f my family’s Christmas menu had a flavour profile, it would be sweet, sticky, and just a little bit extra – which is exactly why honey ginger gammon makes an appearance on the table every single year. This honey ginger gammon recipe is a festive classic, loved for being easy to make, big on flavour, and guaranteed to draw people into the kitchen “just to check on it.” – which makes no sense because she’s very easy to make.

The honey ginger gammon combination is practically a Christmas rule. Sweet honey, warm ginger, and salty gammon come together to create that glossy, caramelised finish that defines a proper South African Christmashoney ginger gammon. It’s a flavour pairing that’s stood the test of time, and for good reason – it’s festive, reliable, and always a crowd-pleaser.

This recipe is made the way it’s always been done in our house: slow-cooked in my mom’s Le Creuset casserole, because cast iron and Christmas food are a winning team. One thing that never stays the same, though, is the vegetables. My mom switches them up depending on her mood (and possibly the state of the fridge). This time, I went with carrots and baby potatoes, yum!

If you’re looking for an easy Christmas honey ginger gammon recipe, a classic honey glazed gammon, or a festive South African holiday recipe that delivers maximum flavour with minimum fuss, this honey ginger gammon deserves a spot on your Christmas table-preferably with someone hovering nearby, waiting to sneak the first slice. Pair this with mustard, and you’re set for a Christmas gammon to remember.

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honey ginger gammon

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Honey Ginger Gammon

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Main Course

Servings:

Author: The Big Tasty Bite

Equipment

1 deep dish casserole
1 baking sheet
1 small saucepan

Ingredients

Gammon

1.5-2 kg gammon boneless smoked or raw
1 litre old school ginger beer
1 litre water
3 cloves garlic lightly crushed
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme

Honey Ginger Sauce

⅓ cup honey
80 grams brown sugar
2 ½ tbsps fresh ginger finely diced
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
¼ tsp white pepper
1-2 cups reserved juices/ginger beer stock/water or more if needed
2 tbsp cornstarch or corn flour or mezina
salt to taste optional

Instructions

Gammon

Place the gammon joint in a large Dutch oven with ginger beer, water, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Bring to boil and cover, simmer for 2-3 hours, topping up the liquid with water as needed.
Once the gammon has about an hour left, start preparing the vegetables. Root vegetables take a bit longer and are cut into similar sizes, coated with some oil and salt. Popped onto a baking tray and baked in a preheated oven for 40-50 minutes at 220℃.
Remove the gammon and reserve 2 cups worth of broth. Once the gammon has slightly cooled down, remove the net using a scissor. Using a sharp knife, you'll remove the layer of skin that's on top of the gammon. Use a sharp knife to score the fat. Place the scored gammon in the same Dutch oven that was used earlier. Note: make sure to only remove the skin, keeping the layer of fat attached to the gammon.
In a small saucepan, combine the honey, brown sugar, fresh ginger, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and white pepper together - do not add the water/any additional liquid just yet. Brush the surface of the gammon with the mixture and pop it under the broiler for 5 minutes. Add another layer of the honey-ginger mixture and repeat until you've reached your desired doneness.

Honey Ginger Sauce

To the remaining mixture left in the saucepan, add any of the gammon's juices that were released during the broiler process. Add 1 cup of the ginger beer stock you had reserved and bring to a simmer.
In a small bowl mix corn starch and cold water together until you have a slurry. Add the slurry to the honey-ginger sauce and simmer lightly until thickened. Note: feel free to add more ginger beer stock if the mixture is too thick or more of the corn starch .
Surround the gammon with roast vegetables, slice and serve with the honey ginger sauce. Enjoy!