Simple cooking & prep
Perfect poached gammon
Gammon is a cured organic pork that when cooked offers a wonderfully succulent crowd-pleasing joint. This recipe slowly poaches the gammon and offers a choice of two glazes to finish it off with a flavoursome edge.
Cook's notes
You want the gammon to cook very slowly, the water should barely be simmering, 85°C is the perfect temperature. If you are serving the gammon hot, allow the joint to rest for 30 - 40 mins before carving.
Ingredients
For the gammon
- 1.5kg gammon joint, soaked overnight (see method)
- 1 onion, peeled & quartered
- 2 leeks, halved
- 2 carrots, peeled
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
For a citrus glaze
- ½ jar Seville marmalade
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 75ml orange juice
For a mustard glaze
- 2 tbsp English mustard (or 4 tbsp wholegrain)
- 3 tbsp muscovado sugar
Method
Soak the gammon
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Step 1
To soak the gammon, place it in a large, close-fitting pot. Cover in cold water and leave to soak in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight - this flushes away excess brine.
Poach the gammon
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Step 1
Discard the soaking water and cover with fresh cold water. Add the veg, bay and peppercorns, before slowly bringing to the boil.
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Step 2
Reduce heat and simmer for 80 min. When ready remove from the cooking liquor (don’t discard, it makes a great stock for pea and ham soup).
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Step 3
Allow the gammon to cool enough to let you lift the skin with a thin-bladed knife and carefully separate it from the joint, without removing the layer of fat underneath. Discard the skin and score the fat layer into a diamond lattice pattern, taking care not to cut through to the meat. If your joint is of a shape liable to roll, cut away a slice to create a flat base (eat this as a cook’s perk). Place the gammon back in the roasting tray.
Make the glaze
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Step 1
For a citrus glaze, warm all the ingredients in a small saucepan until the marmalade has melted, then brush over the joint. For a mustard glaze, spread the mustard over the surface of the joint then sprinkle over the sugar.
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Step 2
Return to the oven for 20-30 mins, or until golden and glistening.