Slow Cooker Pulled Gammon. Looking for a fun alternative to pulled pork? Then you must try pulled gammon in the slow cooker. Delicious, easy, perfect for sandwiches and full of great flavours.
This is the sequel to our slow cooker gammon in water and shows you a new way to cook a gammon joint at home in your slow cooker.
Pulled Gammon
Yesterday on the blog we showed you how to make slow cooker gammon in water. Such an easy concept for slow cooking roast gammon without needing to soak the gammon joint first.
But what if you could take your slow cooker gammon to the next step and transform it into pulled gammon instead?
Using the same starting recipe and starting ingredients as a classic slow cooker gammon, but cooking it for longer to make it pulled like pulled pork, then going the American way with barbecue sauce and baps?
Well, that is exactly what we did, and our pulled gammon tasted AMAZING.
It has now become a regular thing in the Milner house and thanks to being able to get a large gammon joint from Aldi for less than £4 this is perfect for a great Friday night feast.
Can You Cook Gammon In A Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can cook gammon in a slow cooker, and it turns out absolutely delicious.
A slow cooker gammon joint is one of the easiest ways to prepare this classic meat. The long, slow cooking process helps make the gammon beautifully tender and full of flavour.
If you’ve never cooked a gammon joint or other meat joints in the slow cooker before, you might be surprised by just how good the results are.
Once you’ve tried slow cooker gammon, I also recommend giving slow cooker topside beef a go. It’s another fantastic example of how slow cooking can transform a simple cut of meat into a delicious roast-style meal.
Can You Make Pulled Pork With A Gammon Joint?
Yes, you can! Pulled gammon in the slow cooker is a brilliant alternative to traditional pulled pork.
You can serve it in exactly the same way — add your favourite barbecue sauce, load it into burger buns or baps, and enjoy it as an easy family meal.
When I was shopping at Aldi, I noticed that a gammon joint was cheaper than a pork shoulder, yet the flavour and texture were surprisingly similar.
If you’re wondering about the difference between gammon and pork joints, gammon comes from the hind leg of the pig and is a cured cut of meat. Pork can refer to many different cuts from across the pig.
Because the cuts are similar, you can often swap them in recipes, such as using gammon instead of pork for pulled pork-style recipes.
How To Make Gammon Less Salty?
The biggest difference with gammon is that it is cured using salt, which gives it its traditional flavour but can also make it taste quite salty.
If you prefer a milder flavour, the best way to make gammon less salty is to cook it slowly in liquid.
For pulled gammon in the slow cooker, we recommend cooking it in water, Fanta or Coke. The liquid helps draw out some of the salt while the gammon cooks, resulting in a more balanced flavour.
What Size Gammon For 8 People?
The size of gammon you need depends on how you plan to serve it.
When we made our simple slow cooker gammon, we used a 1.2kg/2.6lb gammon joint to feed our family of five. This included two children under seven, our adult son and us as parents.
We had enough for pulled gammon baps for everyone, plus enough leftovers for a second serving.
For pulled gammon for 8 people, I would recommend choosing around a 1.5kg gammon joint.
If you are serving traditional gammon as part of a roast dinner with plenty of side dishes, a 1kg joint should usually be enough for eight people, as the extra vegetables and accompaniments help make the meal go further.
Pulled Gammon Recipe Ingredients
Gammon – We used a 1.2kg gammon joint in this recipe. You could go smaller or bigger and use unsmoked or smoked gammon. Though note if you are just having pulled gammon baps that this recipe will easily make 8 of them.
Water – For pulled gammon, you will need enough water to cover the gammon to ¾ covered. This is the trick for reducing the salt and making sure the gammon is tender and perfectly pulls apart.
Stock – I love to add some vegetables to the bottom of the slow cooker and then place the gammon on top. This will then add flavour to your slow cooker, and you have vegetable stock for another day. You can swap this for premade vegetable stock if you prefer.
Seasoning – I love my gammon with parsley and oregano. You can use the same or mix and match.
Sauce – I love American style pulled pork and to make it in the same way with gammon, simply have some barbecue sauce to hand. You can also use our homemade barbecue sauce if you prefer.
Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this slow cooker pulled gammon, it has just been our Crockpot. We have this one and it does an amazing job and is also ideal for browning meat too.
