Bone In Gammon Joint? All Answers

Roast ham is traditionally served for Boxing Day dinner in the UK, but is delicious all year round. It’s a rich and generous cut of meat that can be eaten hot or cold.

Equally perfect with hash browns and gravy, as a filling in a sandwich or mixed into a summer salad, a piece of ham – or ham as it is called when cooked – is easy to prepare.

Whether you’re roasting ham in the oven or using a slow cooker, our expert guide covers everything from how long your ham should cook to how much ham you need per person.

Also check out our guides to the best roast potatoes and great red wines – based on our independent consumer taste tests.

How to cook a ham dish

Weigh your joint to calculate the correct cook time – it’s about 20 minutes per 450g, plus an additional 20 minutes. Place the roast in a large skillet along with any spices you wish to add (e.g. peppercorns, onions, cinnamon, bay leaves, carrots). Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook for half the cooking time, skimming and discarding any white foam that rises to the top. Drain (save the water for the broth if you like) and let cool slightly before removing the rind and scoring the layer of fat. Set the oven to: 180°C/160°C fan/gas level 4 Place the meat in a roasting dish lined with foil, cover loosely with foil and place in the preheated oven. Bake for the remainder of the cooking time. Remove the foil 20-30 minutes before the end of the cooking time and brush the joint with a glaze of your choice – for example honey or maple syrup. Cook uncovered until glaze is golden.

Need to cook a ham before frying?

Not necessarily. However, cooking it first is much quicker and keeps the meat juicy. But if you prefer not to cook your ham or you don’t have a large enough pan, you can just use the oven.

You will need to soak the ham for around 12-48 hours to remove the excess salt before cooking. You don’t have to do this when cooking a ham.

Cooking times will also be longer – about 30 minutes per 450g plus an additional 30 minutes.

Cooking times for ham

Once you know the weight of your ham, you can calculate roughly how long it will take to cook. The total cooking times for a piece of boneless ham—cooking and roasting—are as follows:

750g – 1 hour

– 1 hour 1 kg – 1 hour 5 minutes

– 1 hour 5 minutes 1.5 kg – 1 hour 25 minutes

– 1 hour 25 minutes 2 kg – 1 hour 50 minutes

– 1 hour 50 minutes 2.25 kg – 2 hours

– 2 hours 2.50 kg – 2 hours 10 minutes

– 2 hours 10 minutes 2.75 kg – 2 hours 25 minutes

– 2 hours 25 minutes 3kg – 2 hours 45 minutes

If you prefer to just roast it in the oven you can change the cooking time to 30 minutes per 450g plus an additional 30 minutes.

Also pay attention to the cooking times on the packaging or ask the butcher if you are not shopping in the supermarket.

Cooking times may also vary depending on how well your oven maintains its temperature. When we’ve tested ovens, we’ve found that some ovens overheat by 30°C above the temperature you set on the dial – enough to turn a perfectly tender piece of ham into a grilled mess.

Choose an oven that cooks accurately and evenly – check out all our built-in, freestanding and range cooker reviews.

What size ham do I need?

When trying to calculate how much ham you need to cook, a good rule of thumb is around 200g per person for a boneless cut. The list below will give you a rough idea of ​​how much ham you need to feed everyone at your dinner table.

400g – 600g is enough for two people

800g is enough for two people – 1kg is enough for four people

enough for four people 1.2 kg – 1.4 kg enough for six people

enough for six people 1.6 kg – 1.8 kg enough for eight people

enough for eight people 2kg – 2.4kg is enough for 10-12 people

Enough for 10-12 people 2.6kg – 3kg – Enough for 13-15 people

Avoid serving undercooked ham to your guests — check out our reviews of the best meat thermometers

Slow cook ham

Weigh your joint to calculate the correct cooking time – it’s about 1-2 hours per 450g in the slow cooker plus another 15-20 minutes in the oven. Place the ham in the slow cooker with a quartered onion and cover with cold water. Cook for the calculated cooking time on low until the ham is tender. Top up with boiling water to cover the meat. Drain (save the water for the broth if you like) and let cool slightly before removing the rind and scoring the layer of fat. Set the oven to: 220°C/200°C Convection/Gas Mark 7 Place the meat fat-side up in a foil-lined roasting tin and brush with your choice of glaze – honey or maple syrup, for example. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the fat is nicely browned.

Check out all of our slow cooker reviews.

Recipes for ham glaze

There are many different ingredients you can use in a glaze, but a good rule of thumb is a combination of sweet, tangy, and tangy flavors. For example:

Sweet – brown sugar, honey, jam, maple syrup

– Brown Sugar, Honey, Jam, Maple Syrup Fizzy – Pineapple Juice, Apple Cider Vinegar, Orange Juice

– pineapple juice, apple cider vinegar, orange juice Spices – mustard, cloves, garlic

A classic combination is honey and mustard, but feel free to experiment to find your favorite.

Simply stir the ingredients together and spread them over your ham. If you prefer a thicker glaze, you can also cook it before adding it to your meat.

