Cooking ham

[kazzawazzawoo]

Could someone tell me about cooking ham?

What sort of joint do I need? Is a gammon joint the same as a piece of ham? How best to cook it? I prefer roast ham.

I would like to serve it over 3 days got dinner two nights and also lunch. Would it keep that long once cooked?

Thanks

Have just successfully cooked a gammon joint in 2L of ginger ale (a Nigella recipe if you need to google it).

Made a huge traditional dinner, I then used the stock to make soup/stew, and have tons left over for ham and eggs or sandwiches. Good luck.

So is a gammon joint the same as ham then?

Do you serve it straight from the slow cooker or finish it off in the oven with a honey and mustard crust?

Also do you boil it up in water first to get rid of some of the saltiness or put it in the slow cooker cold? Wasn't the stock quite salty?

kazzawazzawoo

"Gammon" is an English word seemingly derived from the French "Jambon"

I once tried looking at the definitions in a Larousse, and they seem to be the same (basically, cured pork leg meat)

In the UK, "Gammon" is usually used for cheaper cuts, often injected with added salty water and often made up from off-cuts of meat pressed and glued together to look like a joint, and "Ham" is usually used for upmarket or deli versions, or for cheap versions pretending to be upmarket. The overlap is imprecise. I saw some bone-in Gammon joints on sale for the Christmas market that looked like whole hams, and were real meat, intended for a big family meal.

In my experience, London East Enders are more habitual eaters of gammon, and West Enders of ham. The fried gammon steak does not have an upmarket equivalent that I have seen. There are regional differences.

However, a thick slice off a piece of gammon makes a superlative bacon, if fried with eggs and mushrooms, e.g. on Christmas morning or boxing day, and it chunks up well for minestrone, though it emits salty juices which I find are best poured off for disposal.

Nigella suggests that it's gammon while raw and ham when cooked although the Americans refer to it as ham in both states. And Nigellas Ham in Coke is worth trying - seriously worth trying, I did it for the first time last week and it was loved by all. I think I may try her ham in ginger ale next!

I boil the ham in water with onion and carrot and bay leaf until cooked. Then put in a roasting dish, cut off the rind, score the fat, brush on honey/marmalade and put in a hot oven till the fat cooks and starts to go black round the edges. Keeps for about five days in the fridge.

Gammon is usually raw cured pork. Ham is usually the cooked version. Today's gammon joints are not as salty as in the past so pre-soaking isn't necessary. Many can be roasted in the oven. I like smoked gammon for flavour which I then boil for the time indicated on the label in plain water. Allow to cool a little in the cooking water so that it stays juicy when sliced. Discard the cooking water which will be very salty.

Thanks . So any gammon joint will do? I'll try roasting rather than boiling, as I prefer roast ham. Just wasn't sure whether I should be boiling it first.

I find that roasting works best with larger pieces - say 1.5kg up - and smaller pieces are better boiled. Use a roasting bag so that you retain as much moisture as possible.

Thanks

Jesus, Pigletjohn, you should set up a husband training school.

I put mine in the slow cooker. Gammon is only £3.78/kg in Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury's. I cook it on low for 6-12 hours depending on size. I rub it in herbs, garlic, mustard powder, black pepper and mustard. I also add 1.5 litres of coke or ginger beer.

Nigella adds 2 litres