An easy and foolproof way to cook the gammon or ham in the slow cooker or crockpot. Cooking the ham with coke adds depth of flavor and the meat comes out so moist and tender. At the end of cooking the ham is glazed all over and then placed in the oven to crisp up and caramelize! So yummy!
My mother-in-law, when she was still alive, used to cook fresh ham for us. We would eat it for several days but never get tired of it because it was so good. She used gammon (the English ham) and we could never have enough of it.
We certainly miss her now that she has left us. In memory of her kindness and generosity and how she often showed us wonderful hospitality whenever we visited her, I decided to make ham for our family, just like she did. I don’t know how exactly she cooked hers and sadly I never got the chance to ask so I had to look online for some recipes on how to cook gammon.
Thankfully, I found this easy recipe for ham or gammon cooked in the slow cooker. Grandma Raines has used her slow cooker several times to make us her delicious beef burgundy. Her crockpot was still in good shape and worked perfectly well so I made use of this to make this yummy gammon cooked in coke! Yes, that cola – coca cola!
You may have noticed that I use ham and gammon interchangeably in this post. While they are similar, they are in fact quite different, too. Initially, I thought gammon was just the English name for ham but little did I know upon some online research that they do have some differences too. Below are the basic similarities and differences between the two.
What is the difference between Gammon and Ham?
• Both ham and gammon are meat from the pork coming from the hind legs of the pig, but the difference lies in curing and treatment.
• Gammon is sold raw, and one needs to cook it before eating.
• Ham is sold cured and cooked to be used in sandwiches and salads.
• Gammon is traditionally been associated with Christmas festivities, and it is hard to imagine Christmas without gammon.
• Gammon, after it has been cooked, is nothing but ham.
Thankfully, you can use this slow cooker recipe whether you use a British gammon or regular American ham. Simply adjust the cooking time depending on how big they are. Do note that because gammon is raw while ham is often previously cooked, the former may require longer cooking time. Either way, they would come out delicious!
Equipment
- Slow Cooker or Crockpot
Ingredients
For the Ham
- 5 lbs (or 2.3 kilos) boneless unsmoked gammon or ham
- 1-2 liters coca-cola, regular not diet
- 1 large onion, peeled and quartered
- whole cloves, as needed (optional)
For the Glaze
- 1 tbsp English mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 3 tbsp brown sugar, or to taste
Instructions
For the Ham
- Place the gammon or ham in a large slow cooker or crockpot. Pour over enough coke to cover the ham or most of it. Add the peeled and quartered onion and scatter in a few places.
- Cook the raw gammon for 3 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low until thoroughly cooked and the meat is tender but still holding its shape. If using a cooked ham (like in the US) and it's a smaller ham like this (about 5 pounds) you can reduce the cooking time to about 4 hours on low. For ham that's over 5 pounds, cook for 5-6 hours on low. If you are using a spiral-cut ham, you'll want to cut the cooking time by about half as a spiral-cut will dry out faster. The internal temperature should read at least 145 degrees F before serving.
- Remove the ham and transfer it to a plate. Pour the liquid away (save it to make soup, if you like). Allow the ham to cool slightly while you heat the oven to 400F/190C.
- Place the ham into a roasting tin, then cut away the skin or rind but leave behind an even layer of fat. Your ham would look better roasted if you remove the extra rind or skin so it's worth doing it. Score the fat all over in a criss-cross pattern.
- Make sure the ham is positioned fat-side up. If the ham is thinner on one end than the other, prop the short end up with a wedge of crumpled kitchen foil, so the fat is more horizontal – this will help it brown more evenly. Glaze the ham with the honey-mustard mixture.
For the Glaze
- To make the glaze, mix the mustard, honey, and sugar in a small bowl. Spread the glaze all over the ham. Leave some extra glaze to spread over the ham after it has roasted in the oven.
- Insert whole cloves (if using) into the scored fat. Bake the ham for 10-15 minutes, or until the fat is nicely browned.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 mins, then spoon more glaze over the top. The ham be roasted on the day of serving or up to two days ahead and served cold.
Notes
Nutrition
Last updated on March 14th, 2024 at 09:35 am
where can I buy english gammon in the tarlac area?
Author
That I would not know as I live in the US. Sorry. Try to see the local butcher and ask if they do fresh ham or perhaps they can tell you where to get ham. Usually in SM but that won’t be gammon but pre-cooked ham.