See all of our best food and drinks

What to serve with ham

Potatoes – roasted, mashed, boiled or au gratin

– roasted, pureed, boiled or au gratin Summer vegetables – asparagus, corn on the cob, peas, broad beans

– Asparagus, Corn on the Cob, Peas, Broad Beans Winter Vegetables – Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Leeks, Carrots, Parsnips, Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potato, Squash, Celeriac

– Broccoli, cabbage, kale, leeks, carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, squash, celeriac, cold cuts and pickles

In a sandwich – with fillings like mustard, chilli jam, cranberry sauce, arugula and cheese

– with fillings such as mustard, chilli jam, cranberry sauce, arugula and cheese Salads – Caesar Salad, Waldorf Salad

– Caesar salad, Waldorf salad In a quiche – with side salad

– with a side salad Soups – peas and ham, vegetables and ham

– Peas and ham, vegetables and ham fried egg and fries

Leftover cranberry sauce or Christmas Day stuffing can also be served with your ham, and for the ultimate Boxing Day sandwich, you can add these and some leftover cheese, like brie, to your ham slices for a truly indulgent snack.

Instead of gravy, parsley sauce goes well with a ham and is a nice change of pace after a Christmas Day turkey.

The A-Z of wine pairings – discover which wine goes well with ham and ham.

More ham recipes

Jamie Oliver’s ham recipes

Dubbed the “perfect festive centerpiece,” Jamie’s Sticky Mulled Wine Glazed Ham is a great alternative to your traditional Christmas turkey. It consists of a mixture of orange marmalade, pineapple, festive spices and, of course, wine.

Another of Jamie’s ham recipes swaps out the wine for rum and jerk spice. However, it requires an overnight marinade, so you need to start preparing it the day before serving.

Nigella Lawson’s Ham in Coke Recipe

Instead of water, Nigella cooks her ham in Coke before drizzling it with molasses and toasting it.

It might sound strange at first, but don’t judge until you’ve tried it. Nigella’s ham in the Coca-Cola recipe has actually become one of the most popular ham dishes.

Ham recipe by Delia Smith

Delia’s ham recipe only has a handful of ingredients and requires you to create a packet for your ham to cook.

Seasoned with mustard, sugar and cloves, Delia’s Sugar Glazed Whole Ham is a delicious recipe served hot or cold.

Once you’ve perfected your ham recipe, head straight to our guide to making roast potatoes.

What to do with leftover ham?

Leftover ham makes a great sandwich filler, and you can also have leftovers in gravy or parsley sauce with roasted veggies (bubble and squeak). You could use it in a pie along with some leftover turkey and maybe some leeks and carrots.

Can you freeze a ham joint?

Yes, ham (cooked and raw) can be frozen in an airtight container or bag for up to four months.

Make sure the ham is completely cool before freezing and only reheat once after thawing.

You should also keep in mind that a whole roast takes a while to thaw – you should wait at least 36 hours in the fridge for it to thaw completely.

Check out all our fridge freezer reviews.

A classic British centerpiece that we’d normally give out at Christmas, but really, we can cook ham all year round. Imagine how perfectly freshly roasted ham would be al fresco at a picnic with some fizz or tossed between two slices of coleslaw bread. In any case, it is a delicious meat that should be enjoyed and cooked well. Don’t be afraid when it comes to preparing a whole piece of ham, it will be so rewarding once you’ve followed our simple steps!

Simmer low and slow

Beginning with preparing your ham, many will first simmer it in water and spices to ensure the ham is not overly salty when eaten. If you’re simmering in a large pan, keep it on a gentle heat and make sure you keep an eye on it so it doesn’t start to boil. If you cook your ham, it will become chewy and firm as you eat it, which isn’t that pleasant!

Add a rub for extra flavor

This step is important to ensure your ham roast is as delicious as possible! Ham can be accompanied by a variety of rubs, flavors and glazes. After cooking, add jam for a gooey and savory outer layer, or rub with chili, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and mustard powder for an ultra-spicy kick.

Remember to staple

To prevent your ham from drying out in the oven or your glaze from burning due to the high sugar content, get your ham out and baste it every 15-20 minutes to make sure it stays moist and juicy!

To study or not to study?

Traditionally we’ve studded our ham with whole cloves over the top for decoration – sure the roast ham looks amazing as a centerpiece, but realistically, who wants to eat a whole cloves? They can be pretty spicy! Do without cloves and take more time for glazing and grating – it will be worth it.

Monkey Business Pictures

Here are a few ideas for delicious glazes and rubs that go perfectly with this salty, meaty ham:

Ginger beer & tangerine ham. Glaze of brown sugar and mustard. Ham glazed with honey. Chili & Christmas seasoned ham. Maple & Mustard.

Would you like to try it yourself? Try our delicious slow cooker ham with brown icing.

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How do I cook a ham?

A whole ham is impractical these days as it can weigh up to 10kg, so find it cut into smaller, more manageable pieces – corner, middle, knuckle end and house ham.

