Slow Cooker Gammon Recipe - Feed Your Sole

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If you’ve never made gammon in the slow cooker before you’re missing out. It’s ridiculously simple, and within hours you can have perfectly cooked super tender meat. The gammon is slowly cooked in sweet apple juice and finished off with a honey and mustard glaze to transform a simple cut into a truly special dish.

How long does gammon take to cook in the slow cooker?

I typically cook a 750g / 1.6lb gammon joint since I’m not usually cooking for a crowd (and since I’m usually cooking for one, 750g keeps me going for days!). 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low is a good amount of time for a piece this size. If you are cooking a larger piece then I’d increase that slightly. As a guide:

Metric Weight	Imperial Weight	Cooking Time – High	Cooking Time – Low
500g – 1kg	1.1lb – 1.6lb	3-4 hours	6-8 hours
1kg – 2kg	1.6lb – 3.2lb	4-5 hours	8-10 hours

How long does it keep?

Cooked gammon will last for up to 4 days when kept well covered in the fridge. There really is no better excuse to make more than you need and enjoy the leftovers for a few days after (see leftover uses below).

You can also freeze cooked gammon for up to 3 months. Make sure to defrost thoroughly before reheating.

When you are reheating the gammon (from chilled or after defrosting), it may not be quite as tender and juicy. To counteract this reheat slices in the oven in a baking dish and drizzle over a little apple juice, stock, or even water. Cover with foil and heat at 200C/400F until piping hot.

What can I serve it with?

It’s well worth serving some of this freshly cooked. Leave to rest for around 20 minutes before carving and then serve with some steamed veg and roasted potatoes. These lemon & thyme roast potatoes are a beautiful addition and a little apple sauce on the side is a great complement.

Then to the leftovers… You can make some pretty immense sandwiches with the cold meat. Layer bread with gammon, mustard, lettuce and tomato for a GLT.

The cold cuts also go well in a salad. It’s a great addition to a simple pasta salad. It’s also perfect for breakfast, serve with scrambled eggs on toast or in place of bacon in a fry up.

Ingredients

Believe it or not, you only need 5 ingredients to make this slow cooker gammon!

Gammon joint – you can use either smoked or unsmoked depending on your taste preference
Onion – brown or white
Apple juice
Wholegrain mustard
Honey

Substitutions

There are several different things you can use instead of the apple juice. Why not try:

Cider
Coke (on my list to try – apparantly it works really well!)
Stock

You can also use dijon mustard instead of the wholegrain mustard.

How to make it

First place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker and then place the gammon on top. If it has a fatty side then place this upwards.
Pour the apple juice around the gammon joint and then cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 4-8 hours.
While the gammon is cooking combine the honey and mustard in a bowl and then leave in the fridge until needed.
When the gammon is ready heat the oven to 200C/400F. Remove the gammon from the slow cooker (you can discard the liquid). Cut away the thick skin on top of the fat layer, leaving a small layer of fat behind. Score the top layer of the ham (including any fleshy part) in a crosshatch pattern. Place the joint on a baking tray covered with foil and brush the honey and mustard mixture on top. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the honey and mustard glaze has browned.
Leave to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

If you are looking for more great slow cooker pork recipes then try this slow cooker pork belly or this slow cooker pork paprikash.

Products that work well for this recipe: