What is the difference in these cuts of meat i realise they are from different parts of the pig but is the taste a lot different? I wanted to cook the recipe that L.Duncan cooked the other day but could not get ham only gammon.

ham is pink and cold, and gammon is some sort of board game

I thought Ham was gammon when cooked

Well i watched the video on here of Lotti last week cooking ham and Jenni asked her is there any difference between ham and gammon and Lotti said no so there you go, any way i cooked it yesterday followig her recipe and it was lovely

I was told gammon becomes ham when cooked also,----Have you tried Nigella's gammon simmered in Coca Cola absolutely wonderful.

Yes, I've cooked this a few times and my husband would trough through the entire joint on his own I think!

I cook the ham in coca cola too, its fantastic. Not sure about the difference between gammon and ham though, sorry.

pam - was hoping someone would satisfy my curiosity after you asked your question. sadly, no one has replied for AGES and i had to look for it myself. did a search for gammon, and thought i'd share it with you.

gammon: 'The buttock or thigh of a hog, salted and smoked or dried; the lower end of a flitch. --Goldsmith.'

ham: 'The thigh of any animal; especially, the thigh of a hog cured by salting and smoking.'

Not all ham is smoked though is it?

No it's not Lil'Abby, and also you can buy Shoulder Ham. I always thought that 'ham' could be any any of a few joints from a pig, cured, but gammon was simply a better cut from the leg, cured. Just to confuse it more, I used to buy Gammon Ham.

I also found this.......

Ham is the cured product of the upper leg and buttock of the pig and differs from gammon only in that the latter is cut from the side of bacon after it has been cured. It is stable when raw after a certain period of maturation but is often cooked to pasteurisation temperature, 70°C, or it may be canned at pasteurising temperature. It may be smoked as an additional means of preservation and flavouring.

that's more like it - keep the conversation going. WHO KNOWS???? there must be a butcher out there somewhere...

that's more like it - keep the conversation going. WHO KNOWS???? there must be a butcher out there somewhere...

Okay - I must admit that when Jeni asked me this question on the show the other day, it was one I should have answered straight away. However my thought afterwards was that a Gammon is un-cooked and a Ham is is cooked. So..... I telephoned my butcher to clarify. He said ' that when someone comes into his butchers and asks for a Gammon, he will produce the meat raw, ready to be cooked. And when someone asks for Ham, it is cooked and from his deli counter. It is the same cut - leg and top of thigh. A few years ago it was called Gammon Ham but he says that has been phased out and now its just Gammon or Ham!'
Phew!
So, hopefully this will answer your question - it has certainly helped me.
By the way Pam, really pleased you tried the recipe and enjoyed it!
Lotte.

Thank you so much for the explanation about the diffeence between gammon and "ham"

Which is the better - i.e. meatier - part of the gammon to buy, as it probably has been cut in half?

Thank you for all your wonderful receipes I really appreciate them.

All good wishes for Christmas

Christiane M. Elias

It depends on how many people you are feeding.A whole gammon 12-14 lbs and is normally cut into joints. Middle gammon is lean and succulent.That comes from the middle of the leg.Has a really good flavour.This is the piece that most people choose. Then finished off with cloves ect:

Ok folks so what is the difference between gammon and a hock and do you cook them in the same way ie slowly?

Are you talking about a gammon knuckle when you say Hock. Hock has a high proportion of bone.It is usually sold for boilng.The knuckle end is tough so it's best to take the flesh off and use it in casseroles. Now gammon is suitable for boiling and roasting depending on the piece of gammon you buy and the Gammon slipper is from the inside of the hind leg and is best boiled.

Well the butcher sold it to me as bacon hock, i cooked it slowly in a casserole with veg and it was tasty. Does any one on here ever buy sweetbreads? I ate them recently in a restaurant and they were tasty but have asked several butchers and the have said no can do.

I don't like offal.I'm surprised your butcher doesn't sell lamb's sweetbreads as they are plentiful.Ask him to get you some.My butcher will always get me what i want.

gammon is lovely when its cooked with brown sugar and a can of guiness or stout etc....

Does anyone know why in the Nigella recipe for gammon cooked in coke, she advises you to NOT discard the cooking liquid ... and then there are no further instructions as to what to do with it?

I also tried Nigellas Gammon cooked in Coca Cola and it was fabulous! I served it at my recent dinner party and it was the biggest hit of all! Thanks Nigella!