The middle ham is the top half of the leg. It weighs 2-3 kg and is the best ham for roasting or cooking because it gives the largest and cleanest slices. It can either be cooked on the bone or deboned and rolled for ease of carving. You still need a large stockpot or preserving pan to cook it in.

1. First, soak the ham to remove the excess salt. Talk to your butcher about the cure they use – some are stronger than others, but most require around 12 to 48 hours of soaking. Cover the ham with fresh water, changing it every 12 hours. To check if you’ve removed enough salt, cut off a small piece, place it in a saucepan of boiling water and let it cook until done. Taste it and if it’s still too salty, soak the roast in fresh water a little longer.

2. Cook the ham according to the recipe you are using. If you want to cook it the night before serving, let cool and store in a cold place overnight (a garage or shed is ideal, just keep covered), glaze and bake next Day. We recommend, if you are doing it this way, bringing the ham back to room temperature (this takes about 5-6 hours), then glazing and baking at about 200ºC. You just want the glaze to get gooey without actually heating the meat.

Ham vs Ham

Gammon is a cured, raw piece of pork hindquarters. It comes smoked or unsmoked (green). Once cooked, it turns into a ham. As simple as that!

recipes

Here are some recipes you can try

Apple Bourbon Smoked Ham

Apple baked and glazed ham

Baked ham with sticky relish

A ham isn’t just for Christmas – it’s a good investment all year round, from picnic season to birthday parties to New Year’s Eve. Glaze it and watch the crowds flock.

Grabbing a cold ham from the fridge is one of the highlights of the holiday season for some. Once glazed and studded with decorative carnations, you have a real feast on your hands. And the best part is, it just keeps giving—even a small ham roast will keep a household sandwiched for up to five days. It’s not for nothing that this cola ham with maple glaze is one of our most popular recipes at Christmas time.

Both ham and ham are cut from the hind legs of a pig. Ham is sold raw and ham is sold ready to eat. Ham was cured in the same manner as bacon, while ham was dry-cured or boiled. Once you have cooked your ham, it is called a ham.

To prepare your Christmas ham you need to buy a ham – choose smoked or unsmoked and boned or boneless depending on the recipe and preference.

How do you prepare a ham dish?

Soaking the ham in water to remove saltiness is generally a thing of the past, but check with your butcher or check package directions to be sure.

First, weigh your meat to calculate cooking times. You need to cook 20 minutes per 450g, plus 20 minutes. Place the meat in a large pan, cover with cold water and bring to a boil, seasoning to taste (cinnamon, bay leaf, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and onions work well). Cook for half the calculated cooking time, periodically skimming and discarding any white foam that rises to the surface. Drain, reserving the broth if you like and allow to cool slightly. Remove the top layer of skin, leaving a thin layer of fat around the meat. Place in a roasting tin lined with aluminum foil, cover with more foil and bake at 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4 for the remainder of the cooking time. 20 to 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, brushing with the glaze of your choice – a mixture of maple syrup and coarse mustard is good. Cook uncovered until glaze is golden. Try Caroline’s ham recipe.

Watch this video guide for advice on glazing and roasting a ham:

The best ham and ham recipes

Glazed ham

Add a sticky honey-mustard glaze to the ham for a delicious sweetness that contrasts with the saltiness of the meat. It’s great for a celebratory dinner.

Glazed ham

Seasoned Christmas ham with membrillo glaze

This Christmas ham recipe uses sweet and gooey quince paste, or “membrillo.” It also uses the time-honoured method of studding your joint with cloves. It’s easy: Score the skin in a diamond pattern, then pierce the center of each diamond with a clove.

Seasoned Christmas ham with membrillo glaze

Slow Baked Sticky Ham

Bypass the pre-cooking phase and use an all-in-one slow-cooking method. This tropically flavored ham recipe is made with syrup, pineapple juice and allspice and slow cooked in the oven for 4 hours until buttery smooth.

Slow Baked Sticky Ham

Cola ham from the slow cooker

Cook your ham in a few liters of coke to really increase the stickiness. Once you’ve cooked the roast in its soda bath, drain and transfer to a roasting pan and glaze with a maple and mustard mixture.

Cola ham with maple mustard glaze

Cola ham from the slow cooker

Sticky Maple Glazed Ham with Baked Apple Sauce

The secret of this storybook ham is to slowly roast it in a foil packet in a spiced apple juice bath. The steamy environment allows the flavors to mingle in a dreamy milieu. It’s all topped off with a maple glaze, whole baked apples, and golden (yes, golden) star anise.

Sticky Maple Glazed Ham with Baked Apple Sauce

Recipe for leftover ham

Classic pub grub

Who would turn up their noses at a traditional plate of ham and puree? It’s ideal for the post-Christmas period when everyone is a little full and makes a great easy dinner all year round. The salty ham goes perfectly with sweet apple and a crunchy celeriac purée.

