Name: Maple glazed gammon recipe
Cook time: 2 h 35 min
Total time: 2 h 35 min
Yield: Serves: 8–10
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: 2kg (4lb) smoked gammon joint (boneless); 2 bay leaves

By Sue McMahon

last updated 7 December 2023

Serve our maple glazed gammon with buttery mashed potatoes and steamed greens or thinly slice and stuff it into sandwiches.

This Gordon Ramsay honey glazed ham is a popular choice for Christmas or big parties and our maple glazed gammon is another choice which is perfect at any time of year. It serves 10 people but don’t worry if you’re catering for fewer people. Leftovers are excellent cold and will make the best sandwiches or pie fillings!

Ingredients

2kg (4lb) smoked gammon joint (boneless)
2 bay leaves

For the glaze:

4 level tbsp Amber No.2 Maple Syrup
1 level tsp ground cloves

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Method

Weigh the gammon to calculate the boiling time. It will take 25 mins per 500g (1lb), plus 20 mins, so a 2kg (4lb) joint will take 2 hours.
Put the gammon in a large pan and pour in enough water to cover it. Add the bay leaves to the water.
Place the pan on the hob and bring the contents to the boil. Reduce the heat and cover the pan. Simmer the gammon for the calculated cooking time, and then remove the pan from the heat.
Set the oven to 190C (170C fan, Gas 5).
Lift the gammon out of the pan and place it on a board. Pour about 150ml (¼ pint) cooking juices into a roasting tin and save the rest for another recipe. Cut away any string or netting which is holding it in shape. Remove the skin and discard but make sure you leave a thin layer of fat. Use a small, sharp knife to score through the fat in a diamond pattern. Be careful not to cut through the flesh. Mix together the maple syrup and ground cloves, and brush it over the top of the gammon.
Put the ham in the roasting tin with the 150ml cooking liquor and put the tin in the centre of the oven for 25-35 minutes, or until the topping is a light golden colour. Remove the ham from the oven and transfer it to a warmed serving plate or board, cover it with foil and leave it in a warm place for about 10 minutes before carving.

Top tips for making our maple glazed gammon

You can enjoy this gammon warm or cold and leftovers can also be frozen. Allow to cool completely before packaging in cling film or airtight containers for the freezer. It’s good to write the weight of each portion so you can defrost the desired amount in batches for future recipes.

What's the difference between gammon and ham?

Gammon and ham are in fact the same cut and cure of meat, it's just gammon usually refers to it in its cured but still raw state, and ham is the finished, cooked meat.

Why do you soak gammon before cooking?

When ham is being processed, butchers use large amounts of salt to cure the meat. To help reduce the salty taste of the meat you can soak your ham to help remove the excess.

For the best advice, talk to your butcher about what they used to cure the meat as some ingredients will be stronger than others, however normally it might take between 12-48 hours to soak. You should change the water to fresh water every 12 hours to really maximise the effectiveness of the soak.

Can you glaze a gammon that has no fat?

If your gammon has no fat, you will need a thicker glaze that coats and sticks to the meat. It will also take less time to cook. Keep an eye on it when in the over as the high sugar content will burn easily. You’re looking for caramelised but not scorched as it will taste very bitter.

How do you keep gammon moist when roasting?

By sitting the gammon in the roasting tin with 150ml of the poaching liquid it ensures the gammon stays moist. It will create a lovely steamy environment in the oven and keep the moisture locked in. You can baste the gammon a couple of times during cooking too.

If you’re nervous about the gammon being cooked all the way through, use a meat thermometer. You can read all about how to use a meat thermometer here. Gammon should have an internal temperature of 70C when probed for 2 minutes.

Read our guide on how to cook ham and then try our marmalade glazed gammon next. You might also like to read our tips on how to roast pork. It’s a great alternative to chicken, beef and turkey and is traditionally served with apple sauce and crackling.

Sue McMahon is a former Food and Recipes Writer at GoodTo and Cooking Editor at Woman's Weekly. Her primary passion is cakes and Sue regularly travels the world teaching cake decorating. Her biggest achievement to date was winning the Prix d’honneur at La Salon Culinaire International de Londres beating over 1,200 other entries.