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I’m using an interesting ingredient in this slow cooker gammon to give it a lovely sweetness, as well as helping to keep it nice and tender.
I could ask you to scroll down to find the answer, but I won’t do that to you!
It’s Coca Cola! Yep cooking gammon in coke might seem a little bizarre, but it works so well!
Nicky’s Notes
It takes minimal effort to prep this recipe, with the slow cooker is doing most of the work. We’re also going to finish it off with a quick honey mustard glaze to give the gammon a sweet sticky finish.
Take some nice thin slices of this tender sweet slow-cooked gammon and serve it on some buttered fresh bread, it tastes fantastic 😋
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients
Gammon – slow-cooking stage
To make this slow cooker gammon you’re going to need:
- Gammon joint – 2kg-2.5kg is a good size. You can use smoked or unsmoked, your preference – what kind of bacon do you like? Go with the same preference.
- Full Fat Coca cola (not diet coke) – enough to completely cover the gammon – I use about 3 litres.
- Spices including, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice and ground black pepper.
For the glaze
- For the glaze we are using, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, light brown sugar, dijon mustard, and honey.
Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post***
Add the gammon to the slow cooker with cola and spices. Slow cook for 4.5 hours on high or 6 hours on low. Remove the gammon, remove the skin, score the fat layer, and cover it in the honey mustard glaze. Bake it in the oven until sticky and dark golden.
Recipe Tips
- Line your baking tray with foil because the glaze may bake onto the tray making it difficult to clean off later.
- Don’t worry about the gammon being fully submerged in the liquid when in the slow cooker. If there’s liquid covering the bottom of the gammon, it will retain its moisture.
What’s the difference between Ham and Gammon?
Gammon is a joint of pork that’s been cured (by smoking, brining or salting), similar to that of bacon, and is sold raw. Ham has either been dry-cured or cooked.
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Pin It🍽️ What to serve it with
I like to serve this as a centerpiece of a buffet that the whole family can dig into. But you could also serve it:
- On a sandwich with some fresh bread
- Take thin slices and turn them into ham and cheese stuffed croissants < a Christmas Breakfast favourite!
- As an accompaniment to salads such as my Pasta Salad.
- Or go for that British classic of gammon and pineapple (I like to add a fried egg) and some chips (fries)
If you have any leftovers then why not make them into a tasty Turkey and Ham Pasta Bake.
Leftovers Guide
- Cook and cool the gammon. Once cooled, wrap the gammon in foil or place in an airtight container and place in the fridge. It should keep for up to 3 days.
You can leave it whole, or slice it up before storing.
Watch how to make it:
Slow Cooker Gammon Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 kg – 2.5kg (4.5-5.5lb) gammon joint smoked or unsmoked, your preference – what kind of bacon do you like? I use smoked
- 3 litres (~100 fl oz) full-fat cola enough to completely cover gammon
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Glaze:
- 100 g (1/2 cup) light soft brown sugar
- 4 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves or 1/2 tsp allspice
Instructions
- Place the gammon joint in the slow cooker, add cola, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and pepper.2 kg - 2.5kg (4.5-5.5lb) gammon joint, 3 litres (~100 fl oz) full-fat cola, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Cook on high for 4.5 hours or low for 6 hours. (See Note 1)
- Remove from slow cooker, discard all but 2 tbsp of the cooking liquid. Place on a chopping board. Leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F (fan) and line a baking tray with foil.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully remove the skin from the ham joint. Leave as much of the fat as possible behind.
- Score the layer of fat in diamond patterns using a sharp knife.
- In a small bowl, mix together the glaze ingredients, plus 2 tbsp of the cooking liquid, until combined.100 g (1/2 cup) light soft brown sugar, 4 tbsp honey, 2 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- Spoon ¾ 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.
- Remove from the oven and rest the meat for 10 minutes before carving.
Notes
- If you’re worried about there being a line on the gammon where it’s submerged in the liquid then you can turn it halfway through the slow cooking stage, although I didn’t find this to be a problem.
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.
This gammon recipe post was first published in November 2023. Updated in later for housekeeping.
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So sorry, potentially daft question but presumably half the weight (1kg gammon) requires half the cooking time? So 2 hours high / 3 hour low in a slow cooker? Looking forward to trying this out!
Hi Elle, Slow cooker timings don’t usually reduce directly in proportion to the weight, so I wouldn’t halve the cooking time. For a 1kg gammon joint, I’d cook it for around 3½–4 hours on high or 5–6 hours on low, until it’s piping hot and cooked through. Then you can glaze and finish it in the oven as per the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!