Ham steaks with leek and celery puree

pot ham

This one is perfect if you have a spare piece of ham. Shred into threadlike strips, then pour over clarified butter. The set yellow top layer is a traditional preservation closure for meat and fish.

pot ham

Add to the soup

Peas and ham are one of the best soup combinations. Our light green version uses grated ham as a garnish to finish. For a really rich flavor, reserve any cooking liquid from homemade ham and use it as broth.

Pea and ham soup

Warming winter cakes

This sensational chunky cake makes great use of festive leftovers. Pair your ham with cranberries, pistachios and warm Christmas flavors like nutmeg, mace and sage. It calls for homemade hot water crust pastries, so one for a long kitchen session.

Four & Twenty Chicken & Ham Pie

Soft soufflé omelet

Whisk Ready: Give your omelet the soufflé effect to dress up a brunch table. But not too much – this variant with leftover ham tastes best with baked beans.

Cheese and ham soufflé omelet

Try one of our other Christmas ham recipes and see what you can make with your leftovers.

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Do you have a penchant for homemade ham? Share your recipe with us below…

Soak the ham according to the supplier’s instructions.

Then tear off two very large pieces of foil and place one lengthwise and the other across your largest roasting pan. Place the ham in the middle and first guide the transverse piece of foil upwards and seal the two ends by folding them into a kind of fold. This should be done loosely to allow air to circulate around the ham. Now bring up the lengthwise pieces at each end and pin these all the way around to seal what is now a packet. Place the packet (in the tin) in the oven and bake for 20 minutes per pound (450g) – that’s 4 hours for a 12 lb (5.4 kg) piece or 4 hours 40 minutes for a 14 lb (6.3 kg) piece ) piece.

About 30 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the ham and increase the heat to Gas Mark 7, 425ºF (220ºC). Open the foil and place the ham on a work surface (with help!). Now drain all the juices (and keep in a bowl: the bacon fat will set and can be used for frying and the jelly to enrich lentil or pea soups). Next, peel off all of the skin – make a few horizontal snips and you should be able to peel it off in strips, using a towel to protect your hands from the heat. Now score the fat with criss-cross cuts to create a diamond pattern. Stick a clove in the center of each diamond shape, then use a spatula to spread the mustard evenly. Finally, sprinkle the sugar on top and press down with your hands.

Return the ham to the pan and bake for a further 30 minutes or until glazed, golden mahogany color. If it is to be served hot, let it rest for about 45 minutes before slicing.

If cold, let cool slowly overnight.

We’ve taste tested all of the canned, carton and jar tomatoes – here are the ones you should buy

Some of the best bacon comes from pure breeds like Tamworth, Middle White, and Saddleback. Look for quality brands in your local supermarket or visit a good independent butcher.

Buying tips: what to look out for when buying bacon

Good quality bacon should not smell of anything. If it smells, it’s not fresh.

Bacon should feel slightly moist, but not wet or slimy.

The fat should be firm and white – not yellow at all unless smoked.

The meat must not have any yellow or green shimmering spots; These spots suggest it’s past its best.

The rind should be smooth and elastic, but the color depends on the ripening process it has undergone. Some will be darker than others.

The meat should be firm (not wet and tender), lean, and deep pink in color.

The Cure

There are two basic methods of curing: dry curing and wet curing. Dry-cured bacon has been rubbed with a mixture of salt and sugar and is usually the method that produces the best bacon—with a drier finish and a fuller, more distinct flavor. With wet-cured bacon, the pork side is dipped in brine (a salt-water solution), which penetrates the meat faster than dry-cure, but it’s also the method most prone to abuse.

Some manufacturers inject the brine directly into the meat, causing it to bulk up its weight and help improve profits. By law, they can add up to 10% of the meat’s weight in brine without having to declare it. But all of this produces tasteless bacon that shrinks during cooking, leaching out a white “curdy” liquid that makes it virtually impossible to get a crispy bacon rasher.

Tenderly sweet bacon has undergone a milder curing process that typically uses more sugar. The aging process can last from a few days to several months and can be left as is, which is “green” bacon, or then smoked.

The Cuts (Head to Tail)

A pig destined for bacon is cut in half along the backbone, like fresh pork, and then divided into three parts: front, middle and hind legs.

The front end

The collar – is cut from the shoulder area of ​​the pig just behind the head. It is usually boned and rolled, and may be divided into two pieces.

– is cut from the shoulder area of ​​the pig just behind the head. It is usually boned and rolled, and may be divided into two pieces. The Prime Collar – one of the best joints to cook and weighs around 2.75kg

– one of the best joints to cook and weighs around 2.75 kg. The end of the collar – a smaller, more economical cut, weighing about 1 kg.

– a smaller, more economical cut that weighs about 1 kg. Prime hock, a small fatty roast weighing around 600g, excellent for flavoring soups or cooked with dried beans, peas and lentils, and the knuckle, which despite its size (around 1.5kg) consists of a lot is bone-in and is best deboned, skinned and the meat diced for use with other meats in casseroles. When this portion is deboned, rolled, cooked, and chilled, it is often referred to as picnic ham.

