Slow Cooker Gammon

My Slow Cooker Gammon recipe is one of the easiest ways to cook your gammon joint! Just a handful of ingredients and minimal prep for super tasty ham! Glaze your ham before serving, perfect for Christmas dinner and throughout the festive season (or any special occasions, really).

Prefer to use your Air Fryer instead? Try my Air Fryer Gammon recipe.

Serve with my Braised Red Cabbage!

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In collaboration with Thermapen.

Can you believe that up until a few years ago I had never cooked gammon? Unlike my Canadian husband, I didn’t grow up having a traditional Christmas ham. But I am definitely making up for lost time once I finally decided to give it a go a few years ago.

After enjoying the ham on Boxing Day and the leftovers for a couple of days after, I was hooked! This easy recipe will create something that looks stunning as part of a festive roast dinner and will happily feed a crowd, great for anyone on a tight budget.

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.

What is the difference between gammon and ham?

Gammon is the cured joint from the back leg of the pork. Gammon is raw and needs to be cooked before serving whereas ham is already cooked and 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 crock pot ham recipe uses a boneless large 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 why not add extra flavor by using apple juice, pineapple juice, apple cider, ginger ale or Coca Cola (some even suggest diet Coke). 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 flavor 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 great thing about 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 LOW setting for 6-8 hours or on the HIGH setting for 4-5 hours. It is hard to overcook gammon in a slow cooker, thanks to the low temperature and braising liquid. 

Glazing your ham

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

I chose apricot jam, 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 centerpiece with glorious shine. Stud your tender ham with cloves for a pretty presentation.

HOW TO MAKE SLOW COOKER GAMMON

Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!

BRAISE THE HAM

Place the gammon in the slow cooker (such as the Morphy Richards Sear Stew 6.5L) and position the carrots and onions around it. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns.

Pour in the liquids, cover and cook for 5-6 hours on the HIGH setting or 7-8 on LOW setting (check the ham internal temperature with an meat thermometer for the optimum cooking time).

SCORE THE HAM

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.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and set the gammon on a rack set over a roasting pan. You might need to scrunch a bit of foil to position under the joint so that it sits level on the rack.

Carefully remove the rind from the gammon joint (see photo below), leaving a thin layer of the fat intact. Lightly score the fat in a crisscross pattern, taking care not to slice too deeply and cut into the ham.

GLAZE THE HAM

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

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving with a sharp knife. Transfer to a large platter serve hot or cold with a selection of your fave side dishes such as my Goose Fat Roast Potatoes.

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

Gammon in the Instant Pot

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. 

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. 

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.  

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.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

• Air Fryer Ham Steak (Gammon Steak)
• Campfire Stew this gammon stew can use up any leftovers
• This easy Stuffed Turkey Roll is a great alternative to a whole roast turkey
• Air Fryer Pork Shoulder with Crackling
• Easy Leftover Turkey Pie
• Slow Cooker Roast Beef 

HAVE YOU MADE MY SLOW COOKER GAMMON RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!

Slow Cooker Gammon

Lucy Parissi | Supergolden Bakes

My Slow Cooker Gammon recipe is simply the easiest and tastiest way to cook your gammon joint! You just need a handful of ingredients and minimal prep time and the results are super tasty. Glaze your ham with apricot and mustard before serving.

4.69 from 16 votes

Print Rate

Course: Christmas /Thanksgiving

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Slow Cooker Gammon, Slow Cooker Ham

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 8 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 748kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• ▢ 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

Instructions

• Place the gammon joint in the slow cooker and position the carrots and onions around it. Add the bay leaves, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns. Pour in the liquids, cover and cook for 5-6 hours on high setting or 7-8 on low 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 (have a taste before using as it may be quite salty).
• Pre-heat the oven to 200C (400F) and set a rack over a roasting pan. Scruch up some foil to make sure the ham sits level on the rack (if needed).
• 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.
• Roast in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes, basting with the glaze every 10 minutes, until the ham is 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.

Video

Notes

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. 

 

Nutritional Info

Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 3059mg | Potassium: 956mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 2590IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 3mg

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