Hungry Healthy Happy

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Meal Plans
  • Recipes To Your Inbox
  • Shop
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Meal Plans
  • Recipes To Your Inbox
  • Shop
×
Hungry Healthy Happy » Recipes » Pork

Slow Cooker Gammon

Dec 2, 2024 · Written by Dannii Martin · This post may contain affiliate links which earn us commissions if purchases are made · 18 Comments

2061 shares
  • 108
Diet: Gluten Free / Low Fat
Jump to Recipe
Slow cooker ham with a text title overlay.
Slow cooker gammon with a text title overlay.

This Slow Cooker Gammon recipe is the easiest was to cook a gammon joint and it gives you the most deliciously tender, fall apart ham, that is perfect for a roast dinner. Minimal prep time and just a few ingredient - this gammon joint is cooked in cider and apple juice with some spices and then glazed with honey and mustard and baked to perfection to finish it off.

A plate of sliced ham next to bowls of roast potatoes and slaw.

This slow cooker ham recipe is so simple, but results in the best ham. It has a slightly sweet taste from being cooked in the apple juice and cider, and then being glazed with honey and it just falls apart when carving. Gammon in the slow cooker is the only way we will cook it now.

Let the slow cooker do all the work and then finish it off in the oven for a crispy skin (although, this is optional). We love it served hot with all the trimmings, but actually, we love the leftovers too. Cold in a sandwich or on a salad is just as good.

If you are looking for some other meat recipes to go on a roast dinner, then why not try our Slow Cooker Roast Beef, Honey Roast Duck, Roasted Turkey Breast or The BEST Roast Chicken?

And also, have you tried our cranberry glazed Air Fryer Gammon, or our amazing Honey Roast Ham?

Jump to:
  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • Variations
  • How To Cook Gammon In The Slow Cooker - Step by Step
  • What Is The Difference Between Ham and Gammon?
  • What To Serve With Slow Cooker Gammon
  • Storage
  • Leftover Ham Recipes
  • Extra Tips
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • More Slow Cooker Meat Recipes
  • Recipe
  • Feedback

Ingredients and Substitutions

All the ingredients needed for this recipe with text overlay labels.

A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Gammon joint - You can use a smoked or unsmoked gammon joint for cooking gammon in the slow cooker. We used smoked because we like the extra flavour, but you might find that too salty. If you have smoked gammon, but you don't want it salty, then you could boil the salt away by placing it in a saucepan of boiling water and bring it to the boil. We used a 1.3kg joint and we found that was enough to serve 8 people. We used a boneless join, as it is easier to carve, however a bone-in joint is juicier. You would need to adjust your cooking time though.
  • Carrot and onion - This is just used to add flavour to the apple juice and cider that the gammon joint cooks in. You could add other vegetables into it as well if you wanted to.
  • Cloves - These are totally optional, but it really adds to the flavour and gives it this slow cooker gammon joint a festive taste. This does taste quite "clovey", which we love, so use less if you don't love the flavour. Or, you can just leave them out.
  • Mixed spice - This gives the slow cooked gammon a lovely flavour and it's perfect for the festive season.
  • Apple juice and Cider - This is the liquid that the gammon cooks in and it gives it the most incredible, and slightly sweet, flavour. You could just use water if you prefer.
  • Honey, Brown sugar and Dijon mustard - This is all mixed together to create the glaze for the slow cooker ham. You don't have to glaze it and finish it in the oven, if you just want to keep this as a slow cooker dish. But it does add a nice crispiness to the slow cooker honey gammon.

Variations

Liquid - We used apple juice and cider, as it adds a nice tanginess, and some sweetness when cooking gammon in the slow cooker. However, you could just use water which would make this an easy and budget friendly dish.

However, there are other options when it comes to the liquid too. You could use coca cola, which makes it nice and sweet, but not too sweet. You can use full fat or diet coke and you can even use cherry cola.

