Making this Air Fryer Small Gammon Joint is ridiculously easy. You can keep it plain and simple or add my fuss free mustard and brown sugar glaze. Ideal to serve as part of a hot meal, add to a buffet spread or chill, slice and use as a great value alternative to deli ham in sandwiches and salads.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my Disclosures Page for more details.
I generally boil rather than bake my gammon joints. Either in a pan like with my Ginger Beer Boiled Ham or using my Instant pot. I have on several occasions used the air fryer to glaze the cooked hams and that has worked incredibly well. I now only do this in the oven when I have a large ham that just wont fit!
But I thought it was time to experiment with cooking a gammon in the air fryer from beginning to end. And I was very pleased with the results. The trick is to wrap the gammon in foil for the majority of the cooking process. This effectively steams the meat in it’s own juices. You can stop the cooking process just there and have some plain cooked ham. Or take it a step further and add the glaze.
You do need to be mindful about what size gammon with fit in the air fryer. I’ve used a fairly small 1kg/2.2lb piece for this recipe and it fitted nicely into my 3.8l Cosori basket fryer. The height of the basket is often more restrictive than the width and depth so do bear this in mind when choosing your gammon.
How to Serve
Gammon is a very versatile joint of meat to cook. It can of course be served hot and with a roast dinner. Many people will serve a ham on their Christmas or Thanksgiving table.
I’m a big fan of making a meal of hot thick sliced ham with creamy mash potato, simply boiled carrots and something green like spring greens or air fried green beans. A truly comforting meal.
I also like to serve an Americana inspired meal with baked macaroni cheese, green bean casserole (you really should try it), baked butternut squash (pretend it’s pumpkin) and a big bowl of Boston baked beans. Finish things off with a pile of freshly baked American buttermilk biscuits.
I also often cook a gammon joint without a specific dinner in mind. I cook it simply to slice thinly and use like I would any other sliced ham. Ham is simply cooked gammon by a different name.
Ingredients
Gammon
There is a wide variety of gammon joints available here in the UK which can be both smoked or unsmoked. I’m personally a fan of unsmoked but this recipe will work for either.
More expensive cuts will be a single piece of meat from the leg of the pig. Cheaper cuts can be made from smaller pieces that are effectively stuck together. These are usually sold as a perfect round, like the one I’ve used for this recipe. For the most part there is nothing wrong with this, they aren’t really processed, they’re just shaped.
Historically it has been common to soak a gammon in cold water to prevent it from being so salty. I don’t often find that this is required nowadays as the saltiness tends to be milder. But if you are unsure if this is needed, you can slice off a sliver of the gammon, fry it gently until cooked and taste, If it is too salty, then you can leave it to soak.
Sugar
I’ve used both light brown and dark brown sugar in my ham glazes in the past. Both are delicious but using light brown sugar gives more of an opportunity for the mustard flavours to shine through.
Honey is another common sweetener added to ham glazes and you could easily sub honey in this recipe if you prefer. But you do need to use some form of sugar in the glaze otherwise it won’t caramelise in the way that you need.
Mustard
I like to combine the flavour and texture of wholegrain mustard with the more subtle smoothness of dijon mustard so I’ve combined both for this recipe. You will still get great results if you use just one or the other. For a more fiery kick, you can add either English mustard powder or prepared English mustard.
Allergen Information
This recipe is free from egg, dairy, gluten and nuts. Saying this, you should double check the ingredients of the mustard you are using as they occasionally sneak some gluten in.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
How Long to Air Fry A Small Gammon Joint
This small 1kg/2,2lb gammon round cooks in it’s foil wrapping in 45 minutes.
It then takes a further 20 minutes for the glaze to perfectly caramelise. I add the glaze in two stages, air frying for 10 minutes each time. I find this makes the glaze more evenly adhere to the gammon and speeds up the cooking process.
A smaller piece of gammon will cooked a little quicker. A larger joint will naturally need longer.
How to Air Fry Gammon Joints From Frozen
I don’t recommend air frying a whole gammon joint from frozen. It is too difficult to ensure that the centre is properly cooked without the outer parts becoming dry and overcooked.
Leftovers – Storage & Reheating
I don’t really think of uneaten gammon as being leftover, just ham that hasn’t been eaten yet. It’s the kind of thing that I purposefully stock my fridge with to grab and go for various snacks and meals.
You can store those leftovers in the fridge for several days. I like to allow it to fully chill then cut into slices. You can get much thinner and neater slices this way and the ham will go further. I also do this if I’m intending to freeze the ham. I freeze in smaller portions so they are more convenient to grab and quicker to defrost.