The middle

The Back – used to be available on the bone and was cut into bacon chops between the ribs, but these are a delicacy and unfortunately hard to find these days. It is more commonly deboned and thinly sliced ​​into bacon for quick grilling or frying.

– used to be available on the bone and cut into bacon chops between the ribs, but these are a delicacy and unfortunately hard to find these days. It is more commonly deboned and thinly sliced ​​into bacon for quick grilling or frying. The Belly – is again deboned and thinly sliced ​​in streaky bacon.

– is boned again and thinly sliced ​​into streaky bacon. Medium rashers – larger rashers that consist of both the loin and the belly.

The hind leg

Known as ham, this is a huge piece that weighs around 8.5-9.5kg on average, making it difficult to prepare at home. Therefore, more often it is divided into smaller sections.

Corner ham is, as you might expect, a small, lean, boneless roast cut from the top corner of the whole leg, weighing about 4 pounds. It is ideal for cooking or frying and can also be cut crosswise – a little thicker than bacon – into lean grilled slices.

is, as you might expect, a small, skinny, boneless joint cut from the top corner of the whole leg, weighing about 4 pounds. It is ideal for cooking or frying and can also be cut crosswise – a little thicker than bacon – into lean grilled slices. Middle ham or fillet end of ham is the top half of the leg, weighs around 2-3kg and is the best ham joint for frying or cooking because it gives the largest and cleanest slices. It can either be cooked on the bone or deboned and rolled for ease of carving. It is also the part that is cut crosswise to obtain ham steaks, ideal for grilling.

or is the top half of the leg, weighs about 2-3 kg and is the best roast for frying or cooking because it gives the largest and cleanest slices. It can either be cooked on the bone or deboned and rolled for ease of carving. It is also the clippings that are cut crosswise, which is ideal for grilling. Ham shank or shank can be cooked bone-in or boneless, making a slightly more economical cut for cooking or pre-cooking and baking with cold eating.

Slipper ham is a small, lean piece cut from the side of the whole ham and weighs around 750g. Ideal for cooking or roasting.

Pancetta – a type of Italian cured pork belly bacon, and it’s very similar to our dry-cured streaky bacon. It can be flavored or smoked with a choice of herbs and rolled into a cylindrical shape. It can either be bought in one piece, or already cut into small cubes, or cut into thin slices. It has fantastic flavor and is an essential part of many Italian dishes.

recipes

Recipes with Hock

Recipes with bacon

Recipes with pancetta

• Categorized under Food | Difference between bacon and ham

Everyone knows bacon. Bacon is a popular dish served for breakfast, usually served with rice, eggs, or bread. Bacon is a popular breakfast dish not just in America but around the world. The popular way to prepare bacon is to fry it so it has a strong flavor and is deliciously crispy when eaten. However, few know the origin of bacon and its affinity with ham, another delicacy that is often compared to bacon these days. Restaurants that serve bacon have also included ham on their menu, which confuses most people. Some people think ham is the same as bacon, just prepared in a different way, while others think ham is unrelated to bacon at all.

Bacon and ham have something in common: they both come from pigs. Speck was recognized as a delicacy by the Germans and Dutch as early as 1330. The classic bacon dish is usually made from the side and back of a pig. Today, however, bacon mostly comes from the side of the pig. Each strip of bacon is cured with salt. Bacon is named for the part it comes from. For example, back bacon comes from the back of the pig, while belly bacon comes from the belly part. Medium rashers of bacon can be obtained from the pork belly or loin. Ham as a dish, on the other hand, was recognized later, in 1486. Ham is obtained from a roast, which also yields ham. These joints are usually found on the pig’s front leg. Unknown to some people, ham can be cooked in a variety of ways depending on what part of the pig the ham comes from. An example of this is the middle ham, which is also called fillet ham. This is obtained from the upper joint of the leg and can be cooked by either boiling or frying. Medium ham can be cooked with the meat still surrounding the bone, or peeled off and then rolled into pieces for easy eating.

Other types of hams include slipper, knuckle-end, and corner hams, also known as lean grilled slices. Bacon and ham also have other differences. For one thing, ham is usually thicker than bacon and also more expensive. Some people prefer ham to bacon, not only because it’s thicker, but also because it goes well with a wider variety of dishes. Both bacon and ham can be either wet or dry cured and can be freely smoked. Wet curing uses brine, while dry curing uses salt and sugar. One important thing to remember about both bacon and ham is that quality pork shouldn’t have an odor, nor should it be wet. Bacon or ham with green or yellow translucent patches means the meat is already stale and should be replaced.

summary

1. Bacon is more popular than ham because it’s a breakfast staple, often mixed with rice, eggs, or bread.

2. Bacon was first introduced as a delicacy by the Germans and Dutch in 1330. Ham was recognized much later, in 1486.

3. Bacon and ham both come from pigs.

4. Bacon comes from the side and back of pigs.

5. Ham comes from the joints of the front legs of pigs.

6. There are two ways of curing bacon and ham: wet curing, which involves dipping pork in brine, and dry curing, which involves mixing pork with salt and sugar.

