How to cook and prepare gammon and ham

Both gammon and ham are cuts from the hind legs of a pig. Gammon is sold raw and ham is sold ready-to-eat. Gammon has been cured in the same way as bacon, whereas ham has been dry-cured or cooked. Once you've cooked your gammon, it's then called ham.

To make your Christmas ham, you’ll need to buy a gammon – choose smoked or unsmoked and on or off the bone, according to your recipe and preference.

How to prepare a gammon joint

Soaking the gammon in water to remove saltiness is generally a thing of the past, but check with your butcher or look at pack instructions to be sure.

1. To start, weigh the meat to calculate cooking time. Roast gammon cooking time is generally 20 minutes per 450g, plus an added 20 minutes.
2. Put the meat in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil, adding any flavourings you wish (cinnamon, bay, peppercorns, coriander seeds and onion all work well).
3. Boil for half the calculated cooking time, periodically skimming and discarding any white froth that rises to the surface.
4. Drain, reserving the stock if you like, and leave to cool a little. Remove the top layer of skin, leaving a thin layer of fat around the meat.

If you're looking to upgrade your kitchen kit, here are some of our tried, tested and top-rated favourites that would be perfect for cooking gammon.

How to cook a gammon joint

1. Place in a foil-lined roasting tin, cover with more foil and roast for the remaining cooking time at 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
2. Twenty to 30 minutes before the end of cooking time, brush with the glaze of your choice – a mixture of maple syrup and coarse-grain mustard is good. Cook uncovered until the glaze has caramelised.
3. Consider serving with our maple-mustard glazed carrots and maple spiced parsnips.

See this video guide for advice on how to glaze and roast a ham:

Best ham and gammon recipes

Glazed gammon

Add a sticky honey and mustard glaze to gammon for a delicious sweetness that contrasts with the saltiness of the meat. It's great for a celebration supper.

Spiced Christmas gammon with membrillo glaze

This Christmas ham recipe uses sweet and sticky quince paste, or membrillo. It also uses the time-honoured method of studding your joint with cloves. It’s simple enough: score the skin in a diamond pattern, then pierce the centre of each diamond with a clove.

Slow-baked sticky gammon

Bypass the pre-boiling stage and use an all-in-one slow-cooking method. This tropical-tinged gammon recipe is made with treacle, pineapple juice and allspice, and slowly cooked in the oven for four hours until butter-soft.

Cola ham with maple & mustard glaze

Cook your gammon in a couple of litres of cola to really ramp up the stickiness. Once you’ve boiled the joint in its soda bath, drain and transfer into a roasting tin, and glaze with a maple mustard mixture.

Sticky maple-glazed ham with baked apple sauce

The secret to this picture-perfect ham is slow-roasting it in a foil parcel in a spiced apple juice bath. The steamy environment allows the flavours to mingle beautifully. The whole thing is finished off with a maple glaze, whole baked apples and golden star anise.

Leftover ham recipes

Classic pub grub

Who would turn their nose up at a traditional plate of gammon and mash? It’s ideal for the post-Christmas period, and makes a great simple supper all year round. The salty ham is paired perfectly with sweet apple and a punchy celeriac mash.

Ham & watercress salad with clementine dressing

Use up leftover festive ingredients such as ham, hazelnuts, cranberries and clementines in this light salad - perfect after a week of indulgence.

Add to soup

Pea and ham is one of the most incredible soup combinations. Our bright-green slow-cooker version uses only six ingredients and is garnished with ham shredded from a joint. Enjoy with crusty bread.

Warming winter pies

This sensational chunky pie utilises festive leftovers in fine fashion. Combine your ham with cranberries, pistachios and warm Christmas flavours such as nutmeg, mace and sage. It requires homemade hot water crust pastry, so it’s one for a good kitchen session.

Soft soufflé omelette

Whisks at the ready: give your omelette the soufflé effect to add a touch of refinement to a brunch table. But not too much – this version with leftover ham is best served with baked beans.

Try one of our other Christmas ham recipes and find out what to do with your leftovers. Also, discover our how-to-cook bacon guide.

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