Glazed Gammon

Name: Glazed Gammon
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 3 h
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 2.5 kg of Gammon; 600 ml of Hard Cider; Water; 1 Mezza teaspoons of Black Pepper; 6 Cloves; 4 Bay Leaves; 3 teaspoons of Mustard; 60 g of Brown Sugar; 15 Cloves; 120 ml of Water

Glazed gammon is a cured pork joint simmered in cider, then scored, studded with cloves and roasted under a mustard and brown sugar glaze.

Difficulty Medium
Preparation 30 minutes
Cooking 2 hours and30 minutes
Servings for 10 people

Glazed gammon is the Christmas ham of Britain and Ireland: a joint of gammon, the hind leg of the pig cured like bacon and sold raw, simmered slowly until tender and then finished in a hot oven under a sticky glaze of mustard and brown sugar, with a clove pressed into every diamond of fat.

In many English homes it is the centerpiece of the Christmas Eve supper, and in Ireland a baked ham shares the plate with the turkey on Christmas Day. What is left becomes the cold cuts, sandwiches and pickles of Boxing Day, while the cooking liquid makes a good base for pea soup.

Once it is cooked, gammon is called ham. Simmering it in cider, a common English way, adds a light, fruity note.

Ingredients for 10 people

For simmering:
2.5 kg of Gammon unsmoked, boned and rolled
600 ml of Hard Cider dry
Water to cover
1 1/2 teaspoons of Black Pepper whole peppercorns
6 Cloves whole
4 Bay Leaves
For the glaze:
3 teaspoons of Mustard English, ready-made
60 g of Brown Sugar soft, light
15 Cloves whole, for studding
120 ml of Water

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Method

Check the saltiness first: cut a thin slice from the raw gammon, simmer it in a little water for 5 minutes and taste it. If it is very salty, soak the whole joint in cold water in the fridge overnight, then drain.
Put the gammon in a large pan with the cider, the peppercorns, the 6 cloves and the bay leaves, and pour in enough cold water to cover it. Bring slowly to the boil, skim off any froth, then turn the heat down until the liquid barely trembles.
Simmer gently, partly covered, for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, about 20 minutes per 500 g, until a probe thermometer in the center reads 70 °C (160 °F). Turn off the heat and leave the gammon in its liquid until it is cool enough to handle, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 210 °C (410 °F). Mix the English mustard with the brown sugar to a thick paste. Lift the gammon out of the liquid, snip off the string and peel away the skin with a small knife, leaving an even layer of white fat on the meat.
Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern of diamonds about 2 cm (3/4 inch) wide, cutting through the fat but not into the meat, and press a clove into each point where the lines cross.
Set the gammon on a rack in a roasting tin and pour the 120 ml of water into the tin. Spread two thirds of the glaze over the fat and roast for 15 minutes. Brush on the rest of the glaze, add a splash more water to the tin if it has dried up, and roast for another 10 minutes, until the glaze is dark golden and bubbling.
Let the glazed gammon rest for at least 15 minutes before carving it into slices. Serve it warm with the Christmas trimmings or at room temperature, and keep what is left for cold cuts on Boxing Day. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

For the plainest version, simmer the gammon in water only, with an onion, a carrot and a stick of celery. Other classic glazes are a jar of marmalade warmed until runny, or honey mixed with wholegrain mustard. A smoked gammon is cooked the same way and has a stronger flavor.

Tips

Buy unsmoked gammon for the classic flavor; modern cures are often mild, so the quick taste test in the first step saves an unnecessary soak. Keep the liquid at a bare simmer: boiling hard makes the meat stringy. The water in the roasting tin stops the glaze that drips off from burning and smoking.

Storage

Keep leftover ham well wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze it in slices for up to 2 months. The strained cooking liquid keeps in the fridge for 3 days and, if it is not too salty, makes an excellent base for pea or lentil soup.