7. Ham is more expensive than bacon because it comes in thicker slices. Some people prefer ham over bacon.

1 JOINT WINNER: Tesco Crackling Gammon Joint with Maple and Bourbon Glaze

Overall rating: 84/100

This impressive ham on the bone with a crispy, well-browned crust was the joint winner in our best Christmas ham and ham taste test. Juicy and easy to carve, we loved the salty yet sweet taste of maple with warming alcoholic undertones. A true crowd pleaser with an incredibly smooth texture that melts in your mouth.

This ham was the joint winner in our best Christmas ham taste test.

BUY NOW Tesco, £16 for 2.8kg

Boneless ham

Ham comes from the hind leg of a pig after it has been cured in a dry rub or in brine.

Choose from our range of unsmoked and smoked ham joints, including free range hams, at Waitrose & Partners. When buying a roast ham, count on 150-170 g per person.

Serving suggestions:

A ham piece can be cooked by boiling or a combination of boiling and baking. Cooked ham can be served hot, traditionally with a parsley sauce or a sweet cranberry and port wine relish. It’s just as delicious cold, too, as part of a buffet with a selection of meats and chutneys, or satisfactorily sandwiched between rounds of bloomer bread.

To store:

Store in the refrigerator in the original packaging or in a covered container under and away from cooked and ready-to-eat food. Store until the use by date. Freeze to freeze on day of purchase for up to 1 month. To thaw, remove from the original packaging and place on a plate or tray and cover. Before cooking, thaw thoroughly in the bottom of the refrigerator and away from cooked and ready-to-eat foods. Never refreeze raw meat that has been frozen and then thawed. Wash countertops, cutting boards, utensils and hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.

How to cook ham pieces:

— To cook a ham: Place in a pan and cover with cold water, add cloves, black peppercorns or bay leaves as needed to flavor it.

– Bring the water to a boil, when the water boils, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes per 450g plus 20 minutes, or until fully cooked.

– To cook and bake a roast (this will give the fat an attractive sheen): Cook halfway through cooking as above, drain and wrap roast well in foil and place in a roasting pan.

– For the remaining cooking time, bake in a preheated oven at 180°C, gas mark 4, until everything is cooked through.

– If a glazed finish is desired: increase the oven temperature to 220°C gas level 7. 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, remove the roast from the oven and open the foil, remove the rind and carve the fat in a diamond pattern. Stud the fat with cloves and sprinkle with brown sugar or brush with a mixture of 4 tablespoons jam and 5 tablespoons clear honey. Place the roast back in the oven and bake for the remainder of the cooking time until the fat is golden brown.

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Discover ham recipes

How to cook and prepare your own ham and ham

Cook and prepare your own ham

Would you like to prepare your own ham at home? We have put together a simple and easy to follow recipe for you.

Why cook your own ham?

When you cook your own ham, you really get a product that is vastly superior to the ham you find in supermarket refrigerators.

Well worth the effort and once cooked it keeps well in the fridge and can be used for family snacks, sandwiches, packed lunches as well as multiple family meals like risotto, omelettes, soups and quiches.

It’s also healthier since you can control the salt and sugar levels.

What is the difference between ham and ham?

This is a common question we get asked at our Farmers Market stands and in our butcher shops. They are essentially the same cuts made from a pig’s hind legs. A ham is raw and usually cured, becoming a ham after cooking.

What size of ham to use?

Ham comes in kilo sizes from 1kg to 8kg and is offered smoked or unsmoked and with or without bones. Leaving the bone in gives greater depth of flavor but makes carving a little more difficult. You also get better stock from a bone-in joint.

When cooking your ham for the first time, stick to one boneless and one smaller cut. We’ve used a 1kg ham here to show just how easy it can be. Once you’ve mastered this, you can opt for a 4kg showstopper for your next party centerpiece.

How to prepare your ham

To soak or not to soak? Check with your butcher or the packaging instructions if you need to soak your ham. Here at Puddledub our hams don’t need to be soaked as they have been gently cured.

When should you soak your ham?

Traditionally, hams were cured with large amounts of salt as a preservative. Soaking was necessary to remove all that salt to keep it from spoiling the flavor.

Cook your ham

before you start

1. Weigh your meat to calculate cooking times. To calculate your cooking time, allow 20 minutes per lb (1 lb is 454g). For example, it takes 40 minutes for a 1 kg ham.

2. Now it’s time to check that your ham fits in your pot and that the lid can close properly.

3. Most hams are tied with string. Leave these intact at this stage.

We put together the following recipe with Jenny Thomson at Courses for Cooks. We have a used 1kg boneless unsmoked ham. It’s pretty much the smallest ham you can get, costing anywhere from £7 to over £15 depending on the supplier. An unsmoked Puddledub 1kg ham costs £9.06.

We’re also going all out and using ginger beer instead of water on this first attempt at cooking our ham. The benefit of this is that it produces a nice sweet taste with a mild kick, but the downside is that you can’t use the liquid as a broth afterwards.