Pineapple juice works instead of apple juice with this gammon joint in the slow cooker too, but it does give it a tangier and sweeter flavour. In terms of the amount of liquid, we like to use enough to almost cover the gammon joint.

Glaze - We went with honey and mustard, which is a classic flavour flavour combinations, especially when it comes to ham. But, if you want to give the slow cooker gammon a more fruity vibe, then why not mix together some mango chutney and sweet chilli sauce and smother that over as a glaze?

Pulled ham - We have cooked this so it can be sliced and served as you would another roast meat. However, if you wanted to pull the meat apart to use like you would pulled pork, then you just need to leave it in the slow cooker for another 2 hours until it's really tender and just falls apart with 2 forks.

How To Cook Gammon In The Slow Cooker - Step by Step

An uncooked gammon joint in a slow cooker with raw chopped vegetables.
  1. Step 1: Put the gammon joint in the slow cooker with the layer of fat up. Add the carrots and onions around the side of it.
Spices rubbed over the gammon and liquid added to the slow cooker.
  1. Step 2: Rub the mixed spice into the top of the gammon. Add the cloves and pour the apple juice and cider into the slow cooker, being careful to avoid the top of the ham.
Cooked gammon and vegetables in the slow cooker.
  1. Step 3: Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7 hours.
Two shot collage of honey, sugar and mustard in a bowl, before and after mixing.
  1. Step 4: Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C(fan)/400°F/Gas 6.
    In a small bowl, mix together the honey, sugar and mustard.
Cooked gammon with criss cross knife scores across it.
  1. Step 5: Remove the gammon form the slow cooker and put onto a roasting tin. Using a sharp knife, score the gammon in a diamond pattern.
The honey mustard dressing poured over the gammon.
  1. Step 6: Pour the honey mustard glaze over the gammon.
Cooked gammon with burnt honey mustard dressing on it.
  1. Step 7: Put in the oven for 30 minutes, until the top has crisped up.

What Is The Difference Between Ham and Gammon?

There seems to be some confusion around this, but they are essentially the same thing.

Gammon is the raw joint, which you can buy smoked or unsmoked, and it comes from the back leg of the pig and needs to be cooked before eating. Ham is cooked, so when gammon is cooked it becomes ham.

Slices of cooked ham in front of some roast potatoes.

What To Serve With Slow Cooker Gammon

This slow cooker gammon goes with so many different things. We love serving it up as a roast dinner with any (or all!) of the following side dishes:

  • Easy Roast Potatoes
  • Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli
  • Roasted Swede
  • Minted Peas
  • Roasted Brussels Sprouts
  • Sage and Onion Stuffing
  • Honey Mustard Roasted Parsnips
  • Air Fryer Pigs in Blankets

We also love serving it with Creamy Mashed Potato and some slaw. There are lots of different slaw recipes for you to try on the blog - why not try our No Mayo Coleslaw, Crunchy Asian Slaw, Broccoli Slaw or Mexican Coleslaw? Served in a bun with slaw is a great way to us leftover gammon in the slow cooker.

This gammon recipe also goes REALLY well with our Slow Cooker Red Cabbage.

Storage

Store: You can store the leftovers of the slow cooker gammon wrapped up in the fridge for up top 3 days.

Freeze: You can wrap slices of the ham and put them in a freezer bag and they will keep for up to 3 months.

Defrost: Defrost the individual slices of ham in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: If you want the ham warm again, you can wrap the slices in foil and warm them in the oven.

Leftover Ham Recipes

This makes 8 generous servings, so if you have leftovers them make sure that none of it goes to waste, as there is so much that you can do with it.

We love chopping it up and making our Gammon Pasta Recipe. You could also use it to make an epic ham sandwich, with some other roast dinner leftovers too.

Why not make our Leek and Potato Soup and stir some chunks of chopped ham into it or use it instead of bacon in our Healthy Carbonara.

