Boiled bacon

[twing]

Morning all. I've been tasked with doing a boiled bacon joint for the MIL on Boxing day. Any suggestions? Can it be slow-cooked? I've searched for recipes but most seem to be for gammon. Thanks in advance.

[The Nur]

I know 2 people who microwave bacon, apart from that I can't be of much help sorry

[kiethton]

Spike bacon joint with cloves and rub with a little bit of honey.

Put in a pressure cooker with a few bay leaves and a boquet garnet onion etc (spelling?) - size dependent but until cooked through.

Remove and rest until cool, remove cloves and rub with more honey, place a few sliced oranges on top and put in oven @ gas mark 6 for about 30/40 mins...

Should all then be good

Edited by kiethton on Friday 20th December 09:50

[Mobile Chicane]

I'm presuming you mean something like a bacon collar joint?

Slow cook with a celery stick, a carrot, a bay leaf, some peppercorns, and a small onion studded with four cloves for a minimum of eight hours or overnight.

Allow to cool, remove binding string and skin, score the fat, baste all over with a 50/50 honey and english mustard mix, then crisp up in a hot oven until the glaze is caramelised.

[twing]

kiethton - thanks but sadly missing a pressure cooker (next on list to buy)

MC - many thanks, thats exactly what I wanted to hear nice & easy. reckon I could slow cook overnight, leave to rest and roast it a few hours later? would save me getting up at stupid oclock to put it on.

[prand]

Search google for Nigella Lawson and Coke.

Seriously!

Inspired by Nigella's recipe, I usually simmer a 2kg or so gammon for a couple of hours in a big pot with 1.5ltre of coca cola, with an onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, and a star anise. Top up with water to cover the joint. You could easily boil the ham in plain water, but the sugar in the coke gives it a sweet/citussy flavour.

Then after the 2 hrs or so I take it out, strip back the fat to about 5mm then cut it criss/cross fashion. I then get mustard, treacle, maple syrup or honey and rub this over the skin, then put in a hot oven for the glaze to brown.

In fact we've still got the end of a smoked gammon in the fridge that we had for sunday dinner amd I've been having ham & piccalili sandwiches this week from, plus and I'll be cooking another one to take to my mum & dad's for christmas day.

EDIT - I reckon slow cooking would make it completely fall apart as all the connective fibres would cook away, ok if you want to make a "pulled gammon", but not so much use for slicing.

Edited by prand on Friday 20th December 11:23

[new_bloke]

prand said:

Search google for Nigella Lawson and Coke.

Seriously!

Inspired by Nigella's recipe, I usually simmer a 2kg or so gammon for a couple of hours in a big pot with 1.5ltre of coca cola, with an onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, and a star anise. Top up with water to cover the joint. You could easily boil the ham in plain water, but the sugar in the coke gives it a sweet/citussy flavour.

Then after the 2 hrs or so I take it out, strip back the fat to about 5mm then cut it criss/cross fashion. I then get mustard, treacle, maple syrup or honey and rub this over the skin, then put in a hot oven for the glaze to brown.

In fact we've still got the end of a smoked gammon in the fridge that we had for sunday dinner amd I've been having ham & piccalili sandwiches this week from, plus and I'll be cooking another one to take to my mum & dad's for christmas day.

EDIT - I reckon slow cooking would make it completely fall apart as all the connective fibres would cook away, ok if you want to make a "pulled gammon", but not so much use for slicing.

Edited by prand on Friday 20th December 11:23

+ 1 for this. Also DO NOT throw the cooking liquor from the recipe away. It makes the basis of a fabulous hangover cure soup...

[Shaw Tarse]

Nigella cooking with coke (yes it is nice!)

I've used slow cooker for gammon & it does work.

[Mobile Chicane]

twing said:

kiethton - thanks but sadly missing a pressure cooker (next on list to buy)

MC - many thanks, thats exactly what I wanted to hear nice & easy. reckon I could slow cook overnight, leave to rest and roast it a few hours later? would save me getting up at stupid oclock to put it on.

Do it a day earlier and allow plenty of time to cool in the liquid. This will help it keep its shape.

You may need to truss it up with string again after you've taken the skin off, and before it goes in the oven to brown the glaze.

[Ciaran]

Mobile Chicane said:

I'm presuming you mean something like a bacon collar joint?

Slow cook with a celery stick, a carrot, a bay leaf, some peppercorns, and a small onion studded with four cloves for a minimum of eight hours or overnight.

Allow to cool, remove binding string and skin, score the fat, baste all over with a 50/50 honey and english mustard mix, then crisp up in a hot oven until the glaze is caramelised.

Do you add any liquid to the slow cooker?

Thanks

[Mobile Chicane]

Ciaran said:

Mobile Chicane said:

I'm presuming you mean something like a bacon collar joint?

Slow cook with a celery stick, a carrot, a bay leaf, some peppercorns, and a small onion studded with four cloves for a minimum of eight hours or overnight.

Allow to cool, remove binding string and skin, score the fat, baste all over with a 50/50 honey and english mustard mix, then crisp up in a hot oven until the glaze is caramelised.

Do you add any liquid to the slow cooker?

Thanks

In this case, yes. To cover the meat entirely.

I use just water, but I suppose a can of cider wouldn't hurt.

[Ciaran]

Mobile Chicane said:

In this case, yes. To cover the meat entirely.

I use just water, but I suppose a can of cider wouldn't hurt.

Excellent, thank you.

[Tanguero]

Use pear cider or perry. It contains enzymes that tenderise the meat and give it a vastly better flavour than apple cider.

[juliann]

If it's a traditional Bacon joint (Collar / Shoulder) the methods above / those for Gammon are all good. You can find that these joints taste saltier than their Gammon equivalents though due to the differing muscles, so an overnight soak could be sensible.
If you're not familiar with Bacon Joints though, watch out as JS, Asda & Waitrose sell a Bacon Joint which is a 'defatted loin Joint' - basically the big 'eye muscle' and short tail of a back bacon rasher. These Loin joints will not work well with a slow cook Gammon / Collar recipe and are best just roasted as a normal joint.

[twing]

juliann said:

If it's a traditional Bacon joint (Collar / Shoulder) the methods above / those for Gammon are all good. You can find that these joints taste saltier than their Gammon equivalents though due to the differing muscles, so an overnight soak could be sensible.
If you're not familiar with Bacon Joints though, watch out as JS, Asda & Waitrose sell a Bacon Joint which is a 'defatted loin Joint' - basically the big 'eye muscle' and short tail of a back bacon rasher. These Loin joints will not work well with a slow cook Gammon / Collar recipe and are best just roasted as a normal joint.

Thanks for that! I guess it's a trip to the butcher then.

[RichB]

Tanguero said:

Use pear cider or perry. It contains enzymes that tenderise the meat and give it a vastly better flavour than apple cider.

Really?

[Tanguero]

RichB said:

Tanguero said:

Use pear cider or perry. It contains enzymes that tenderise the meat and give it a vastly better flavour than apple cider.

Really?

Yes - definitely! I never use anything else for gammon or bacon joints. Try it - you will be impressed.

[RichB]

My wife always uses a litre of cider so I'll suggest she tries this. But Perry in litre bottles is less easy to come by.

[Tanguero]

The Magners Pear Cider is available from most supermarkets and works great. Costs a bit more than cider but its well worth it to my mind.