Ham with clove and mustard crust

Served 4

ingredients

1 kg Puddledub ham

750 ml good quality ginger beer

½ tsp peppercorns

1 stick of celery

2 small carrots

1 medium onion

For the glaze

1 tbsp Demerara sugar

1 teaspoon English mustard powder

Whole cloves

method

1. Place the meat, ginger beer, vegetables and peppercorns in a high-sided saucepan, filling to just cover the meat with water.

2. Bring to a boil, place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook 40 minutes per kilo.

3. Mix the Demerara sugar and English mustard powder with 1 teaspoon water to form a paste for the glaze.

4. Once the meat has cooked for the allotted time, remove it from the pot and place it on an ovenproof dish.

5. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4

6. Remove any strings holding the ham together.

7. Using a sharp knife, remove the rind from the ham so that a layer of fat adheres to the meat.

TIP from the Butcher Shop Topside ham cuts like the one pictured below have no fat on the cut. A fat disk is attached by your butcher and tied with string. Removing the rind and scoring the layer of fat and applying the glaze can be difficult, but it means the top is the leanest ham cut. All other cuts of ham have a layer of fat that sticks to the cut, making trimming the rind and scoring the thin layer of fat much easier. Be careful though as it will be hot.

8. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern, push cloves into the incisions, then spread the sugar and mustard mixture evenly over the fat.

9. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, then remove from the oven.

10. If eating hot, allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before carving. If eating cold, allow to cool completely and then place in the fridge overnight before using for sandwiches etc.

Nutritional Information Per Serving. This recipe makes enough for 4 people.

calories 327

Fat 13.3g

Saturates 5.4g

carbohydrates 3g

Egg white 49.3g

Sugar 2.7g

salt 3mg

Browse Puddledub Gammon

Joanna Mitchell Jo Mitchell is a member of the Mitchell family and helps market Puddledub. The mother of 2 boys who lives on the family farm helps Jo tell the story of farm life and origins and sample many of Puddledub’s gluten free products.

The back

How to cook and prepare your own ham and ham

Cook and prepare your own ham

Would you like to prepare your own ham at home? We have put together a simple and easy to follow recipe for you.

Why cook your own ham?

When you cook your own ham, you really get a product that is vastly superior to the ham you find in supermarket refrigerators.

Well worth the effort and once cooked it keeps well in the fridge and can be used for family snacks, sandwiches, packed lunches as well as multiple family meals like risotto, omelettes, soups and quiches.

It’s also healthier since you can control the salt and sugar levels.

What is the difference between ham and ham?

This is a common question we get asked at our Farmers Market stands and in our butcher shops. They are essentially the same cuts made from a pig’s hind legs. A ham is raw and usually cured, becoming a ham after cooking.

What size of ham to use?

Ham comes in kilo sizes from 1kg to 8kg and is offered smoked or unsmoked and with or without bones. Leaving the bone in gives greater depth of flavor but makes carving a little more difficult. You also get better stock from a bone-in joint.

When cooking your ham for the first time, stick to one boneless and one smaller cut. We’ve used a 1kg ham here to show just how easy it can be. Once you’ve mastered this, you can opt for a 4kg showstopper for your next party centerpiece.

How to prepare your ham

To soak or not to soak? Check with your butcher or the packaging instructions if you need to soak your ham. Here at Puddledub our hams don’t need to be soaked as they have been gently cured.

When should you soak your ham?

Traditionally, hams were cured with large amounts of salt as a preservative. Soaking was necessary to remove all that salt to keep it from spoiling the flavor.

Cook your ham

before you start

1. Weigh your meat to calculate cooking times. To calculate your cooking time, allow 20 minutes per lb (1 lb is 454g). For example, it takes 40 minutes for a 1 kg ham.

2. Now it’s time to check that your ham fits in your pot and that the lid can close properly.

3. Most hams are tied with string. Leave these intact at this stage.

We put together the following recipe with Jenny Thomson at Courses for Cooks. We have a used 1kg boneless unsmoked ham. It’s pretty much the smallest ham you can get, costing anywhere from £7 to over £15 depending on the supplier. An unsmoked Puddledub 1kg ham costs £9.06.

We’re also going all out and using ginger beer instead of water on this first attempt at cooking our ham. The benefit of this is that it produces a nice sweet taste with a mild kick, but the downside is that you can’t use the liquid as a broth afterwards.

Ham with clove and mustard crust

Served 4

ingredients

1 kg Puddledub ham

750 ml good quality ginger beer

½ tsp peppercorns

1 stick of celery

2 small carrots

1 medium onion

For the glaze

1 tbsp Demerara sugar

1 teaspoon English mustard powder

Whole cloves

method

1. Place the meat, ginger beer, vegetables and peppercorns in a high-sided saucepan, filling to just cover the meat with water.

