Delicious honey and mustard glazed ham

I do love to cook my own gammon/ham joint. I just think there is something very satisfying about the process, and if not being used straight away, it’s nice to have it in the fridge to cut at to make sandwiches, add to salads, or to enjoy with a few chips etc. Cooking a gammon joint is also far more cost effective than buying ready cooked ham.

I tend to keep a cooked ham joint for up to 3 days in the fridge. But if I’m not going to use it all within this time, I will slice the meat (or cube to add to rice dishes or pie fillings) and wrap in foil before popping into a freezer bag and putting it into the freezer.

My simple suggestion for cooking a gammon joint takes always the need to pre-soak the meat to remove excess salt. And the glossy honey and mustard glaze looks glorious and tastes absolutely delicious!

Ingredients (Serves 4 -6 dependant on portion size)

750g unsmoked gammon joint – picked mine up from Sainsbury’s
2 tablespoons runny honey
1 – 2 teaspoons *Dijon mustard (Check to ensure gluten free. I used Sainsbury’s own brand)
Small amount of light brown sugar to sprinkle over the ham (optional)  

Method

If like me, you are using a gammon joint (it’s called ‘gammon’ until its cooked, and then, ta-da it transforms into ham!) that is vacuumed pack just remove the outer plastic, leave on the paper or string that may be holding the gammon together and place it in a large pan. Cover the gammon with cold water and bring to the boil. 

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Whilst waiting for the pan to boil fill and pop the kettle on.

Once the pan has come to the boil, remove from the heat and carefully drain all the water off (watch out for the steam, it’s a nuisance and can give you a nasty scald!). Refill the pan with the boiled water from the kettle, again just covering the gammon. Return the pan to the heat, bring to the boil and then reduce the heat so the water is just at a nice gentle simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 45 minutes. But do keep having a quick peep, to check if it needs a drop more water going in. You are looking at keeping the gammon ever so slightly covered with the water.

After 45 minutes remove the pan from the heat and carefully lift out the meat, using a couple of slotted spoons or a meat fork and pop it into a roasting tray. Carefully remove the rind (and any paper), to expose the fat. You can score the fat at this point and even stud it with cloves if you like. I didn’t on this occasion, but at Christmas I would normally do this. 

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6/180C Fan.

In a beaker or bowl blend together the honey and mustard and then with a silicone brush, ‘paint’ the ham joint with the mixture. You will repeat this process twice in-between baking, so reserve some of the mixture to allow for this.

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Pop the ham into the oven and bake for 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and repeat the ‘painting’ bit before putting back into the oven for a further 10 minutes. Again, after this time repeat the same process, using up the remainder of the honey and mustard, sprinkle with a little light brown sugar (if using) and return the meat to the oven to cook for a final 5-10 minutes. Check it’s at your desired colour if you fancy it a bit darker leave in the oven for a little longer. 

Remove from the oven. Allow the meat to rest for a good 10-15 minutes before carving.

Cooked ham works wonderfully with home-cooked chips, sauté or creamy Dauphinoise potatoes. Any veg would work well with ham; particular favourites of mine would be, roasted butternut squash and red onion and a few garden peas.

Cooked ham is also delicious glazed with cherry or apricot jam and even marmalade.

For now,
Liz x