[Mrs Snoodles]

My cooking is a bit hit and miss.....advice definately needed here....

I am slow cooking a big gammon joint overnight.  It is covered and sitting on a base of muscavado sugar and I have sploshed loads of marmalade on top. Do you reckon I will need to add any liquid?   

Cheers all

[HappyHippy]

I would, just to stop it from drying out and going tough. Are you doing it in a slow cooker ?

I normally do the gammons in water (either in a big pot on the stove or in the slow cooker) with carrots, lentils and leeks added - cook it in there for a couple of hours (or overnight in the slow cooker) then dry off the gammon and blast it in the oven with a topping of sugar, honey and mustard to go all sticky and caramelised  You get soup and a main that way too 

[deepinthewoods]

cider is a good addition to anything pork, and pineapple juice helps tenderise.

[Polished Arrow]

cider is a good addition to anything pork, and pineapple juice helps tenderise.

I agree, and especially so when the cider was made from the apple pressings you have fed to your piggums earlier in the year 

[Greenerlife]

I would definitely add liquid.  It will steam and be more tender if you do.  long roasting is great, but can dry the meat out, and with high sugar content with marmalade could end up being sticky! you could always place it on a grill over water if you don't want it to touch.

[ScotsGirl]

I did mine last year per Jamie Oliver's recipe which is cook in orange juice and water then in oven with marmalade and it was delicious and moist

[Bumblebear]

Im not sure gammon is a slow roast as it's a prime cut    I do as HH does.  Boil with stock veg; cool (overnight usually) and then take off rind, score fat and roast with sugar or marmalade or whatever - oh and cloves 

[Bumblebear]

Sorry to hijack - but what size stockpots do you all use?  My biggest is 9l and it wont take a whole ham!

[Mrs Snoodles]

Fantastic, thanks guys, glad I asked.  I usually slow roast in foil with goodies packed in, but this time I am trying to get a proper finished ham.  I've soaked the joint for 12 hrs, and now will gently cook overnight (HH way...just withveg and water) and then go back to using the toppings tomorrow.  Let it go cold, then out with slicer ...a sort of prexmas treat for Mr S  who is not going back to the crappy office until Jan 3      He's not been around much lately and I've been a bit poorly so I am uber chuffed!  Typical the trains are messed up but he should be back soon!

[Mrs Snoodles]

12hrs of soaking, 8 hrs in stock cooking, 2 hrs cooking with the sugar and marmalade. Total 22 hrs. 

Straight out of the oven. Mini man has devoured half of it in about 30 mins, tearing of strips and dunking it in the sugar/marmalade liquid, sticky fingers all over the kitchen chairs, gooey stuff all down his pj's.   Daddy barely had a look in.  He got a little bit and has declared that it "really doesn't matter if we don't sell all the pigs"! 

I've now got another joint out to defrost 

[Bionic]

I guess that means it was a success then 

[HappyHippy]

He got a little bit and has declared that it "really doesn't matter if we don't sell all the pigs"! 

I've now got another joint out to defrost 

Definately a hit I'd say  Try some wholegrain mustard and honey with sugar on your next one  It's delish !
I don't usually bother letting it cool after taking it out the soup and before doing the topping (always chaos and a mad last minute scramble in this house  ) I just whack it in a super hot over for about 20 minutes to caramalise the top (oh, we need a drooling option Dan  ) And it you happen to do it in a slow cooker overnight, the meat just falls to pieces, it's that tender 

[thestephens]

i did my first gammon ever this week and it was lovely, simmered it for 2 hours in 2 litres of full fat coca cola! then roasted it for a half hour glazed with honey and mustard.

[happygolucky]

That sounds yummy, I also saw on "come dine with me"    some one cook a ham in Coca cola, never tried it, I bought the biggest slow cooker as its easy to do loads then freeze!!!

[Cheviot]

Hi,
How much liquid do you use if using a slow cooker, do you cover the ham or just half fill the pot, never gave it a thought to use the slow cooker, but it would save a lot of time if I could cook it over night, then roast it.