serve hot, with some of the cooking liquid thickened as a sauce or leave to cool completely.
Edited by mrsshpub on Sunday 21st December 14:56
I never soak my gammons (ooer, that sounds a bit rude!) as I quite like them salty, actually I've never found them "that" salty after an hour or so being simmered in liquid anyway.
I often do mine a la Nigella Lawson, simmered for an hour per kg with bay leaves, onion, peppercorns & coriander seeds, the magic ingredient being a large bottle of Coca Cola (has to be full fat). I then trim the fat down to a thin layer, criss-cross it with a knive and whack it in a hot oven with the traditional mustard/treacle/honey/brown sugar glaze. I usually leave out studding with cloves as I usually end up eating at least one and they give me the heebies.
If I'm not eating the ham with Xmas dinner, I usually have it with cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, and what's left over in the pot from the simmering bit is an amazingly tasty, sweet/salt liquor that I usually use a bit reduce it down to make a sauce/gravy thing.
I usually try and get a Gammon joint of 1-2kg which feeds the family for a meal and you get enough for sandwiches for the coming week. The best ham I find is from the farmer's market, dry cured, free range/organic etc, which has a great texture. The big joints you get in the supermarket I find tend to come out a bit plasticky. But they are about half the price compared to farm supplied.
I often do mine a la Nigella Lawson, simmered for an hour per kg with bay leaves, onion, peppercorns & coriander seeds, the magic ingredient being a large bottle of Coca Cola (has to be full fat). I then trim the fat down to a thin layer, criss-cross it with a knive and whack it in a hot oven with the traditional mustard/treacle/honey/brown sugar glaze. I usually leave out studding with cloves as I usually end up eating at least one and they give me the heebies.
If I'm not eating the ham with Xmas dinner, I usually have it with cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes, and what's left over in the pot from the simmering bit is an amazingly tasty, sweet/salt liquor that I usually use a bit reduce it down to make a sauce/gravy thing.
I usually try and get a Gammon joint of 1-2kg which feeds the family for a meal and you get enough for sandwiches for the coming week. The best ham I find is from the farmer's market, dry cured, free range/organic etc, which has a great texture. The big joints you get in the supermarket I find tend to come out a bit plasticky. But they are about half the price compared to farm supplied.
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