2. Bring to a boil, place a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook 40 minutes per kilo.

3. Mix the Demerara sugar and English mustard powder with 1 teaspoon water to form a paste for the glaze.

4. Once the meat has cooked for the allotted time, remove it from the pot and place it on an ovenproof dish.

5. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4

6. Remove any strings holding the ham together.

7. Using a sharp knife, remove the rind from the ham so that a layer of fat adheres to the meat.

TIP from the Butcher Shop Topside ham cuts like the one pictured below have no fat on the cut. A fat disk is attached by your butcher and tied with string. Removing the rind and scoring the layer of fat and applying the glaze can be difficult, but it means the top is the leanest ham cut. All other cuts of ham have a layer of fat that sticks to the cut, making trimming the rind and scoring the thin layer of fat much easier. Be careful though as it will be hot.

8. Score the fat in a criss-cross pattern, push cloves into the incisions, then spread the sugar and mustard mixture evenly over the fat.

9. Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, then remove from the oven.

10. If eating hot, allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes before carving. If eating cold, allow to cool completely and then place in the fridge overnight before using for sandwiches etc.

Nutritional Information Per Serving. This recipe makes enough for 4 people.

calories 327

Fat 13.3g

Saturates 5.4g

carbohydrates 3g

Egg white 49.3g

Sugar 2.7g

salt 3mg

Browse Puddledub Gammon

Joanna Mitchell Jo Mitchell is a member of the Mitchell family and helps market Puddledub. The mother of 2 boys who lives on the family farm helps Jo tell the story of farm life and origins and sample many of Puddledub’s gluten free products.

The back

Gammon “gam?n” (noun BRITISH): Ham that has been cured or smoked like bacon.

Find the perfect ham

Ham is available in supermarkets and butcher shops at this time of year. Free range is always good for your taste buds and conscience (though maybe not your wallet) if you can find it. Choose a size that will feed all your guests (with some leftovers for Boxing Day sandwiches) and choose between boneless or boneless.

salting and smoking

The curing and smoking process preserves the ham. Curing can be done dry or wet (either coated in salt and left hanging or soaked in a salt solution). Dry curing gives you a lot more flavor since a lot of the water has evaporated. Smoking gives the ham its distinctive flavor and can be done with a variety of woods to bring in more flavor.

Bones in or bones out?

Bone-in ham takes longer to cook and is more difficult to carve, but is usually slightly cheaper per kg. Boneless ham has been cut off the bone and rolled (usually tied with string or netting) and ready to be carved like a loaf.

What size?

Bargain at around 200g of protein per person for a main meal. If you’re also serving turkey or another roast, you won’t need as much, and if you include children, they’ll eat less per person. The bottom line? An average 1.7kg roast (bone in) will serve 8-10 people. With bones in, a 1.7kg roast would feed approximately 6-8 people.

Freeze

Ham can be successfully frozen for 3-6 months. The curing process also keeps it very good in the fridge, so you don’t need to freeze your ham if you buy it in the 2-3 weeks before Christmas. It means that if you buy a cheap ham on sale AFTER Christmas, you can keep it for your Christmas in July!

soaking

The first step to ham nirvana is to soak your ham overnight. Place it in a large bowl or bucket and cover with fresh water. If you have a frozen ham, you can thaw it in water. Discard the water in the morning; Soaking will remove excess salt.

Cooking vs roasting

There are two ways to cook ham: boiling or frying. Cooking requires a large pot, but if you’re preparing another roast for Christmas dinner and oven space is limited, cooking is a great option. Put the ham in a large saucepan, cover with fresh water, add a carrot, an onion, 10 peppercorns, a bay leaf and a few cloves. Simmer 20 minutes per 450g plus an additional 20 minutes. Top up with water if necessary. Leave to cool in the water.

Frying can also be done in the oven or on the fire. Place the ham in a large roasting pan and cover with foil. Roast 450 g at 180 °C for 30 minutes plus a further 30 minutes. Remove the foil 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Follow the glaze directions for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

A hybrid method can also be used. If you don’t have a pot large enough to cook the roast, place it in a roasting pan, fill the pan with water, and cover with foil. Bake in the oven according to the roasting instructions and leave to cool in the water.

Testing for skill

Test if the ham is done by inserting a knife and checking if the meat is tender. If it still feels “bouncy,” cook an additional 15 minutes and test again.

glazing

By far the most important step! Once your cooked ham is cooked and slightly cooled, or after the last 30 minutes of roasting. Remove the skin from the outside of the ham and discard. Trim away excess fat, leaving a layer of fat of about 1 cm all over the roast. Score lightly with a knife to create a diamond pattern. This will help the frosting stick, so don’t skip this step.

If you want to go old school, set each corner of the diamonds with a carnation. Brush the glaze over all the fat and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or, if roasting, return to the oven for the last 30 minutes. Add more glaze every few minutes. The glaze should be bubbly and golden (don’t let it turn black). Leave to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Easy Ham Glaze Recipe:

½ cup smooth apricot jam

½ cup molasses sugar

1 tablespoon hot English mustard powder

Mix well and brush generously over the ham to glaze it.

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