Gammon is the name given to the cut of meat from the hind leg of a pig that's cured in the same way as bacon. It’s a great cut of meat for a crowd-pleasing centrepiece or for making your own ham slices at home.
How to cook gammon
You should typically aim for 170g-200g raw gammon per person. A 750g joint will serve 4 and a 1kg joint will serve about 6.
How to roast a gammon
Oven 180ºC | Fan 160ºC | Gas 4
You can either roast or boil a gammon joint (or use a combination of both techniques).
If you’re only roasting, cover the joint loosely with foil, then remove the foil 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time to allow the fat to crisp up; you can also add a glaze of your choice at this point.
You want to roast your gammon for 30 minutes per 500g, plus an extra 30 minutes.
How to boil a gammon
In a pan, cover with cold water or other liquid, and flavour with cloves, peppercorns or bay leaves.
Cover, bring to the boil, skim, then simmer for half the time (30 minutes per 500g, plus 30 minutes), until the joint reaches 75ºC. Once rested, your joint is ready to eat.
Alternatively, drain, retaining the liquid for a stock, remove any bindings and rind then roast wrapped in foil for the remaining cooking time. Unwrap, score, glaze then continue to roast uncovered for the last 20-30 minutes.
Roast gammon recipes
Gammon can be served as a whole joint, glazed in something sticky and delicious, or once cooked can be added to pies, mac ‘n’ cheese and even savoury tarts.
How to check your roast gammon is cooked
Use a digital meat thermometer to check that your gammon joint has reached 75ºC. Rest the gammon for 10-15 minutes before carving for the juiciest meat.
What wine to serve?
Gammon works well with both red and white wine. A Riesling is an excellent match if you have a sweet, fruity glaze, while red lovers will enjoy a velvety, berry-rich Beaujolais from our range of French wines.
We're proud of our pigs
All our pigs are reared to higher welfare standards by British farmers who share our values. All our piglets are born outside, and pigs reared for our Essential pork have comfortable, light and airy barns lined with fresh straw.
