Slow Cooker Gammon (5 Different Ways!)

My slow cooker gammon recipe is a quick way to prepare a meal with tasty results.

You can keep the recipe simple and place the gammon joint in a little water. Or, you can add some additional ingredients to create some different flavours.

Slow cooked gammon is perfect for Christmas, a Sunday roast, or any time of the year!

Either way, the preparation time is very short, and the resulting flavour is delicious.

Do you want to cook gammon a different way? Check out other popular methods, including cooking a gammon joint in an air fryer or using the pressure cooker function with my Ninja Foodi Gammon Recipe.

Read on to see how to cook a gammon joint in a slow cooker.

🛒 What You Need

Ingredients

• Gammon joint – smoked or unsmoked
• Vegetables – you can add any you like, I tend to add onions and carrots
• Cloves/peppercorns – these are optional
• Liquid – just plain water or experiment with different liquids (see below!)
• Honey/Mustard – again, optional, you can glaze the cooked gammon and finish it off in an oven

Equipment

• Slow cooker – any size, but check if the gammon joint can fit in the slow cooker!

👩‍🍳 Making It – 5 Different Ways!

1. How To Cook A Gammon Joint In A Slow Cooker With Water

This is the quickest method. You just need to place the gammon in the slow cooker and then pour some water around it—around 250ml is enough, but you can add more, up to around 500ml.

Do I Need To Add Water To Cook Gammon In A Slow Cooker?

No, like with other slow cooker recipes, there is no need to put in any additional liquid. I like to put in a little at the bottom as I find it helps the gammon to come out a little moister. But, if you don’t add any water to the slow cooker, the gammon won’t burn.

2. Slow Cooker Gammon In Coke

Slow cooking a gammon joint in coke might seem like a strange idea. But if you’ve not tried it, you should!

The gammon does not end up coming out sweet as you would imagine – and it’s best to use normal full-fat Coke (although I know some people do use Diet Coke, especially to make it a Slimming World friendly recipe).

You can also use cherry coke; although I’ve not tried this myself, I have heard it comes out tasty.

3. Slow Cooker Gammon In Cider

Cooking a gammon joint in some dry cider is equally as tasty as the coke. Pour 400ml/500ml of dry cider over the gammon joint in the slow cooker. You can also add some cloves, peppercorns, and chopped-up onions.

4. Slow Cooker Gammon In Apple Juice

If cider isn’t your thing, you can substitute it for apple juice. Pour a similar quantity (400-500ml) over the gammon joint. Alternatively, you can also use pineapple juice or a large tin or 2 of pineapple chunks in juice.

5. Gammon In Slow Cooker With Honey

If you are making a glaze for the gammon (see details further down), you can use honey before putting it in the oven.

You can also use some honey during the slow cooking process. Just mix 5 tbsp of honey with about 250ml – 500ml of water; hot water would be better as it will help the honey dissolve. You can also stir in some mustard and make it a honey and mustard gammon. 

How Can I Make Pulled Ham?

Leave the gammon in the slow cooker for a longer length so that it becomes more tender, and you can pull it apart and shred it. Leave it in for at least 8 hours on low. Use two forks to shred it.

Should I Soak Gammon Before Cooking It?

If you have bought a smoked gammon, you might want to pre-soak or boil away some of the salt before cooking it.

You don’t have to do it; it depends on how salty you like your gammon.

If you want to reduce the salt content, ideally, you will soak it in a bowl of fresh water for at least 12 hours before cooking it. Make sure the whole of the gammon joint is covered.

However, you can boil away the salt if you don’t have the time. Simply place the whole gammon joint in a large enough saucepan and bring it to a boil. 

🕕 How Long To Cook Gammon In A Slow Cooker

Cook it on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 4 to 5 hours. Don’t worry too much if you go beyond this time; it’s unlikely that you will overcook the gammon joint thanks to the low cooking temperature of a slow cooker.

How To Tell If Gammon Is Cooked

Insert a sharp knife inside the gammon and pull it out. The meat isn’t cooked if you struggle to take it out or it feels a bit springy. Return it to the slow cooker to let it cook for longer. If in doubt, use a meat thermometer; the internal temperature at the deepest part should read 75°C.

How To Make A Gammon Glaze 

You can either serve the gammon straight from the slow cooker or add a glaze and cook it in an oven for 15 to 20 minutes. If you have a suitably sized air fryer, you can also put it in there.

Carefully remove the netting from the gammon joint and the skin, leaving the layer of fat. Then, brush with your chosen glaze. I added a little runny honey, but you could use honey, mustard, or maple syrup.

🍽 How To Serve Gammon

Leave the gammon to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving it with a sharp knife. You can serve gammon as part of a roast dinner alongside roasted potatoes and vegetables.

🧾 More Slow Cooker Recipes

Are you looking for more slow cooker recipes? Here are some for inspiration!

• Slow Cooker Gammon in Cola
• Slow Cooker Whole Chicken
• Slow Cooker Pork Joint
• Slow Cooker Sausage Casserole

👉 Recipe Card (Instructions + Print)