How Do I Cook a Smoked Gammon Joint?
Boiled, baked or roasted, a smoked gammon joint is a traditional meal served in many British homes during the holiday season. The type of wood chips that the joints are smoked over determines their smoky flavor. Smoked gammon joints come in a variety of glazes and cures.
Boiled, baked or roasted, a smoked gammon joint is a traditional meal served in many British homes during the holiday season. The type of wood chips that the joints are smoked over determines their smoky flavor. Smoked gammon joints come in a variety of glazes and cures. A gammon joint is an ideal meal for busy cooks because it's simple enough to prepare for a weekday meal, yet attractive enough to serve to unexpected guests.
Step 1
Place the joint a large bowl filled with cold water. Allow it to soak overnight in the refrigerator to remove excess salt from the curing process.
Step 2
Fill a large stockpot with water, and bring the water to a boil. Place the gammon joint into the pot. Cover the pot, and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
Step 3
Drain the water carefully from the pot, and remove the skin from the gammon joint. Insert the small end of each clove into the fat all over the gammon joint.
Step 4
Cut the carrots, onion, and potatoes into bite size pieces with a sharp knife, and put them into your roasting pan. Drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil, and toss them to coat. Place the gammon joint in the middle of the pan.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 6
Stir together the honey, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar in the small mixing bowl to make a simple glaze.
Step 7
Pour the glaze over the gammon joint, and wrap the entire roasting pan in aluminum foil.
Step 8
Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 65 to 75 minutes until fully cooked. Ten minutes before the joint is finished cooking, remove the aluminum foil so the glaze will darken and caramelize.
Tip
Rotate your gammon joint halfway through cooking if you'd like the underside of the meat to be caramelized.
warning
When putting cloves into the gammon, take care not to burn yourself, because the meat will be very hot.