Slow Cooker Gammon In Brown Sugar is the ultimate easy slow cooker recipe. Just 2 ingredients combine to make the most delicious combo feast of salty and sweet ham that's perfect for a special family meal or a midweek meal.
This is the easiest recipe here on my blog. Just gammon and brown sugar into the pot and a few hours later.......a sweet and salty feast. A real crowd pleaser too.
*Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a full printable recipe card*
Why you'll love Slow Cooker With Brown Sugar Gammon
- so ridiculously easy
- only 2 ingredients
- economical
- crowd pleaser
- delicious
Jump to:
What is Gammon?
Gammon is uncooked brined or cured pork leg. You can buy it whole or sliced into steaks.
It can be smoked. Gammon is prepared in the same way as bacon. You can buy it on or off the bone.
Once you have cooked Gammon it is then called Ham. A bit confusing I guess but let's not split piggy hairs. It doesn't matter what it's called when it's sat in front of you ready for snaffling.
Just to make it clear you do not need to put any water in there along with the Gammon. It really doesn't need it and will create it's own juices which you can simmer down to make a salty sticky gravy if you want although I find it a bit too rich.
You can roast, boil or cook Gammon in the slow cooker.
I have 2 other Gammon recipes on my site, Roast Gammon with Red Cabbage and Slow Cooker Gammon in Apple Juice.
Have a looky see. They're some of my absolute favourites and I've been cooking them for so many years they feel like old friends, cheesy but true.
This recipe serves 6 adults with leftovers for Gammon, Egg & Chips (not meaning to be a bossy Susan) or just the best sandwiches.
Ingredients
2kg (4.4 lb) Gammon
300 grams (1 & a half cups)
That's it!
Method
Put 1 cup of light brown sugar in the bottom of your slow cooker pot.
Put your gammon on top and then put the remaining half a cup of sugar on top of that.
Cook on High for 4 - 6 Hours or 6 -8 Hours on Low. If you have a meat thermometer then you want the inner temperature of the gammon to be 71 degrees C/160 degrees F if you don't then when pierced the juices should run clear and the removed fork should be super hot to the touch.
You can glaze the top of the Ham by waiting a little for the top to cool and then remove carefully the top layer of skin and about half the fat. Discard the trimmings and then score diagonally one way and then the next to produce a diamond pattern.
Glazing a Ham
If you are using a reformed gammon then the fat on top tends to be minimal anyway. You may not be able to glaze it.
Here is a video to show you how to glaze a gammon.
I use a quick glaze which is just a couple of tbsp of marmalade and a couple of tbsp of brown sugar pressed into the scored top and then sit the ham directly under the grill for about ten minutes until browned and sizzling.
Here are some other gammon glazes
You really don't have to though, it just looks pretty special for an occasion but oftentimes no one's watching are they? They're all on their flipping phones.
Slice and serve.
Serving Suggestions
I LOVE to serve Braised Red Cabbage with Gammon during Winter time and especially Christmas. I also make it like this, Slow Cooker Red Cabbage It is just the perfect pairing and red cabbage is the easiest dish to have hanging around. You can make it way before and just reheat on the day. A huge win if it's a busy time.
And the other dish I LOVE to serve with Gammon is cauliflower cheese. It is like they were separated at birth this pair, Sisters from another Mother. Absolute cheesy loveliness. I make double the cheese sauce just because I think of it like the gravy here.
The other obvious sides are creamy dauphinoise potatoes, slow cooker dauphinoise potatoes, mashed potatoes or roast potatoes.
For some reason I also feel strongly that carrots should be on the plate too. Not sure why but my brain just says.
Another delicious combo would be my slow cooker mac & cheese. Oh my days.....
Tips & Tricks
- to keep this dish economical you can use the reformed gammon joints that are sold in some supermarkets
- you can use dark brown sugar too.
- use smoked or unsmoked to suit your tastes my family prefer unsmoked
- uncooked gammons freeze extremely well so I look out for offers and stock up the freezer
- I also cook a gammon at christmas to use cold sliced for salads, buffets and general loveliness
- Gammon is cooked when it reaches a central internal temperature of 160℉(71℃)
- If glazing remember that the gammon needs to be close to the top of the grill
More Slow Cooker Meals
Slow Cooker Gammon with Brown Sugar
Equipment
- 1 slow cooker
- 1 meat thermometer optional
Ingredients
- 300 grams light brown sugar
- 2 kg gammon salted or unsalted
Instructions
- Put 1 cup of light brown sugar in the bottom of your slow cooker pot.
- Put your gammon on top and then put the remaining half a cup of sugar on top of that.
- Cook on High for 4 - 6 Hours or 6 -8 Hours on Low. If you have a meat thermometer then you want the inner temperature of the gammon to be 75℃/160℉
- You can glaze the top of the Ham by waiting a little for the top to cool and then remove carefully the top layer of skin and about half the fat. Discard the trimmings and then score diagonally one way and then the next to produce a diamond pattern.
- I use a quick glaze which is marmalade and brown sugar pressed into the scored top and then sit the ham directly under the grill for about ten minutes until browned and sizzling.
- Slice and serve
Notes
-
- to keep this dish economical you can use the reformed gammon joints that are sold in some supermarkets
-
- use smoked or unsmoked to suit your tastes my family prefer unsmoked
-
- uncooked gammons freeze extremely well so I look out for offers and stock up the freezer
-
- I also cook a gammon at christmas to use cold sliced for salads, buffets and general loveliness
- Gammon is cooked when it reaches a central internal temperature of 75℃/160℉
- if glazing remember that the gammon needs to be close to the top of the grill
- it may not have enough fat on it to glaze if it is a reformed gammon
Nutrition
All nutritional information is approximate and intended only as a guide.
Alex
Thanks for sharing your recipe, I love it. I also love your line about people being on their flipping phones - so annoying and rude when people visit and just look at their phones leaving me and my husband staring at each other - we no longer invite some people around, so your observation made me chuckle.