What is Gammon?

This is the first question asked by almost everyone when I mention we are cooking gammon (also called jambon). Gammon is a wet cured ham, rather than a dry salt-cured ham, this results in a less salty, sweet and subtle flavoured ham. Sounds good already.

Although the cooking of the gammon requires quite a bit of time, it is very, very easy. We just asked our butcher for a gammon and they gave us a 4.4kg gammon removed from the bone, rolled and netted. All that is involved is boiling and simmering then baking. (Make sure you ask for it to be not dry salt cured, otherwise you can’t enjoy the lovely flavours from the apple cider and glaze it’s cooked in).

It tasted FANTASTIC! The bits that fell off after removal from the large pot were great. We have made it a few times and it is on our menu for Christmas this year, as it looks so festive with the lovely pineapple and glace cherries checked pattern with cloves. I would recommend giving it a try!

Gammon

1 gammon (uncooked ham, de-boned, rolled and netted) (appox 4.4kg)
2 x 700ml Apple Cider
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
2 carrots, peeled and cut in three
10 peppercorns
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Whole cloves
1 packet (100g) glace cherries
400g sliced pineapple (in juice), cut into small wedges or pineapple pieces
Tooth picks

Glaze
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons mustard powder
4 tablespoons honey (optional)
1 tablespoon ginger, grated

Place gammon in a very large saucepan. Add apple cider, onion, carrots, peppercorns, bay leaves, mustard powder. Add water until gammon is covered. Turn heat up to medium high and when it comes to the boil reduce to a simmer.

Cook for 4 – 4.5 hours (around 30 minutes per 500g). Preheat oven to 160°C towards the end of cooking.

To make glaze, mix all ingredients together.

Remove from water and remove netting from gammon (the skin should come off with the netting). Remove any excess fat, but leave a layer on. Score the fat and top layer of gammon with a knife, and make a diamond pattern.

Stick whole cloves in the points of each diamond. Using toothpicks, stick pineapple and glace cherries alternatively in the middle of each diamond.

Spoon half the glaze over the gammon. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes. Spoon remaining glaze over the gammon once or twice during cooking.

Remove the gammon from the oven and remove cloves. Either leave the cherries and pineapple on the ham while you carve the meat, or serve beside cut gammon.

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