This easy slow-cooker ham recipe is the ultimate Sunday lunch or Christmas day meal. It's poached in cider and topped with a honey-mustard glaze for a caramelised finish, and only requires 20 minutes of hands-on time, meaning the oven does all the work while you can enjoy a drink. Plus, at only £4.92 per portion, it's a cost-effective showstopper that's guaranteed to please your guests.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
5 hrs 30 mins
Total Time:
5 hrs 50 mins
Cal/Serv:
486
Ingredients
For the ham
1
.6kg unsmoked gammon joint (see intro and GH TIP)
2
bay leaves
10
black peppercorns
2Tbsp.
light brown soft sugar
500ml
cider
For the glaze
1Tbsp.
runny honey
1Tbsp.
wholegrain mustard
1Tbsp.
light brown soft sugar
Directions
Step 1For the ham, put the gammon, bay and peppercorns into a slow cooker and rub the sugar all over the gammon. Pour the cider around the meat, then top up with cold water to just barely cover the meat.
Step 2Cover with the lid and cook on low for 5hr, or until cooked through. Remove the lid, turn off the cooker and leave the ham to cool in the poaching liquid for at least 30min, or until cool enough to handle.
Step 3Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Lift ham on to a board and remove any string. Using a sharp knife, slice off the skin, leaving a good layer of fat. Score a close diamond pattern into the fat (not cutting into the meat). Place fat-side up in a small roasting tin.
Step 4For the glaze, in a small bowl mix all the ingredients and brush over the ham fat. Roast for 20-30min, or until an even golden brown. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, in slices.
Get ahead:
Poach the gammon a day or 2 ahead; cool completely in the cooking liquid then cover and chill (still in liquid). To serve, allow to come to room temperature and complete recipe. The finished ham will keep in the fridge, well-wrapped, for up to 4 days. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
GH TIPS:
When buying your gammon, bear in mind the size and shape of your slow cooker bowl, opting for a rounder or more bullet-shaped joint as needed.
If you prefer a stronger flavour, start with a smoked gammon and make sure you don’t waste the poaching liquid. Strain it through a fine sieve and chill or freeze to use later. It makes a great base for soups or stews, just be sure to check it’s not too salty before using it.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
