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Gammon hock with plum sauce

Updated: Tue, 8 December, 2020

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Gammon is cured pork; ham is cooked gammon. Let's put this issue to bed now and take a look at this glorious roasted gammon hock.

ham hock with plum sauce cuisinefiend.com

Ham or gammon?

On Boxing Day, if you're of the traditional orientation and serve ham, there is always someone to ingeniously ask: 'so what's the difference between ham and gammon?' Eye-roll. Sigh.

Why does nobody ever ask about the difference between pork belly and bacon? Perhaps because a lot of people think that bacon comes from a different type of animal than pork. That's a joke, but not entirely: I've come across thus thinking individuals.

gammon shank cuisinefiend.com

The bone appeal

There is something appealingly primeval about eating a piece of animal leg on the bone. You picture yourself as a medieval squire, waving the whole joint of meat about before greedily biting into the fat, spitting out gristle, washing it down in a very slurpy manner with a goblet of rich wine.

Which is where shanks come onto the scene as chicken drumsticks are far too dainty for the experience.

Of course a shank it's slightly too large to wave about and probably too substantial for one by modern standards - and where on earth can you get hold of a goblet? But it's great to share, and no waving.

roasted gammon hock with cabbage cuisinefiend.com

Lamb shank trumps pork shank?

Lamb shanks reign over the Eastern Mediterranean and everyone comes back from holidays rushing to the butcher's for a nostalgic piece of sheep. Why, oh why is poor pig the underdog?

Pork shank (gammon, gammonn, gammmmonnn...) is every bit as nice as lamb and more: it's less gristly, fattier in a nice way and the lean bits are tenderer. And it will fall off the bone just as easily if you treat it well.

roasted gammon knuckle with plum sauce cuisinefiend.com

How to cook gammon hock?

There's a bit of fat and rind on the gammon hock but also plenty of those round lean succulent muscles nestled around the bone. As all lesser cuts, it does not need a lot of hands-on attention but only time. It will need soaking first, and that's not to get rid of the saltiness which purpose it served in the pas, but for initial tenderising.

Then the boiling stage, with aromatics, for about three hours on gentle simmer. For best results leave it to cool down in the cooking liquid - overnight if possible - before blasting it in a hot oven with a classic sticky mustard glaze.

And that is it. Ham hock (as it will now be called as it has been cooked) or shank or knuckle is actually tastier than boneless gammon - and what a nice low price label it bears.



gammon hock with plum sauce

Servings: 2Time: 4 hours
Rating: (2 reviews)

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 gammon hock, cured and smoked, about 1.3kg (to serve 2)
  • 1 carrot, quartered
  • 1 onion, peeled roughly, halved
  • a few garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed lightly with a back of a knife
  • a few juniper berries
  • 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
  • a generous grating of nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp. wholegrain mustard
  • 3 tbsp. maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tsp mustard powder
  • For the plum sauce:
  • 4 ripe plums
  • a knob of butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • a handful of raisins
  • 100ml gammon stock
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp Demerara sugar
  • ½ tsp cornflour mixed in a little cold water (optional)


METHOD

1. Soak the hock in cold water for 2 hours. Drain and rinse, place in a large stock pot with the carrot, onion, garlic, juniper, peppercorns and nutmeg and pour over enough cold water to cover the hock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat right down and simmer gently for 3 hours. If too much liquid boils off, top up with boiling water. Leave in the cooking liquid to cool completely.

Boiling and glazing gammon hock cuisinefiend.com

2. Lift the hock from the stock (reserve it, makes a great base for hearty soups) and place on a roasting dish lined with two layers of aluminium foil (the sticky glaze will make the dish impossible to clean). Score the skin with a sharp knife in a diagonal pattern.

3. Mix the mustard with the maple syrup and brush all over the hock; you can reserve some to top up the basting halfway through the roasting time. Roast in an oven preheated to 190C/375F/gas 5 for an hour, until the skin is browned and crispy. Rest for a few minutes, serve with plum sauce, stir-fried cabbage and fried potatoes.

Plum sauce cuisinefiend.com

4. For the plum sauce, stone the plums and cut into eighths. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the plums and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until they start to break down. Add the cinnamon, chilli, raisins and cook for a few minutes longer.

5. Add the stock and lemon juice, cook it down to thicken the sauce – if it’s too thin, add the cornflour. Check for sweetness and add the sugar if it’s not sweet enough.


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Your comments

Mark
Removing the bone before cooking enables to slice without going around the bone. Just slice after slice no more sticky fingers lovely.
3 years ago
Anna @ CuisineFiend
Hi Mark - what a good idea.
3 years ago
Mark
I debone the hock before cooking it reduces the boiling time by half. The rest of the recipe is spot on. Tasty.
3 years ago
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Hello! I'm Anna Gaze, the Cuisine Fiend. Welcome to my recipe collection.

I have lots of recipes for you to choose from: healthy or indulgent, easy or more challenging, quick or involved - but always tasty.


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