Minimal effort is required for my easy baked ham with brown sugar and mustard glaze!
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).
We start by placing the gammon joint in a large pan. Cover with water, a quartered onion, peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes per pound. So a 1.4kg/3 pound gammon joint should take 1 hour.
Remove the ham from the pan and leave to cool on a chopping board for a few minutes. Then remove the skin using a sharp knife. Try to leave as much of the fat as possible behind, as this will help to keep the ham moist and will add flavour.
Score the ham, then brush on a mixture of brown sugar, dijon mustard, wholegrain mustard and spiced rum.
Place in the oven at 190C/375F for 20 minutes, basting with more of the mustard glaze half-way through cooking.
Delicious eaten hot, sliced into thick slabs as part of a main mean, or served cold, sliced thinly for sandwiches etc.
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.
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
Leftover 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)
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
Here’s the recipe video:
The Baked Ham with Brown Sugar and Mustard Glaze Recipe:
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.
- Score the fat in diamond patterns using a sharp knife.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan) and line a baking tray with foil.
- In a small bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients until combined. Spoon 3/4 of the 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.100 g (1/2 cup) soft brown sugar, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard, 2 tbsp spiced rum, 1 tsp cloves
- Remove from the oven and rest the meat for 10 minutes before carving.
Video
Notes
Nutritional information is per serving. There are approx. 12 servings in this recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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What do I do when the butcher sells the gammon without skin? Can I still boil it without the skin?
Hi – my gammon joint is larger than yours. Obviously I will simmer it for longer, but what about the oven cooking time. Should I increase that too or is the cooking done in the boiling stage?
That’s difficult to say without knowing the size, but as a general rule, i’d increase the simmering time, to ensure the joint is cooked, but stick to the same time (or just a couple of minutes longer) in the oven. Basically until it’s lovely and golden brown.
I was looking for a straightforward recipe for gammon ham to serve after Christmas for 6 of us and this one ticks all my boxes. Just thinking what to serve it with as a main meal rather than buffet style. I am looking for a sauce as well as side dishes, any suggestions please?
This is now our go-to recipe for special family dinners. 🙂 Just to say though, that the bit with the cloves is not really obvious unless one watches the video. I assumed it was necessary to grind the cloves and mix in with the glaze. Which is fine, but adds extra work. And then the visual appearance loses that effect too.
Absolutely fantastic. Made this at the weekend. I love the hint of rum in the glaze.
I made this for our Easter Monday family gathering, delicious. Thought I may have some leftover to used the next day, but alas no every little bit eaten. Thoroughly enjoyed by all.
You have to check the slow cooker paragraph … pretty sure lower temps take longer than higher temps.
Hi Brian,
You are absolutely right. It should say “cook on High for 4-5 hours or Low for 6-7 hours”.
I have updated the post.
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
I’m not a fan of ham by any means, but I have to admit, that this looks delicious. I know my son and husband would love it. Might have to give this one a try.