You can use it in a quiche or omelette, or even put it on a pizza. Why not use it instead of chicken on our BBQ Chicken Pizza?

Extra Tips

  • If you didn't want to use alcohol in this slow cooker gammon joint, then you could just use apple juice and replace the cider with more apple juice.
  • Make sure you remove the plastic that coats the skin of the gammon, as this should not be cooked.
  • If you wanted to try something a little different for the glaze, then mix together some mango chutney and sweet chilli sauce and smother it on the gammon.
  • Before putting the gammon onto a baking tray, line it with foil. This will prevent the honey mixture sticking to the tray, which can be very difficult to clean.
A pile of slices of cooked ham.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to add liquid to the slow cooker?

No, you don't actually have to add any liquid to the slow cooker at all. But, we find that adding at least 250ml (whether that is water, apple juice or cider), really helps to keep the meat moist. But, it won't burn if you don't add any liquid.

How long do you cook gammon in the slow cooker?

We cooked ours for 5 hours on high or you can cook low for 7 hours.

How to tell if gammon is cooked?

To see if you gammon is cooked, put a knife into the thickest part and pull it out to see if it is tender. If it is hard to pull out, and still feels fleshy and springy, then it isn't cooked and it will need to go back on for 30 minutes more. The best way to tell if gammon is cooked is to use a meat thermometer. Ham should be 62°C (145°F) when inserted into the thickest part.

What should I do with the leftover liquid in the slow cooker?

Don't waste this, as it can be used as the stock in soups and stews. Why not look at all our Soup Recipes for inspiration?

What slow cooker to use.

There really is no rule here, just make sure that the gammon you are using can fit in your slow cooker. We use a Crock Pot DuraCeramic Slow Cooker and we love it. What I love most about it is that you can put the bowl insert on the hob too, meaning you can brown meat, sauté vegetables or thicken gravy in it. I also love that it has a clear lid, as I am so impatient that I want to keep looking and seeing what it is doing. If you don't have a clear lid, then lifting it to see will release lots of the heat and add to the cooking time.

More Slow Cooker Meat Recipes

  • Slow cooker beef brisket sliced up on a serving board.
    Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
  • Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken and rice on a blue plate.
    Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
  • Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh in a silver balti dish. Naan bread and mango accompany it.
    Slow Cooker Lamb Rogan Josh
  • A bowl of slow cooker pulled pork.
    Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

If you’ve tried this slow cooker ham recipe, then let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.

Recipe

Slices of slow cooker gammon on a blue plate.

Slow Cooker Gammon

By: Dannii Martin
This Slow Cooker Gammon recipe is the easiest was to cook a gammon joint and it gives you the most deliciously tender, fall apart ham.
A circular logo saying GF.
Gluten Free
the words low fat in a white circle.
Low Fat
4.89 from 26 votes
Pin Print Save recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 5 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Total: 5 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 214kcal
Allergens:
An illustration of a cow's head.
Meat
An illustration of a mustard bottle.
Mustard
An illustration of a wine glass.
Sulphites

Ingredients

  • 1.3 kg (2.75 lb) Smoked gammon joint
  • 2 Onion - cut into large chunks
  • 2 Carrot - cut into large chunks
  • 0.5 teaspoon Cloves
  • 1 tablespoon Mixed spice
  • 750 ml (3 cups) Apple juice
  • 350 ml (1.5 cups) Cider (hard cider)
  • 4 tablespoon Honey
  • 1 tablespoon Light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Instructions

  • Put 1.3 kg Smoked gammon joint in the slow cooker, fat side up.
  • Add 2 Carrot and 2 Onion around the side of it.
  • Rub 1 tablespoon Mixed spice into the top of the gammon.
  • Add 0.5 teaspoon Cloves and pour 750 ml Apple juice and 350 ml Cider (hard cider) into the slow cooker, being careful to avoid the top of the ham.
  • Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7 hours.
  • Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
  • Remove the gammon from the slow cooker and put onto a baking tray.
  • Using a sharp knife, score the gammon in a criss-cross pattern.
  • Mix together 4 tablespoon Honey, 1 tablespoon Light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.
  • Pour the honey mixture over the gammon. Put in the oven for 30 minutes, until the top has crisped up.

