Gammon joint - boil or roast

[Pennies]

I've bought a gammon joint for the first time ever and don't know whether it is best to boil it or roast it.

If you boil it does it make good juice for gravy? If so what do you do to make the gravy from the juice?

If you roast it how do you stop it from being all dry and, again, how do you make gravy for it.

Can you tell DH is a gravy fan?

Nigella does it in a 2l bottle of Coke.

It is yummy! Crap for gravy though, Although you can make a black bean soup with the liquid.

I roast with a syrup of brown sugar, golden syrup and orange juice (melted in a pan first then smothered over the ham and used to baste. Yummy, although is does become sweet you could use just some of the juices for gravy.

DH not too keen on sweet - if I go with roasting it I was just going to brush a small amount of maple syrup on it beforehand.

You might find a sauce (either parsley, cheese, maybe bread or onion) easier than a gravy with gammon

Most gravies that go with gammon are quite sweet

Sauce - now you're talking - DH will love me forever if I come up trumps with a parsley sauce. Great idea KatyMac!

I would first bring the joint up to the boil in a big casserole of water, then tip out that water (this gets rid of excess salt) and add fresh cold water.Boil the bacon with an onion, carrot, peppercorns. Fifteen minutes before it should be fully cooked I would take it out of the water, peel/cut the skin off and then score the fat, spread with mustard and then sprinkle demerara sugar over it. Cook at 200 C for 15 minutes whilst making the onion and parsley sauce (use onion that has boiled plus some of the liquor and milk).

I also thought you were supposed to boil first to cook, then roast for 20 mins to make it roasty (smothered in something spicy and sweet - eg honey and mustard).

Not that I've ever managed to get round to doing one myself!

roast. but must be soaked in cold water several times to remove the excess saltiness. Even with an unsmoked joint it can be dire as its still salty.

I rinse, then bring to boil, rinse then roast.

Brown sugar or honey a bit later on once i have scored the fat into the diamond shape and cloves stuck into the fat, Mmm i can smell that lovely smell right now!