How to Cook Gammon Joint in Oven

Boiling Your Gammon Joint

Place your gammon joint in a large pot with water. Pick a pot that's large enough to hold your joint. Pour in cold water, making sure to submerge the joint. Cover the pot with a lid. If your pot isn't big enough, make sure to turn the joint over halfway through cooking it.

Bring the pot to a boil and then drain the water. Place the pot on a burner turned to high heat. Let the water come up to a rolling boil. When it does, pour off the water in the sink. This step helps get rid of the foam that builds up when the meat is cooking. However, you can also just skim the foam off periodically.

Fill the pot back up with water and add seasonings. Cover the joint again with cold water, and put seasonings in the pot. You can add seasonings like peppercorns and bay leaves, as well as vegetables like carrots, celery, or onions. You can just add a pinch of each seasoning, such as 12 peppercorns and 4 bay leaves. You can also use cinnamon, cloves, oranges, or coriander. Use small dashes of cinnamon and clove, as they can overpower the ham flavor.

Simmer the joint for 30 minutes per 1 pound (0.45 kg) of meat. Let the pot come to a boil again over high heat, and then turn it down so the pot simmers. Use a spoon to skim any foam from the top. Discard the foam.

Drain the joint. Once the joint is done, let it sit for about 15 minutes outside the water, which will allow it to cool down. You can reserve the liquid to make soup later, or simply drain it off.

Preparing the Joint for the Oven

Remove the layer of skin. With a sharp knife, slice off the top layer of skin, leaving the fat underneath it intact. The fat adds flavor and crisps up in the oven. Plus, it helps protect the meat from drying out.

Score the fat with a knife. Scoring the fat just means making cuts across it. Typically, you make slices across it one way with each line about ⁄2 to ⁄4 inch (1.3 to 1.9 cm) apart. Then, make slices going the opposite direction, too. Essentially, you're making a diamond pattern across the meat. Scoring the fat helps it render, meaning melt down. That will make the outside crispy.

Add whole cloves to each "X" if desired. Whole cloves are a traditional addition to a gammon or ham joint. Push in a whole clove where each scoring mark makes an "X" on the ham, making it look studded. Cloves have a point on one side that will allow you to just push it into the ham. If you have trouble, make a small cut with a knife into the center of the "X," and slip the clove in.

Roasting the Joint

Set the ham in a roasting pan. The "gammon" is officially ham now since it's been cooked. Set it in a roasting pan large enough to hold it, preferably one with a lid. Line the pan with foil first for easy cleanup.

Make your glaze. A glaze is just a sweet, thick sauce that you coat the ham with. Glazes can contain anything from honey and mustard to maple syrup or marmalade. It's all in the flavors you want to create. A glaze is not absolutely necessary; it just adds another layer of flavor. Try equal parts of honey and mustard or equal parts maple syrup and mustard. Dijon or coarse-grain mustards are good options. Alternatively, try a marmalade glaze with 3 spoonfuls of bitter orange marmalade, the juice of 1 orange, and 5 fluid ounces (150 mL) of rum. For a spiced marinade, add about 2 teaspoons (5 g) of ground allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves to a bowl. Mix in 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of honey and 3.5 fluid ounces (100 mL) of rum. Mix it together well before using it as a glaze.

Glaze the meat by spooning it over the ham. Spoon enough glaze over the ham to coat the meat thoroughly. Use the spoon to spread it out evenly over the meat, so the flavor reaches the whole thing. If you need to, use a kitchen brush to help spread the glaze out.

Cook the meat at 425 °F (218 °C) for 20-30 minutes. Place the ham in a preheated oven. Let it cook for about 10-15 minutes, then take it out. Pour the rest of the glaze over the ham, and turn the pan around before sticking it back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Turning the pan around allows the meat to cook more evenly.

Check for golden brown fat. The ham is done when the fat turns crispy and golden brown. If the top is crisping up before the rest of the ham, try adding a bit of foil on top of the ham to protect it from the heat.

Take the ham out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes. Once the ham is done, give it a chance to rest. You should leave it alone for about 15 minutes. If you cut it too soon, it will release more juice than you want. You can carve the ham while it's hot or cold. Ham can also be served hot or cold, depending on your preference. Store ham in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer.