This exceptional slow cooker gammon, delicately poached in apple cider and finished with a rich honey mustard glaze, promises to be the standout dish at your next holiday gathering. It’s a culinary delight that effortlessly combines the savory depth of smoked ham with a touch of sweet and tangy perfection, sure to earn rave reviews from everyone at the table. Could this be the stress-free, show-stopping centerpiece you’ve been searching for this festive season?
For an unforgettable, luxurious dinner experience, serve this irresistible honey glazed ham alongside our incredibly creamy Rosemary Potatoes au Gratin.
Why Choose Slow Cooker Gammon for Your Holiday Meal?
Preparing gammon is one of my most cherished traditions for holiday meals, primarily because it’s remarkably easy and consistently delivers a delightful experience. This particular cut of pork comes pre-cured and often pre-smoked, meaning it’s already packed with an incredible depth of flavor. This built-in deliciousness means minimal effort is required on my part to transform it into a magnificent dish.
To simplify matters even further, I consistently rely on either a slow cooker or an Instant Pot for cooking my gammon. Both methods offer distinct advantages that make holiday meal preparation a breeze. When using a slow cooker, the gammon cooks slowly and steadily, requiring virtually no supervision. This frees up invaluable time, allowing me to concentrate on crafting other components of the holiday menu or simply enjoying precious moments with family and guests. Furthermore, it keeps my oven free, which is often at a premium during holiday cooking marathons.
The Instant Pot, on the other hand, is a game-changer for those times when meticulous planning falls by the wayside and you need a delicious meal on the table in a fraction of the time. Whether you’re an experienced chef or a novice in the kitchen, these appliances turn what might seem like a daunting task into an effortlessly enjoyable cooking adventure.
Gammon vs. Ham: Understanding the Difference
For those outside the United Kingdom, the term “gammon” might be unfamiliar. Indeed, before I moved to London many years ago, I had never encountered it myself. The key distinction is simple yet significant: gammon is essentially uncured ham. While most hams sold in the US are pre-cooked and ready to eat (or simply reheat), gammon offers a unique opportunity to cook it from its raw, cured state, allowing you to infuse it with your own personal touch and flavors.
The primary advantage of gammon is its inherent freshness and the creative control it offers. You get to oversee the entire cooking process, from poaching to glazing, tailoring the taste to your exact preferences. For instance, in this recipe, poaching the gammon in apple cider imparts a subtle sweetness and incredible moisture, resulting in a ham that is truly “to die for.”
Gammon is always cured, but you’ll typically find it available in two varieties: smoked or unsmoked. My personal preference, and the unanimous choice of my family, is always the smoked variety. The smoky notes beautifully complement the richness of the pork, adding another layer of complexity to the final dish. However, if you prefer a less intense flavor, the unsmoked option is equally delicious.
Beyond the poaching liquid, another fantastic way to elevate a gammon recipe is by applying a luscious glaze. After the gammon has been thoroughly cooked, it’s transferred to the oven for a quick, high-heat blast. This final step transforms the glaze into a beautifully caramelized, sticky coating that locks in moisture and adds an irresistible sweet and savory crust. This method ensures your gammon not only tastes incredible but also looks stunning as the centerpiece of your holiday table.
Crafting the Perfect Honey Mustard Glaze
Large gammon joints often come with a protective layer of pork skin. During the initial poaching process, I highly recommend keeping this skin on. The extra fat acts as a natural basting agent, continuously moistening the meat and infusing it with additional flavor, ensuring your gammon remains incredibly juicy and tender.
However, when it comes to the glazing stage, the approach changes. You’ll want to carefully untie the gammon joint and use a sharp knife to remove the pork skin, leaving a thin, even layer of fat underneath. This fat layer is crucial for achieving that desirable caramelized crust.
Once the skin is removed, score the remaining fat in an elegant diamond pattern. This not only creates a beautiful presentation but also allows the glaze to penetrate and the fat to render more efficiently. After scoring, generously brush the prepared honey mustard glaze over the entire surface of the gammon. Then, bake it in a hot oven until the fat is mostly rendered, and the top is beautifully golden and caramelized.
