Slow Cooker Gammon Joint (Ham / Boiled Bacon)

Do you have gammon, but don't know how to cook it? Our Slow Cooker Gammon Joint recipe is the perfect way to cook this delicious cut of meat with minimal prep time.

Our easy slow cook method is a hands-off way to cook the gammon, to make ham or boiled bacon, and the serving options are endless!

Whether you want it as part of a Sunday roast dinner, boiled bacon and cabbage or carved into thick slices for Christmas ham, our slow cooker gammon recipe will be sure to please.

How to Cook a Gammon Joint in the Slow Cooker

Check out our quick video below to see all the steps involved in his slow cooker gammon recipe.

Read on for more info, or jump straight to what you want to know.

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Jump to:

• How to Cook a Gammon Joint in the Slow Cooker
• What is gammon?
• Ingredients
• Variations
• Slow Cooker Gammon Joint Preparation
• How Long to Cook Gammon in Slow Cooker
• Serving Suggestions
• 📖 Step by Step Recipe
• What to serve with Cooked Gammon
• Storage
• Other Slow Cooker Recipes
• FAQ
• 💬 Reviews

What is gammon?

Gammon is the cured, smoked or unsmoked hind leg of pork. It is cut from the same area as ham or bacon rashers but sold as a large uncooked joint.

Is Gammon the Same as Ham?

Gammon is sold as a raw joint, but it is known as ham or boiled bacon once cooked. You can read more about the differences here.

Why Slow Cook Gammon?

This slow cooker ham recipe cooks gammon perfectly to create juicy slices of ham that you can cut to your desired thickness. Its great served as part of a roast dinner or with ham, egg and chips.

If you desire fall-apart pulled ham, this is not the right recipe. I will create another blog for that soon!

If you wanted a more luxurious glazed Christmas Day Dinner ham, check out this honey roast gammon we have created using a boil and roast method.

You could still cook this slow cooker recipe and use the honey and mustard glaze from that recipe to roast after.

Ingredients

One of the best things about cooking gammon in the slow cooker is that not many ingredients are needed.

Gammon Joint

Gammon joints are available in most supermarkets and come in smoked and unsmoked varieties.

The smoked gammon joint has a delicious smoky flavour, while the unsmoked gammon joint is a little milder.

The size can vary, we have used a small 1.3kg round joint in this recipe, which is available all year around.

You will find a lot of larger gammon joints at Christmas time. Perfect cooked for Christmas Ham, or served with cheese and meat platter.

Whichever gammon joint you choose, just make sure it will fit in the slow cooker pot and adjust the cooking time for a larger joint.

Water

Water creates steam and catches the gammon drippings during cooking, which makes a delicious ham stock to use for cooking rice, vegetables or soups with.

Don't let the gammon sit in the water. It is there to create steam to make tender slices of ham which won't fall apart.

You can use hot or cold water at the start it doesn't make any difference during the slow cooking process.

If not planning to use the cooking liquid to make a gammon stock you can stop here; the other ingredients are not needed!

Carrot

We use the carrot to help lift the gammon joint off the base of the slow cooker pot (like a trivet).

You can use other vegetables (carrots are the cheapest) or an actual trivet instead if you have one!

It also adds some extra flavour to the leftover ham stock.

Bay Leaves

Add bay leaves to the water for a subtle herby flavour to add to the baked ham stock.

Variations

You could use low-sodium vegetable stock (there is enough salt in the gammon, so best to stick with low sodium option) instead of just fresh water for a deeper flavour to the cooking liquid, perfect when used to make ham soup.

Try other herbs or spices can be added to the stock. Such as cloves, garlic, or peppercorns.

Slow Cooker Gammon Joint Preparation

The preparation time is super quick, start by removing any packaging from the gammon joint. It may have a paper, plastic or net around it; this should be removed too.

Leave any rind or skin on it whilst you cook gammon in the slow cooker.

Cut the carrot into large even chunks and place on the base of the slow cooker before adding the gammon on top.

Put a cup of water (about 240ml) in the base; this should be enough liquid without touching the gammon. Use less water if your slow cooker is smaller and coming too close to the gammon.

Add any additional flavouring you like to the water to help create a nice stock.

How Long to Cook Gammon in Slow Cooker

Cooking time for Slow Cooker Gammon can vary, depending on the weight and size of your joint.

We used a 1.3kg round gammon joint and cooked on low for 5 hours.

A larger 2kg joint, will take about 6 hours on low to cook through and reach the safe internal temperature of 74C.

A Meat thermometer is what you need to make sure it is cooked through, they are Inexpensive and help assure the meat is cooked.

Once cooked, remove it from the slow cooker pot and cover it with foil. Allow it to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Pour the stock into a jug and cover, once cooled, keep in the fridge until needed.

Use a sharp knife to cut away any excess fat, then cut cooked gammon into thin layers for tender ham, or thicker slices to serve as boiled bacon.

Serving Suggestions

Makes beautiful ham sandwiches with English mustard. Or try using dijon mustard.

Cut leftovers into cubes and use them in our stunning leftover turkey and ham pie or serve it chopped up with Basmati Rice.

Boiled Bacon and Cabbage, served with mashed potato and parsley sauce.

📖 Step by Step Recipe

What to serve with Cooked Gammon

Here are some other things we think are great served with cooked gammon.

Storage

Cooked Gammon keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. Make sure you defrost any frozen gammon thoroughly before consuming.

Leftover ham stock should be stored in the fridge and freezer; it makes a delicious addition to soup, vegetable or rice dishes. You can freeze in smaller portions for easy usage in future meals.

Other Slow Cooker Recipes

So now you know how to cook gammon to make ham in the slow cooker. Why not check out some of our other slow cooker recipes? Try out our Slow Cooker Beef Joint, or one of our favourites for Christmas Day is our Slow Cooker Christmas Pudding.

FAQ

Slow cooker Gammon makes an easy, tasty meal with little effort required. Perfect for busy weeknights or feeding a crowd with Christmas ham.

Give it a try, and let us know how you serve yours! Happy cooking!