We also used these meat claws; we find them to be the best and are ideal for any pulled meat.
How To Cook Pulled Gammon?
- Prep. The first step is to peel and dice your vegetables, toss in half the seasoning and load into the slow cooker. You then add a scored gammon on top and season this too. Water or soda is then poured down the sides before it is ready to be slow cooked.
- Cook. Then slow cook on high for 6 hours or 10 hours on low. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before pulling apart with meat claws.
- Sauce. Next after shredding, toss in lots of barbecue sauce and then load into burger buns if making pulled pork baps.
How Long Does Gammon Take In The Slow Cooker?
If you are making pulled gammon in the slow cooker, the recommended cooking time is:
- 6 hours on high
- 10 hours on low
Cooking gammon on low is perfect if you have a busy day ahead. You can prepare everything the night before, switch the slow cooker on in the morning, and then come home from work to beautifully tender gammon that is ready to pull apart.
It is one of the easiest ways to enjoy a delicious homemade meal with very little effort.
Gammon In Water To Pulled Gammon
Have you noticed the difference between traditional gammon in water and delicious pulled gammon? The secret is all in the cooking time.
A gammon joint cooked in the slow cooker for around 4 hours will give you a lovely roast-style ham that slices beautifully.
However, when you cook gammon for longer — around 6 hours — the texture changes completely. The meat becomes so tender that it falls apart easily, just like pulled pork.
Once your gammon has reached that perfect pulled texture, simply shred the meat, add your favourite sauce and enjoy.
How Do You Know When Gammon Is Ready For Pulling?
If you are unsure whether your gammon is tender enough to pull apart, use the simple fork test.
Try lifting the gammon joint out of the slow cooker with a fork. If the meat starts to break apart and falls away easily, then it is ready.
That soft, pull-apart texture is exactly what you want for delicious slow cooker pulled gammon.
Can You Reheat Pulled Gammon?
Yes, you can reheat pulled gammon, and it tastes fantastic the next day.
I love reheating pulled gammon (just like pulled pork) because it makes a brilliant leftover meal. You can also use it in lots of different dishes, making it a great way to get more meals from your slow cooker gammon joint.
Because pulled meats are so versatile, it’s worth checking out our reheating pulled pork ideas too, as many of the same tips and serving suggestions work perfectly with gammon.
Just remember that pulled gammon should only be reheated once. If you have any leftovers after reheating, it’s best to enjoy them cold rather than warming them up again.
What To Have With Pulled Gammon?
The best way to enjoy pulled gammon is in a delicious pulled gammon bap.
It is very similar to the pulled pork sliders popular in the USA — simply load tender pulled gammon into a soft bread roll, add your favourite sauce and enjoy.
Pulled gammon is also delicious served with coleslaw, salad, chips or your favourite barbecue-style sides, making it a great option for an easy family meal, lunch or casual gathering.
Here are my pulled gammon baps:
Of course, you can also go low carb too. Another great way is to swap our chicken for pulled gammon in our air fryer cobb salad.
More Gammon Recipes To Try Next:
- Slow Cooker Gammon In Fanta
- Slow Cooker Gammon In Coke
- Slow Cooker Gammon In Water
- Slow Cooker Gammon Steaks
- Air Fryer Gammon Steak & Chips
- Air Fryer Rotisserie Gammon
Slow Cooker Pulled Gammon
Ingredients
Kitchen Gadgets:
Pulled Gammon Ingredients:
- 1.2 Kg Gammon Joint
- 1 L Warm Water
- 2 Celery Sticks
- 2 Medium Carrots
- 1 Medium Onion
- 4 Tbsp Barbecue Sauce
- 8 Burger Buns
- 2 Tbsp Oregano
- 2 Tbsp Parsley
Instructions
- Peel and dice your onion and carrots and clean and dice your celery. Load the veggies into the slow cooker with half the seasoning and mix. Score the top of your gammon, add the rest of the seasoning and load over the veggies.
- Pour the water down the sides. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on high or until the gammon falls apart.
- When the gammon is done, place in a mixing bowl and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Use meat claws to pull apart and then use your hands for any extra bits.
- Toss in barbecue sauce. Adding a little sauce at a time until you have pulled gammon that is well coated in sauce.
- Load into baps before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t make it now? Then pin it for later!
