Gammon (or “Hot Ham” as it was always known at home) is not just for Christmas.
Two things which help save my sanity when it comes to cooking for my family are meal planning and factoring in “leftovers” (and I don’t just mean making a “what you can find” meal from scraps, I mean cooking more than you need in anticipation of using it later). This is particularly useful when following a restrictive diet like AIP as food preparation can become a serious burden.
Cooking a Gammon (the raw ham joint – cured and/or smoked) definitely ticks these boxes – delicious hot main meal AND delicious cold ham for several days after (AND if there’s any left over after all that, it freezes well and there are innumerable dishes which can only benefit from the addition of a little chopped ham) – and if you’re careful about the Gammon you buy, you can be sure it isn’t more chemical preservative than meat (something AIPers know to be wary of with Deli meat).
Not all hams are created equal and neither are all cooking methods – I have baked, boiled and even roasted hams with varying degrees of success. Dry ham is no fun at all. Stringy ham is just nasty to eat. Soggy ham (this has only happened once) is … well, you can imagine.
Enter the Instant Pot!
The Instant Pot is a programmable electronic pressure cooker (which also seers, sautés, steams, slow cooks and apparently even makes yoghurt although I have yet to try it). I originally got mine after several months of stinking our house out making bone broth (an AIP compulsory) in my trusty slow cooker. An Instant Pot is definitely an investment purchase, but totally worth it in my opinion – I use it more than once a week, every single week.
And it makes cooking a Gammon almost as easy as boiling the kettle. (The following instructions are as detailed and foolproof as I can make them for the uninitiated – skip to the highlights you Instant Pot Masters!)
- Choose your Gammon. Read the ingredients breakdown and pick the one with fewest chemical preservatives (and if you’re doing AIP make sure the cure doesn’t contain any prohibited spices). I am a smoked ham fan, but it is entirely a matter of taste as they cook exactly the same way.
- Weigh your Gammon. Make a note of the weight.
- Soak your Gammon. I know lots of people say you don’t need to but I inevitably find the finished product too salty if I skip this step. Unwrap your gammon but leave on any helpful netting, string or tubular wrap as it will help the gammon keep it’s shape while cooking and make it much easier to slice. Plop your gammon into the Instant Pot’s Inner Pot (try saying that quickly 10 times). Rinse with cold water and pour the water away, then cover with fresh cold water and put to one side at least overnight and up to 24 hours before you’re ready to cook.
- Prepare your Instant Pot. Pour away the water and set the Gammon on a steamer basket or rack in the Inner Pot. Pour over a 500ml / 1 pint of liquid – water will do but if possible something slightly sweet and acidic works best (I use cider or apple juice). Put the Inner Pot into the Instant Pot (if not already there). Put on the lid and twist clockwise to seal. Turn the Steam Release Handle clockwise to close the valve.
- Calculate your time. 10 mins per 500g / 17.6oz. (Weight in g ÷ 500 × 10 = time) (Weight in oz ÷ 17.6 × 10 = time)
- Cook your Gammon. Select “Manual”, “High Pressure” and press the “+” or “-” button until the display gives the correct time, then step away and do something else for the alloted time and an additional 15 mins or so to allow the machine to depressurized on its own.
- Remove your Gammon. Turn the Instant Pot off. Turn the Steam Release Handle carefully clockwise and check that the red float valve is down (see below) before opening your Instant Pot. Remove your cooked Gammon to a large plate – it can be juicy so you want something with a rim.
Valve Up 
Valve Down - Skin your Gammon. Put on some rubber gloves and using a sharp cooking knife carefully cut away any remaining wrapping and then slice off the skin. For Christmas you might want to keep the fat on to score into diamonds, stud with cloves and glaze. For a lower calorie “every day” ham, I remove as much fat as I can without cutting into the meat – it should slice / peel off fairly easily. Then place onto your serving dish or board.
- Final touch. Ham and black treacle (molasses in the US) is a match made in heaven. One tablespoon carefully spread over your still hot gammon will make all the difference. You can blast it briefly under a grill or a blowtorch for added flair, but this is really gilding the lily. Slice thinly and enjoy!
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