What exactly is Gammon and is it nice?

[Dustyblue]

Hello All,

I'm Australian & read a lot of novels set in England. Recently many fictional characters have been pulling a 'roast gammon' out of their Agas or Rayburns & I was intrigued.

Apparently it's not quite ham but not quite a usual pork leg roast? As in, it'll be brined or salted before being baked... how is that NOT a ham?

The Australian Pork Board (yes, there is such a thing) has nothing to say about it, and I've never seen it for sale.

The mystery makes me want it more... pls fill me in? :)

I think it’s basically just ham!

It's bacon.
A bacon joint.
Nothing exciting but very nice with cauliflower cheese

From the BBC: “Both gammon and ham are cuts from the hind legs of a pig. Gammon has been cured in the same way as bacon whereas ham has been dry-cured or cooked. Once you've cooked your gammon, it is then called ham.”

When people ask what is the difference between gammon and ham it is quite simply that the gammon joint will be sold raw and needs to be cooked. Once you have cooked the joint it then becomes ham.

Ham is sold already cooked, often sliced, or dry-cured and ready for eating.

Gammonis the name given to the meat from the hind legs of a pig that has been cured in the same way as bacon.

Yes, it's lovely - like a thick bacon, because it is cured in the same way (and can be smoked or unsmoked).

Gammon is the name for ham before it is cooked. Once it is cooked, it becomes a ham. So gammon = raw ham. And yes, it’s delicious!

It's basically ham. Same part of the pig, looks the same, tastes about the same (to me anyway). Gammon is sold raw and has to be cooked, ham can be eaten as it comes.

Not sure if gammon may be cheaper than the equivalent weight of ham?

Gammon with chips, peas and a fried egg is delicious.

Yes.
I think of it as a whole ham, cooked sliced thickly or alternatively bought as steaks from the butcher (and served with a ring of pineapple in top!)

Well, when we lived in Oz we couldn’t find gammon for love nor money. The nearest we got to it was picnic ham.

I am not sure but

British ham refers to pre cooked sliced pork you put in a sandwich

American ham is what they have at thanks giving which they cook at home, Gammon is basically the same thing.

Gammon steak is a thick slice of raw gammon joint, the classic meal is with chips and peas I think.

Ok, so- it's a 'raw' ham. As opposed to a cooked ham that you'd glaze and then bake.

Can you crackle the skin on a gammon joint?

You don't bake cooked ham, it would be horrible. You glaze and bake gammon and it becomes ham.

It has rind that you generally remove rather than crackle. I stud the fat with cloves usually and baste in marmalade

I really fancy gammon now. I usually do it in the slow cooker but fancy trying in the oven.

As others have said, it’s just cooked ham that you eat hot (as a roast). It is surprisingly nice, actually. Lovely with cauliflower cheese, or as a roast with roast potatoes etc. It’s also nice alongside a roast chicken if you have a lot of people.

It’s hot ham , and it’s utterly MINGING ( really not envy)

@minniemomo in Australia we glaze and bake legs of cooked ham at Christmas. I’m pretty sure the American thanksgiving hams are also cooked when you buy them. You bake them at a low temperature. Not horrible at all, they’re delicious!

Gammon is salty so you normally soak in water for a day before cooking.
We like it salty so I do a half soak and then roast to crackle up. You can just boil it but Dad likes a salt crust.

If you are going sweet (gammon and pineapple) then honey to baste but no honey if you are going with egg and chips.

Any cabbage or greens go well with a salty roast.

Gammon is a noun describing white, middle-aged, angry and florid-faced men with right wing views who are heavily concentrated in England's Brexit heartlands.
Nice? Not very.

It's an excuse to eat broad beans in parsley sauce.

It's also good with whole grain mustard and mash or egg and chips! Pineapple sounds bonkers but that works too.

[quote Remaker]@minniemomo in Australia we glaze and bake legs of cooked ham at Christmas. I’m pretty sure the American thanksgiving hams are also cooked when you buy them. You bake them at a low temperature. Not horrible at all, they’re delicious![/quote]
Cheers for clearing that up, I was getting confused. Glazed & baked legs of cooked ham are delicious, but we eat them cold typically.

I think a hot roasted ham/gammon sounds lush. Not that I've any hope of finding one, but at least now I know what the hell it is!

My mum does a mustard and brown sugar coating so when you bake it it has this sweet, mustard crust. Yum

Is this becoming trendy or something? I feel like this is the third time I’ve heard about gammon this week 🤔

Gammon and pineapple was the thing in the seventies.

@Dustyblue if you’re interested Pacdon Park sell them, along with other UK pork products. They have stockists in all states I think, just check their website.

@WildLadyLucy

Gammon is a noun describing white, middle-aged, angry and florid-faced men with right wing views who are heavily concentrated in England's Brexit heartlands. Nice? Not very.

The Australian asking about gammon reminds me of when DP and I took an Australian friend of his to a carvery for lunch.

For the benefit of the OP, if you don't have these in Australia it's a pub where you have to queue up to choose from a buffet that is all the components of a roast dinner. They generally serve you the meat and trimmings then you put your veg on your plate yourself.

The server asked DP mate if he wanted a Yorkshire pudding. He gave us a terrified look and asked 'do I?'.

Of course we told him that he did indeed want a Yorkshire pudding, which he liked very much and went back to Australia furnished with the recipe for how to make them.