Tips on how to cook gammon and ham
Most meat lovers enjoy a piece of their favorite meat savory and delicious. Pork is among the best cuts for meat lovers. Do you know how to cook gammon? Read on to find out!
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Gammon is a piece of flesh cut from the hind part of a pig known as the haunch. It is cured for preservation using brine or salt. When cooked, it is called a gammon ham. There are many ways of cooking gammon, including boiling, roasting, or a combination of both.
Gammon recipes
There are many gammon recipes that you can use to achieve a flavourful dish. Some of them include:
Honey glazed gammon
The best gammon recipe is the honey glazed recipe. The glaze gives the meat a delicious sweetness. You can serve it as the main dish in a gammon roast dinner or shredded and served with cheese as a salad.
Ingredients
- Gammon (1 Kg)
- Honey (5 tablespoons)
- Mustard (2 teaspoons)
- Pepper and salt for seasoning
Method of cooking
- Remove the saltiness of the gammon by soaking it in cold water for one hour.
- Drain the water after one hour and place it in a pan with boiling water over medium heat.
- After one hour, remove the meat and peel off the skin to reveal a layer of the fat. Score the fat with a sharp knife.
- Preheat your oven to 200ºC.
- Then, place the meat in a baking tray and cover with foil before placing it in the oven. Bake for one hour and thirty minutes.
- Remove the meat and drain the meat juices out of the pan. Remember to remove the foil.
- For the glaze, mix five teaspoons of honey, two teaspoons of mustard, pepper, and salt.
- Apply the mix on the hot pork and bake uncovered in the oven for ten minutes to achieve the perfect glaze.
- Remove the meat from the oven and leave it to cool before serving.
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How to glaze a gammon
For a perfect glazed gammon, you must have the right ingredients. Some recipes call for honey and mustard only, while others include dark brown sugar. You can also use other flavours such as orange, marmalade, or soy sauce glaze. Check out how the process of an amazing gammon glaze recipe below:
- Mix the ingredients together and pour over half of the mix on the meat.
- Roast for 15 minutes and then brush the other half on the meat.
- To achieve the perfect gammon glaze, place back in the oven for a further thirty minutes or until brown and sticky.
- Leave to it cool and cut into thick slices.
- This glaze can be used on gammon or ham depending on one’s preference.
Pineapple and chili glazed gammon
This recipe uses pineapple syrup as the glaze. For the preparation of this gammon, refer to the honey glazed recipe above. To make a pineapple glaze for a 1.6 kg meat, here are the ingredients.
Ingredients
- Pineapple juice (300 ml)
- Chopped red chili (1 piece)
- Soy sauce (1 tablespoon)
- Ginger finely chopped or grounded (1 medium-sized )
- Garlic paste (1 teaspoon)
- Tomato ketchup (200 ml)
- Red wine vinegar (3 tablespoons)
- Brown sugar (3 tablespoons)
- Worcestershire sauce (3 tablespoons )
Method
- Put all the above ingredients in a pan and boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 12 minutes until it turns into a syrup.
- Pour the syrup in bits and roast every five to ten minutes as you add the syrup.
- Roast the gammon for 40 minutes until sticky.
- You can now serve the delicacy.
READ ALSO: Different types of authentic South African cuisine
What is the best way to cook gammon steaks?
Gammon meat is delicious if cooked the right way. One tip on getting a savory dish is using pineapples, which can be made into a sauce or can be used as a salsa to complement the steaks. The sweetness of the fruit is used to balance the fatty salty flavor of the meat, making it delicious.
- For a perfect combination of gammon steaks and pineapple, cook the fruit in a frying pan for three minutes until the pieces are caramelized.
- Season the fruit with black pepper, transfer it to a baking tin, and leave it to cool.
- Serve the pineapple with a roasted or grilled steak for a mouthwatering dish.
- One of the quickest methods to make it is by grilling or pan-frying the steaks. Some tips on making the best steak include:
- Rubbing the steaks in oil salt and pepper for seasoning
- Sear both sides of the meat in a pan and then cook each side for three minutes before removing from the pan.
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Do you have to boil Gammon?
One way of making this meat is by boiling. You need to put it in a pan that can fit the whole piece. Cover the meat with water, cider, fruit juice, or a liquid of your choice together with a mixture of herbs to add flavour to your meat or ham.
You can work out how long you need to cook your pork by weighing the meat before cooking. Cook for 20 minutes for every 450 grams of meat. Add another 20 minutes and then remove it from the heat.
Roast gammon
For an alternative recipe for gammon, roast the meat instead of boiling. Here is the procedure for a perfect gammon roast:
- Cook the meat in the oven at 180 ºC.
- Put the meat in a large roasting pan.
- Cover the pan with a foil and cook depending on the size of the flesh.
- Allow 30 minutes of cooking time for every 450 g and an additional 30 minutes for it to be cooked completely.
Can you boil gammon the day before roasting?
You can cook the meat on the night before roasting it to save on time. Leave the meat to cool and keep it covered. Remove it and bring it to room temperature before glazing.
How can you tell if gammon is cooked?
To check if your gammon is fully cooked, insert a knife or a long-handled fork inside the meat to assess if the meat is soft. If it feels hard, continue cooking for a further 15 minutes and taste again.
Making a delicious pork roast depends on how you cook the meat. You can make it sweet and savoury by using pineapples or honey. Gammon is a versatile dish, and anyone can make a delicious meal with the simplest ingredients.
READ ALSO:
- How to bake scones in South Africa
- Easy, mouthwatering no-bake cheesecake recipe South Africa
- How to make chicken mayo
Source: Briefly News
