Pork · Slow cooker adaptation

John Kirkwood Honey Mustard Gammon (Slow Cooker)

John Kirkwood's honey and mustard Christmas gammon, reworked for the slow cooker. The joint poaches gently in plain water on low all day, then the honey-mustard glaze and cloves go on for a short, hot oven finish.

R By Richard · Adapted from John Kirkwood · Published 3 June 2026
👁 466.7k source views
⏱Prep 20 min
🍲Slow cook 8 hr (Low) / 5 hr (High)
🍽Serves 8
Honey & Mustard Roast Ham

Source video by John Kirkwood on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

John Kirkwood is a retired chef from the north east and this is his Boxing Day ham. His original is a hob simmer (1 hour per kilo) for an hour and a half, then skin off and glaze on for the last hour in the oven. The slow cooker version replaces the hob simmer with a long low poach in plain water, which is gentler still and frees the hob. Skin off, diamond score, brush with the honey and mustard glaze, stud with cloves at every diamond, and a short blast in a hot oven to set the glaze and crisp the fat. The poaching liquid is gold: Scotch broth base or turkey gravy.

Slow cooker notes: John's original simmers the joint in plain water on the hob (1 hour per kilo for half the cooking time), then transfers to the oven for the glaze step. The slow cooker takes the simmer: plain water, low for 8 hours or high for 5, gentler than the hob and walk-away. The glaze and oven finish are unchanged, just shorter because the meat is already cooked through. The skin-scratchings step is preserved as an optional aside.

Ingredients

Joint
  • 2.5 kggood quality gammon joint, skin on
Poach
  • cold water, enough to half-cover the joint in the slow cooker
Glaze
  • runny honey
  • English mustard
  • whole cloves
  • 150 mlwater (for the roasting tin)

Method

  1. Optional but recommended: soak the gammon in cold water for an hour to draw out salt, then rinse.

    ~60 min

  2. Sit the joint in the slow cooker and pour in cold water to half-cover. Skin still on.

    ~3 min

  3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 5 hours, until a skewer slides cleanly into the thickest part.

    ~480 min

  4. Lift the joint onto a board and rest 15 minutes until cool enough to handle. Keep the poaching liquid: it makes brilliant Scotch broth base or turkey gravy.

    ~15 min

  5. Carefully cut the skin off with a sharp knife, leaving as much fat as you can on the joint. Score the fat in a shallow diamond pattern, just through the fat, not into the meat.

    ~5 min

  6. Whisk the honey and mustard together. Brush generously over the top and sides of the joint, making sure every diamond is coated. Stud a whole clove at the point of each diamond.

    ~5 min

  7. Sit the joint in a roasting tin, pour 150 ml water around it (not over the glaze), and roast at 200°C / 180°C fan / gas 6 for 20 to 30 minutes until the glaze is set and dark and the fat is starting to crisp. Baste once at the halfway point with the pan juices.

    ~25 min

  8. Rest the joint on a board, loosely covered, for 30 minutes before carving.

    ~30 min

Frequently asked

Do I need to soak the gammon first?
Only if your joint reads as quite salty (read the label or ask the butcher). John soaks his for an hour in cold water and rinses; it tames the salt and is worth the time. Mild-cure gammons can skip it.
Why poach before glazing?
Poaching cooks the meat through gently so it stays moist. The glaze step is then just about caramelising the surface and setting the cloves, not cooking the joint. Going straight to the oven means the outside dries out before the inside is done.
What do I do with the poaching liquid?
Don't tip it. It's a savoury, faintly sweet ham stock and makes a fantastic Scotch broth base. John also uses it as the base for his Christmas turkey gravy.
Extraction notes (transparency): Joint weight (2.5 kg) and water-on-the-tray volume (150 ml) stated. Glaze quantities (honey, English mustard) NOT stated in the transcript, John refers to a description-box ingredient list which is not available. Honey and mustard included with quantity null. Cloves: stated as one per diamond, exact count depends on scoring. Oven temp 180°C / gas 4 for the original is kept as a reference; the slow cooker version uses a slightly hotter 200°C for a shorter glaze finish.