Christmas Dinner cooking help

[HappySonHappyMum]

I have a larger number of guests to cook for on Christmas Day. I am used to cooking the turkey and then letting it rest whilst I then cook the roasties and veg for the rest of the meal. We have decided this year that it would be really nice to have turkey, beef and gammon as a choice for Christmas lunch with any leftovers for the evening and Boxing Day. Can anyone help with the logistics? I've cooked roast beef before and I'm presuming that I would be able to cook the turkey and beef in the oven at the same time and let them both rest while I prepeare the roasties and veg as usual. The gammon has me stumped though - I've never cooked it, my DFIL often eats it boiled - but I'm not sure if it could be cooked the day before and warmed through. Please help - I don't want to muck it all up!

I've never had gammon with Christmas lunch, but gammon is so lovely cold I'd be tempted to cook it on Christmas Eve and serve it cold. Otherwise you could do it on the day in a slow cooker if there isn't room on the hob. A small gammon joint wouldn't take that long in the oven, going in maybe after the turkey comes out?

Good luck, sounds a lot of work!

Either serve the gammon cold, or poach it the day before and refrigerate overnight.

On the day, cook the beef and turkey together. Take the ham out of the fridge so it comes back to room temp (important). When you take the turkey and beef out to rest, whack the oven up for the roasties, glaze the ham, then pop it in - it really doesn't take long to warm it through/glaze off the top.

Or do the ham the day before and serve cold. I'd definitely lean towards that - it's just as nice cold and one less thing to think about!

I would add that three main meats to choose from is a lot. I'd personally do the gammon on Christmas Eve and then leave it for Christmas night/Boxing day as a bit of a change.

I think this is where you ask someone to step up and do the ham and bring it with them.

As above, cook the ham Christmas Eve. It's lovely cold or heats up easily. I'd also maybe serve just turkey and gammon for the meal or turkey and beef and leave the gammon for Christmas Day evening or boxing day to mix things up a bit and not be eating the same meat for every meal.

I wouldn't do 3 meats either. We do gammon and turkey.
You can do the gammon xmas eve, boil and glaze it then just shove in fridge. I just give it half an hour in the hot oven on xmas day to warm through and catch the glaze.
I do a slightly adapted version of nigellas ham in cherry coke.
I also rest the turkey while im doin the ham and roast bits so that would work.

I would just do Turkey and ham, and have the ham in the slow cooker.

If you do ham, it can be done the day before. Carve it and then it can be warmed through before lunch. If you want to do it on the day, use a slow cooker and then it just needs 15 minutes or so with the glaze to finish in the oven.

Turkey can also be done the day before, carved and then in a tray with gravy over the top. Again, it just needs warmed through.

Beef. Beef is something I just cannot cook. I have no idea why but it always tastes like shoe leather!

How many are you cooking for?

I make the Hairy Bikers Christmas ham every year, it's boiled in orange juice (with onions,cloves and bay)to actually cook and then has a glaze that only really needs 20 minutes in the oven. It keeps warm for ages and is lovely hot or cold.

Phew - thanks everyone for your advice. I was really hoping that everyone would say it was OK to cook the gammon the day before and you all seem to say this is possible. I think having it precooked and warmed through on the day seems totally doable. I am catering for fussy oldies that 'suggest' that gammon is their favourite meat at Christmas but that it's too much to cook a joint just for them - so I'm hoping it will bring some joy!

My mother always has a choice of 3 meats these are not all cooked on Christmas Day the turkey especially is always on slow overnight and meats like beef and gammon and lamb I like to put in slow cooker overnight. You can serve cold or heat it up up to you remember not to think I can’t give people cold meat on a Christmas dinner you’ll probably have hot gravy and stuffing or whatever tickles you on top of the meat.

We always have leftover sandwiches Christmas night that’s if we can eat anymore normallly can’t manage the dessert until then especially after a starter an huge main. The meat is fine in fridge a few days for sandwiches and on Boxing Day we normally have a spread on table to pick at during the day and if other family members or friends etc come then not having to prepare another meal for them either.

Lamb pork and gammon I like to do

Mother always does a turkey crown thankfully as I hate a normal turkey make sure you smother and stuff your turkey first she’s normally beef and lamb for me lamb is my favourite.

When I've done a larger Xmas dinner, I've cooked all the meat on Xmas Eve. As per Nigella - no one is worried about the meat being hot, as long as the gravy is piping hot!!

My mom always does a delicious honey glazed ham the day before and we eat it cold. It is my favourite part of Christmas dinner!

Get others to cook meat and bring it with them.

@HaroldSteptoesHorse

Get others to cook meat and bring it with them.

They're all oldies! There's more OAPs in our house than young people at Christmas. I can't ask them to bring food - we try to look after them and give them an enjoyable Christmas as they're not going to be around for ever and they'd be on their own otherwise.

If they are all oldies do you really need 3 meat joints? My DM certainly eats a lot less than she used to. Will you have too many leftovers?

Lol at too many leftovers. Leftovers are the best bit.

We're doing the ham Xmas Eve, boned out turkey Xmas day. The profiteroles will be done next week and frozen ditto chocolate sauce. Smoked salmon mouse Xmas Eve. It's just a big roast to do on Xmas day that way.

I love cold gammon at xmas

@toomuchlaundry

If they are all oldies do you really need 3 meat joints? My DM certainly eats a lot less than she used to. Will you have too many leftovers?

We send leftovers home with the guests so they can enjoy them on boxing Day

I cook a gammon on Christmas Eve, it's the main event on the buffet, and there's plenty of leftovers, I would definitely offer it to someone with Christmas dinner as a special request, I'd pop a few slices in some foil and put it into the oven if they wanted it hot but it'd be fine cold.

I always do a ham Xmas Eve for our buffet and then it comes out again for Xmas dinner, never bothered to warm it. I use this recipe

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/honeyandmarmaladegla_93186/amp

@Neilsfavouritechilli you obviously haven't read the threads on here where some posters faint in horror with the prospect of eating leftovers!

@toomuchlaundry I haven't and I'm glad for that. I can live and let live on a lot of things, each to their own etc. Enjoying Christmas leftovers is a non negotiable quality in a person.

Also BBC Good Food website have a great recipe for mac and cheese with ham. Leftover Christmas ham works perfectly should you have any.