The most popular ingredients for ham glazes typically include sweet and sticky components like honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, or apricot preserves. I’ve also had great success and enjoy using blackcurrant preserves for a unique twist. The common thread among all these options is their sweetness and stickiness, which are essential for a successful glaze.
This sweetness provides a wonderful counterbalance to the inherently salty and smoky flavors of the ham, creating a harmonious taste profile. The stickiness ensures the glaze adheres perfectly to the meat, forming that delectable crust. Personally, I always incorporate a touch of wholegrain mustard into my glazes. I find that the tangy, slightly pungent kick of the mustard beautifully offsets the sweetness, preventing the glaze from becoming cloyingly sweet and adding a sophisticated depth of flavor that truly makes the ham shine.
A quick 10 to 15-minute bake in a hot oven (around 200°C / 400°F) is usually sufficient to caramelize the top of the ham without risking any burning. Keep a close eye on it, as oven temperatures can vary.
Essential Recipe Tips and Notes for Perfect Gammon
- Since gammon is raw ham, it absolutely needs to be cooked through. The most traditional and effective method is poaching it in a liquid. While plain water can work, the real magic happens when you infuse your poaching liquid with additional flavors, which will then permeate the gammon, enhancing its taste significantly.
- To further enrich the flavor of your poaching liquid, I highly recommend adding a few aromatics. Classic choices like bay leaves and black peppercorns impart a subtle warmth and complexity that beautifully complements the pork.
- You have several excellent options when selecting your poaching liquid, but I consistently choose dry apple cider. The results are truly out of this world! It yields an incredibly moist ham with a delicate sweetness that is perfectly balanced by the natural saltiness and smokiness from the curing process.
- Another surprisingly delicious and popular option for poaching gammon is Coca-Cola. The caramel notes and slight acidity from the soda create a uniquely tender and flavorful ham.
- For slow cooking, I typically cook a 1.2 kg / 3 lbs gammon joint on the High setting for 4 hours. If you opt for the Low setting, expect it to take between 6-7 hours, depending on the exact size and thickness of your gammon joint.
- It’s important to note that cooking gammon for too long can alter its texture. While some might enjoy a “pulled pork” consistency, if you’re aiming for traditional slices, be mindful that longer is not always better.
- To guarantee your gammon is perfectly cooked and safe to eat, I strongly advise using an instant-read thermometer. Insert it into the thickest part of the joint, ensuring it reads an internal temperature of 68°C / 155°F. This is the most accurate way to determine doneness, as cooking times can vary between slow cooker models.
- For those with limited time, a pressure cooker like the Instant Pot is an absolute lifesaver. It dramatically reduces cooking time. For a 1.2 kg / 3 lbs joint, it typically takes only 23 minutes on high pressure – an incredible time-saver!
- One fantastic advantage of the Instant Pot is its ability to cook gammon directly from frozen. This is not advisable for a slow cooker. If cooking from frozen in your Instant Pot, simply increase the cooking time by 50%, which translates to approximately 15 minutes per pound of gammon.
Serving Suggestions to Complete Your Feast
A beautifully glazed ham, particularly one as tender and flavorful as this slow cooker gammon, is a timeless centerpiece for any holiday dinner table. Its versatility also ensures it won’t feel out of place at any time of the year. The brilliance of this recipe lies in its hands-off nature; let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting, giving you precious time to relax and fully enjoy the company of your family and friends!
To truly round out your meal, consider complementing the rich flavors of the ham with an exquisite potato dish. Our Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelised Shallots offers a sweet and savory richness that pairs perfectly. Alternatively, for a delightful twist, try our creamy Butternut Squash Casserole, offering a slightly sweeter, autumnal profile.
Next, a vibrant selection of roast vegetables adds color, texture, and essential nutrients to your plate. Our Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts and Carrots provide a savory crunch, while Honey Garlic Parsnips bring a lovely sweetness. These vegetables are roasted to perfection, offering a delightful contrast to the ham.