Recipe Tips

  • If you didn't want to use alcohol in this slow cooker gammon joint, then you could just use apple juice and replace the cider with more apple juice.
  • Make sure you remove the plastic that coats the skin of the gammon, as this should not be cooked.
  • If you wanted to try something a little different for the glaze, then mix together some mango chutney and sweet chilli sauce and smother it on the gammon.
  • Before putting the gammon onto a baking tray, line it with foil. This will prevent the honey mixture sticking to the tray, which can be very difficult to clean.

Nutritional Information

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 599mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 15IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.

As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.

You'll love these too...

  • A plate of oven cooked bacon on a wooden surface.
    How to Cook Bacon in the Oven
  • Chicken and ham pie with a corner portion removed.
    Chicken and Ham Pie
  • Honey roast ham on a wooden serving board with sprigs of rosemary.
    Honey Roast Ham
  • Creamy sausage gnocchi in a large black pan.
    Creamy Sausage Gnocchi

Comments

  1. David says

    November 12, 2023 at 9:05 pm

    5 stars
    Wow !!

    Reply
  2. Lesley says

    March 06, 2022 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy , gammon was so pull apart tender and delicious. I used all apple juice and mango chutney version. We saved the onions and served them with the meat but blended the carrots into the cooking liquid , then added tomato puree, English mustard and Worcestershire sauce then thickened it with a bit of cornflour, made a yummy sweet and sour type of gravy/ sauce

    Reply
« Older Comments
4.89 from 26 votes (9 ratings without comment)

Made this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Dannii with a sunset behind her.

Welcome

My name is Dannii. Here you will find easy family recipes with a healthy twist.

Established in 2011, Hungry Healthy Happy has become one of the UK's most popular food blogs, with two successful recipe books published.

About me...

Salad Recipes

  • Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad in a white dish surrounded by crumbled feta.
    Roasted Vegetable Winter Salad
  • A plate of kale, watermelon and feta salad surrounded by watermelon slices.
    Kale, Watermelon and Feta Salad
  • A large bowl of chickpea tuna salad with a serving spoon in it.
    Chickpea Tuna Salad
  • Chopped Blue Cheese Salad in a large white bowl.
    Chopped Blue Cheese Salad
  • A bowl of watercress salad with a wooden fork and spoon in it.
    Watercress Salad
  • Little Gem Salad in a round white bowl.
    Little Gem Salad

Recipe Books

The Hungry Healthy Happy book cover.
The healthy slow cooker book cover.
the front cover of The Picky Plate eBook.

Popular Recipes

  • Leftover chicken pasta on a black plate.
    Leftover Chicken Pasta
  • Mediterranean Rice Salad in a large round serving dish.
    Mediterranean Rice Salad
  • Fourteen healthy flapjacks on a sheet of parchment paper.
    Healthy Flapjacks
  • A tortilla chip being dipped into some nacho cheese sauce.
    2 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce
  • Sticky Ginger Beef in a bowl with rice and broccoli.
    10 Minute Sticky Ginger Beef Mince
  • Baked Egg Tortilla in a round baking dish.
    Baked Egg Tortilla (Tortilla Quiche)

Footer

Help & Information

  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Policy
  • Advertising
  • Blog

About us

  • About us
  • Newsletter Sign Up!
  • Press enquiries
  • FAQ

Follow us


Featured in

A selection of publications that Hungry Healthy Happy has been featured in

As an Amazon Associate we earn certain commissions from qualifying purchases. By using our site, you agree that we can collect and use your data. Our privacy statement has more details.

Copyright © 2011-2024 Hungry Healthy Happy • All Rights Reserved

  • 108

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.