How to Cook a Smoked Gammon Ham?

Christmas is just around the corner and with it comes another chance to get creative in the kitchen!

A glazed and smoked gammon ham is a delicious dish that is one of the most traditional holiday meals, packed full of rich flavours that are sure to have your family and friends asking for seconds. So, you bought a festive centrepiece for the dinner table and are wondering just where to start.

First things first, you may have a few questions:

Is the gammon already cooked? No, it is not already cooked and requires cooking. It is brined and smoked for flavour. It shouldn’t be necessary to add additional salt in the cooking process.

Do I boil or oven-roast the gammon? For best results, we actually recommend both. For a ~2kg boneless ham we recommend the following.

Step 1 – Simmer on a moderate heat for 60mins (to lightly cook through and soften the muscle)

Step 2 – Oven-roast for 20mins (to add depth of flavour by browning and allowing the fat to reduce)

Step 3 – Glaze and roast for another 20-30mins (glaze and crisp the scored fat and crackling)

Do I need to score the fat? Yes, score the surface fat with a criss-cross pattern before oven roasting

What is a glaze? A glaze is a thick sugar-based reduction typically using brown sugar, honey, jams, sauces and aromatics that should already be on hand in your kitchen. Baste for the last 20-30mins.  

How long is this all going to take? 2 hours

Ingredients for the boil:

• 1.8kg Smoked Gammon Ham (Boneless)
• 1 sprig thyme, 2 bay leaves, and 1 rosemary sprig tied together
• 1 onion, halved
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 celery stick, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 1 tsp cloves (pin into the gammon before roasting)

Ingredients for the glaze (reduce in a saucepan for best results):

• 1½ tbsp English mustard
• 70g clear honey
• 2 tbsp soft dark brown sugar (dissolved in the juice)
• 1/2 cup of fruit juice (eg. orange juice; pineapple juice)

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

STEP 1

Put the smoked gammon in a large, deep saucepan. Add the tied herbs, onion, carrots, celery, peppercorns and cloves. Pour over enough cold water to cover the meat, then bring to the boil, cover with a lid, and lower to a gentle simmer for 1 hr. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Remove from the liquid and leave it to cool until cold enough to handle.

STEP 2

Once cooled, if there is too much surface fat, trim and keep this to make extra pork crackling. For the surface fat remaining, score the fat in a criss-cross pattern with a sharp knife. Put the ham in a roasting tray lined with foil.

STEP 3

Mix together the juice, mustard, honey and sugar in a bowl, then generously brush half over the ham. Roast for 20 mins, then brush with the remaining glaze. Return to the oven for a further 20-30 mins or until sticky and brown (grill to get extra colour and crisp if needed). Leave to cool for 15 mins before carving into ¾ cm slices.

From our team at Biltong Chief, we wish you a Merry Christmas and hope you have a special dinner with friends and family in Hong Kong. Please tag @biltongchief with your cooking experiences.

Thanks again for your terrific support of our online butchery. You can shop here for next delivery, delivering to your doorstep 7 days a week.

WINE PAIRING

Meerlust Estate Pinot Noir (HK$300)

AA Badenhorst Grenache (HK$460)

Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh (Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Blend) (HK$250)

Klein Constantia Riesling (HK$220)