Finally, crown your magnificent feast with a basket of warm, pillowy Garlic Butter Dinner Rolls. Their soft texture and aromatic garlic butter are the ideal companions, perfect for soaking up any delicious juices. With this ensemble, you’re not just preparing a meal; you’re crafting a memorable culinary experience!
Storage and Creative Leftover Ideas
One of the best aspects of cooking a delicious gammon or ham is the potential for incredible leftovers! Any remaining slices will keep exceptionally well when stored properly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. For longer preservation, you can freeze portions for up to two months, without any noticeable sacrifice in texture or flavor, ensuring you can enjoy this deliciousness for weeks to come.
The true genius of leftover slow cooker gammon or ham lies in its versatility. Beyond the obvious and ever-popular ham sandwich or a quick cubed ham omelette, there’s ample room for culinary creativity. Think of dicing it into a hearty salad, adding it to mac and cheese for an extra layer of flavor, or even incorporating it into a savory pastry or quiche. Its smoky, savory notes can elevate a wide range of dishes.
To inspire your next meal, explore the links below for some of my favorite and most creative ways to transform leftover ham into something completely new and absolutely amazing!
Inspired Leftover Ham Recipes:
- Classic Croque Monsieur: A sophisticated French grilled cheese with ham and béchamel.
- Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup: A comforting, hearty soup perfect for a chilly day.
- Ham and Cheese Puffs with Asparagus: Light, savory pastries ideal for appetizers or a light lunch.
- 15 Minute Ham and Mushroom Naan Pizza: A quick and easy weeknight meal using store-bought naan bread.
- Ham and Pea Soup: Another comforting soup, showcasing the classic combination of ham and sweet peas.
Slow Cooker Gammon (Honey Glazed Ham)
Equipment
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Slow Cooker
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Instant Pot
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Meat thermometer
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg/3lbs boneless smoked gammon joint
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 440ml/ 1 3/4 cups dry apple cider
- 500 ml/2 cups water
For the glaze
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
For the Slow Cooker
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To a slow cooker, add the apple cider, water, bay leaves, and peppercorns along with the gammon joint. Ensure the liquid mostly covers the gammon; if not, add more water until it does.
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Cook the gammon on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 6-7 hours, adjusting based on the size of your gammon joint. Verify doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the center of the joint; it should register 68°C / 155°F. Remember that cooking times can vary between slow cooker brands, so internal temperature is the most reliable indicator of doneness.
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Carefully remove the gammon from the slow cooker and allow it to cool slightly. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F and prepare the glaze by mixing all the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl.
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Once the gammon is cool enough to handle, cut off any string holding the joint together. Then, carefully slice off the pork skin, leaving a thin, even layer of fat underneath. Using a sharp knife, score the fat in a diamond pattern, being careful not to cut into the meat itself. Liberally brush the prepared glaze over the entire surface of the gammon.
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Place the glazed ham on a wire rack set inside a roasting pan. The rack ensures that air circulates, allowing the bottom of the ham to also caramelize beautifully. Cook in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the glaze is deeply caramelized and glistening. Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
For the Instant Pot (if using)
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Add the apple cider, water, bay leaves, and peppercorns along with the gammon joint to your Instant Pot. Cook on High Pressure for 23 minutes for a 1.2 kg / 3 lbs joint. For different sizes, cook for approximately 10 minutes per pound or 22 minutes per kilogram.
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Once cooking is complete, allow for a natural pressure release. After the pressure has fully released, continue with the recipe from step 3 for glazing and caramelization.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 12g |
Protein: 33g |
Fat: 5g |
Saturated Fat: 1g |
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g |
Monounsaturated Fat: 2g |
Trans Fat: 1g |
Cholesterol: 93mg |
Sodium: 141mg |
Potassium: 609mg |
Fiber: 1g |
Sugar: 11g |
Vitamin A: 17IU |
Vitamin C: 1mg |
Calcium: 30mg |
Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.