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If you’re updating your go-to centrepiece, this baked ham with brown sugar and mustard glaze is the one to keep. It’s minimal effort, glossy, sweet-and-tangy, and gives you that “wow” look without needing a full-day kitchen marathon, plus it’s just as good cold the next day (hello, unbeatable sandwiches).
“This ham is amazing! I left the skin on because we love the crispiness of the rind and I also added crushed garlic to the sauce. My new favourite ham recipe. Looking forward to making sandwiches from it. Thank you Nikki”
Nicky’s Notes
I know those huge joints of ham with the bone in look impressive, but 5 kilos of ham can be a little too much – unless you’re having a big party or you’re happy to eat ham butties for the next 6 months.
This recipe uses a regular gammon joint (about 1.4kg/3 pounds) that you can buy from most supermarkets at a reasonable price (ours was £11). For us, that was enough for dinner, sandwiches for the next couple of days and an extra portion to put away for another meal (such as fried rice, or ham and cheddar croquettes).
Table of Contents
Difference between gammon and ham
Gammon is basically ham before it has been cooked. Gammon (which is a cut of meat from the hind leg of a pig) is cured – usually in brine or using a dry salt method (similar to bacon). This curing process preserves the gammon and develops the pink texture. The gammon then needs to be cooked before being eaten. Once cooked, it will be ham. You can slice it and serve it as you would with ready-sliced ham from the deli counter.
This gammon/ham differentiation can be a little confusing as, in the UK at least, a popular pub dish is gammon and chips. No, we don’t serve up raw gammon with our chips. It’s simply a thick slice that has been taken off the gammon joint before being cooked. Then it’s fried or grilled. This is known a gammon steak (but I guess really it’s a ‘ham’ steak).
Smoked or un-smoked:
Personally I prefer smoked, as it has a greater depth of flavour, but go with what you prefer.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Place the gammon joint in a large pan, cover with water and add the quartered onion, peppercorns and bay leaves, then bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes per pound (a 1.4kg/3lb joint takes about 1 hour).
Lift out and rest on a board for a few minutes, then carefully remove the skin with a sharp knife, leaving as much fat behind as you can.
Score the fat, then brush all over with a glaze of brown sugar, Dijon mustard, wholegrain mustard and spiced rum.
Bake at 190C/375F for 20 minutes, basting with more glaze halfway through cooking.
Best Ham Glaze
Personally I love a brown sugar and mustard glaze, but you could replace the sugar with honey if you prefer. You could also:
- Add orange zest
- Add minced ginger
- Give it an Asian twist by making a glaze from brown sugar, garlic, soy sauce, chilli sauce and ginger
- Give it an Italian twist by making a glaze from oregano, thyme, rosemary, lemon zest, garlic and olive oil
Delicious eaten hot, sliced into thick slabs as part of a main mean, or served cold, sliced thinly for sandwiches etc.
Slow Cooker method
You can do the boiling stage in a slow cooker if you prefer. Simply add the gammon to the slow cooker, cover with just-boiled water, the quartered onion, peppercorns and bay leaves. Then cook on High for 4-5 hours or Low for 6-7 hours. Then drain, glaze and bake in the oven as per the regular recipe.
How long will home cooked baked ham last?
Quickly cool, cover and refrigerate leftover ham. It should keep for 3 days.
You can also freeze chunks/cubes of ham. Defrost them in the refrigerator overnight, then add other recipes – cooking the meat until piping hot throughout. See some ideas for this below.
Leftovers Guide
Leftover baked ham is great in :
- Fried rice
- Ham and cheddar croquettes
- Ham and cheese croissants with honey mustard glaze
- Chicken and ham pie
- Pasta bakes (replace the bacon with ham in this chicken and bacon mac n cheese)
📺 Watch how to make it
Baked Ham Recipe
Ingredients
Ham:
- 1.4 kg (3 lbs) boneless smoked gammon joint
- 1 large onion sliced in quarters (no need to remove skin)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
Glaze:
- 100 g (1/2 cup) soft brown sugar
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 tbsp spiced rum (optional – you can leave out entirely if you prefer)
- 1 tsp cloves
Instructions
- Place the gammon in a large pan, and cover it in cold water. Add the onion, bay leaves and peppercorns.1.4 kg (3 lbs) boneless smoked gammon joint, 1 large onion, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp black peppercorns
- Bring to the boil, and simmer for 20 mins per pound (mine took 60 minutes). Carefully remove from pan and place on a chopping board. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the skin from the ham joint. Leave as much of the fat as possible behind.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan) and line a baking tray with foil. Then, In a small bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients until combined.100 g (1/2 cup) soft brown sugar, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard, 2 tbsp spiced rum, 1 tsp cloves
- Score the fat in diamond patterns using a sharp knife and Spoon 3/4 of the glaze mixture on top of the ham.
- Place in the oven and cook for 20-25 mins, basting with the remaining glaze in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Remove from the oven and rest the meat for 10 minutes before carving.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This baked ham recipe was first posted in April 2019. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
🍲 More Centerpiece Meat Recipes
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Great recipe, family favourite now!
This ham is amazing! I left the skin on because we love the crispiness of the rind and I also added crushed garlic to the sauce. My new favourite ham recipe. Looking forward to making sandwiches from it. Thank you Nikki