Cooking Gammon Ham In Slow Cooker

My Slow Cooker Gammon recipe is the easiest way to cook your gammon joint! Just a handful of ingredients and minimal prep for super tasty ham! Glaze your ham before serving and enjoy over Christmas.

Use up any leftovers and the tasty ham stock in my Slow Cooker Pea and Ham Soup!

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In collaboration with Thermapen.

Can you believe that up until a few years ago I had never cooked gammon? I didn't grow up having ham at Christmas time so the idea was a bit foreign to me until I finally decided to give it a go last year.

After enjoying the ham on Boxing Day and the leftovers for many days after, I was hooked! It really is an easy way to create something that looks stunning on a festive table and will happily feed a crowd.

I was put off by the idea of a pot boiling on the stove for hours on the busiest cooking day of the year. Enter… Slow Cooker Gammon, a.k.a Slow Cooker Ham.

Gammon vs Ham

What is the difference between gammon and ham? Gammon is a cured joint (smoked or unsmoked) from the back leg of the pork.

Gammon is raw and needs to be cooked before serving whereas ham is ready to eat. Once gammon is cooked it becomes ham!

Here's what you will need

Gammon joint – I usually go for unsmoked but you can pick a smoked one if preferred. This crockpot ham recipe uses boneless gammon joint – try to pick the best quality free range pork you can afford.

Braising liquid – you can simply cook your gammon in water but you can add more flavour if you use apple juice, cider, ginger ale or cola. I will leave this up to you – take a look at the recipe notes for various options.

Aromatics – adding onion, carrot, bay leaves, peppercorns will further enhance the flavour of the ham. The ham stock can be used in soups or stews afterwards if you like but test it first to make sure it is not super salty.

How long should I cook a ham in the slow cooker?

The beauty of slow cooker gammon is that you can set it to cook and then forget it for several hours while you get on with Christmas prep – I always leave gift wrapping to the last minute…

Cook on the SLOW setting for 6-8 hours or on the HIGH setting for 4-5 hours.

Glazing your ham

As for glazing the ham, the choices are endless. Honey and brown sugar are a classic option, but any sweet/ tangy /spicy combo usually works a treat – anything from mango and chilli to lime and sherry.

I chose apricot, brown sugar, mustard and a splash of brandy to create a simple glaze that balances the salty ham with sweetness and makes it a real Christmas centrepiece with glorious shine. Stud your ham with cloves for a pretty presentation.

Apricot and mustard glazed ham | Supergolden Bakes

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER GAMMON

Place the gammon, in the slow cooker and position the carrots and onions around it. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns. Pour in the liquids, cover and cook for 5-6 hours on low or 7-8 on high setting.

Collage showing how to cook gammon in a slow cooker

Remove the ham from the slow cooker and set aside to cool. Discard the solids and save the braising liquid to use in soups if you like.

Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F) and line a roasting tin with aluminium foil. Place the gammon on over the foil. You might need to scrunch up some foil to make sure the ham is level. Carefully remove the rind from the gammon joint, leaving a thin layer of the fat intact. Lightly score the fat in a diamond pattern, taking care not to cut too deeply.

Collage showing how to glaze ham before roasting

Mix the glaze ingredients together and warm briefly in the microwave or a saucepan. Brush the ham liberally with the glaze and roast in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes, basting with the glaze every 10 minutes.

Return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the fat is glossy and golden brown.Cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving.Transfer to a large platter and carve. Serve hot or cold.

Slow Cooker Gammon Joint glazed and sliced on a platter

Instant Pot Gammon

Need some ham in a hurry? If you haven't got time to cook the gammon in your slow cooker then you can easily turn this recipe into Instant Pot Ham!

Pressure cooking is faster and just as fuss-free. As a general rule you will need to cook your gammon on High Pressure for 15 minutes per 450g (one pound) and allow for natural release.

My 1,8kg (4 pound) joint needed one hour to cook but the cooker still needs to come to pressure first. Add the NPR and you have an overall cooking time of approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Remember not to overfill your Instant Pot – only add enough liquid so that is no more than ⅔ full.

Overhead view of gammon in an Instant Pot

How To Tell If Gammon Is Cooked

When it comes to meat and poultry, like the Christmas turkey for instance, I rely heavily on my trusty Thermapen to cook to perfection and leave the guess-work behind.

Thermapen gives accurate temperature reading in just three seconds and the backlit display my kitchen. Check your gammon is cooked by inserting the thermometer probe into the thickest part until it reads 62 °C (145 °F)

The ham should be easy to pierce with a knife (or the probe) and you should be able to pull the knife out without struggling.

testing the temperature of cooked ham with a digital thermometer

Use your leftovers

Leftover ham is fantastic in pasta dishes – use it in my easy Carbonara recipe or in place of bacon in Chicken Pasta Bake and Crack Chicken Soup. You can of course use it in sandwiches together with my Easy No Knead Bread or Sourdough.

HAVE YOU MADE MY SLOW COOKER GAMMON RECIPE? Post a photo on myFacebook page, share it onInstagram, or save it toPinterestwith the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can't wait to see your take on it!

Glazed ham with a few slices cut

▢ 2 kg (4 pounds) boneless gammon joint unsmoked or smoked
▢ 2 onions roughly chopped
▢ 2 carrots roughly chopped
▢ 2 bay leaves
▢ 1/2 cinnamon stick
▢ 1 tsp black peppercorns
▢ 1 tsp whole cloves
▢ 480 ml (2 cups) ginger ale or use cider / Cola / Dr Pepper
▢ 960 ml (4 cups) apple juice or as much as needed to cover the joint

For the glaze

▢ 6 tbsp smooth apricot jam or honey
▢ 3 tbsp brown sugar
▢ 3 tbsp grainy mustard or Dijon mustard
▢ 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
▢ 1 tbsp brandy rum / whisky or leave out

Place the gammon, in the slow cooker and position the carrots and onions around it. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns. Pour in the liquids, cover and cook for 5-6 hours on low or 7-8 on high setting.
Remove the ham from the slow cooker and set aside to cool. Discard the solids and save the braising liquid to use in soups if you like.
Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F) and line a roasting tin with aluminium foil. Y
Place the gammon on over the foil-lined. You might need to scrunch up some foil to make sure the ham is level. Carefully remove the rind from the gammon joint, leaving a small layer of the fat intact. Lightly score the fat in a diamond pattern, taking care not to cut too deeply.
Mix the glaze ingredients together and warm briefly in the microwave or a saucepan. Brush the ham liberally with the glaze and roast in the centre of the oven for 30 minutes, basting with the glaze every 10 minutes.
Return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes until the fat is glossy and golden brown.
Cover loosely with foil and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Transfer to a large platter and carve. Serve hot or cold.

Cook on the stove

Place in a large lidded saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil over high heat.

Drain the water, add fresh water, an onion, carrot, stick of celery, baby leaf and and bring to the boil again.

Reduce the heat, half cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes per 500g/1lb 2oz. Check the temperature with your Thermapen – it should read s 62 °C (145 °F). Roast in the oven as per main method.

Instant Pot Gammon

If you haven't got time to cook the gammon in your slow cooker then you can easily turn this recipe into Instant Pot Ham!

Pressure cooking is faster and just as fuss-free. As a general rule you will need to cook your gammon on High Pressure for 15 minutes per 450g (one pound) and allow for natural release.

My 1,8kg (4 pound) joint needed one hour to cook but the cooker still needs to come to pressure first. Add the NPR and you have an overall cooking time of approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes.

Remember not to overfill your Instant Pot – only add enough liquid so that is no more than ⅔ full.