You can eat the ham cold or rewarm it. To reheat I like to use the microwave. This keeps the meat lovely and moist and it only takes a couple of minutes. If you only have an air fryer to reheat, loosely wrap the ham in foil and air fry until piping hot. You can add a drop of water to the foil parcel to help the steaming process along.
Common Air Fryer Questions – A Brief Guide to Air Frying
- What exactly is an air fryer?
- What are the benefits of using an air fryer?
- Are all air fryers the same?
- Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
- Do air fryers need to be pre-heated?
- What is the best temperature to air fry at?
- What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
- Can food be cooked from frozen in an air fryer?
- Can I reheat food in an air fryer?
- Are air fryer liners a good idea?
The Air Fried Feast Community
Come on over to Facebook and join my community discussing all things air fryer. Get involved in sharing your experiences and trials, help out others and find out what wonderful things everyone is cooking in their air fryers!
What Exactly is an Air Fryer?
Very simply, an air fryer is a small convection (fan) oven. The benefit is that the hot air is circulated all around the food being cooked which speeds up the cooking time and cooks the food more evenly.
What are the Benefits of Using an Air Fryer?
Size, time and energy usage. Air fryers are ideal for cooking smaller quantities. Heating up a space that the food just fits into requires less energy and means that the heat source is much closer to the food. Combining these two things can speed up the cooking time.
Are all air fryers the same?
Nope! The term air fryer is now used very broadly. I consider there to be 4 main types:
Basket Air Fryers
These are what I would consider to be the most common, especially in the UK. A boxy type unit has a pull out drawer/basket. Food isn’t usually visible whilst cooking.
Some larger models have two drawers so different items can be cooked at different temperatures or for different times.
This is the type that you’ll see in the images in this recipe. I mostly use a Cosori Lite 3.8L (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal. It isn’t an overly expensive or fancy model.
I’ve also recommended to several friends and family the model with a slightly larger basket. This is the Cosori 4.7L (CAF-L501) with a 4.7 litre basket. The unit is no larger than the 3.8 litre model on the outside but does have a larger internal basket capacity. I’ve since bought this version to use for some recipes where my smaller model was just too small. I’ll always note this in the recipe.
Rotary Air Fryers
Round air fryers with a paddle in the centre that rotates to move the food. This is the type I used for years – the most common is a Tefal Actifry.
Rotary types are not usually good for recipes where the food is breaded, glazed, likely to break up or in a tray/container. They do however make the best chips and roasted veg.
My 2 in 1 version like the one I’ve linked also has a rotating tray for things that could be broken up by a paddle, but the height clearance with the lid isn’t deep enough to use it to cook some items like sausage rolls. I’ve now actually retired by Actifry in favour of having my two basket type fryers.
Mini Oven Air Fryers
These usually have a glass door, shelves and overall are really quite large. You can cook quite a decent quantity of food in them so are best if regularly cooking for multiple people. They often come with extra features like a rotisserie spit or kebab skewers.
Multicookers with Air Fryer Functions
Some like Ninja 11 in 1 and some of the earlier versions with a few less functions, have an air fryer option. They mostly operate the same as a basket fryer but the basket drops in the top rather than sliding in like a drawer.
Some electric pressure cookers like Instant Pots can also air fry when used with a specific lid.
Is an air fryer always better to use than an oven?
As much as I do love air frying, the honest answer to this is no. And the more detailed answer is that it will always depend on what you’re cooking, how much of it you’re cooking and what type and size of air fryer you have.
Once you need to cook in more than 2 batches, it often makes more sense to use an oven. If you already have the oven on to cook other items, it may make more sense to throw one more item in rather than using an additional appliance.
I don’t think either method is often necessarily better than the other. The important point to note is that there is absolutely no difference in the finished product.
Do Air Fryers Need to Be Pre-Heated?
The answer to this is rather annoying – it depends. It depends entirely on your model and type of air fryer. The best advice I can offer is to check your manual and follow their guidance. My Cosori models have a preheat function. I press a button and it heats at 205c/400f for 4 minutes.
It’s also worth noting that regardless of whether you are supposed to pre-heat or not, if you are cooking in batches, it is quite likely that anything after the first batch will cook a little quicker because of the retained heat. It is best to check on them before the cooking time is completed.
What is the best temperature to Air Fry at?
It will always depend on what you are cooking and from what state. All of my air fryer recipes don’t use temperatures above 200c/390f because many of the most common fryers in the UK don’t go above this. Mine goes to 230c/450f and I use this temperature a lot but it is no help for me to share recipes which many people can’t use.
What setting is best to use? Air fry, bake, dehydrate, etc…
Not all air fryers have different settings like this. When they do it usually relates to the fan speed. The default setting to use will always be “air fry” so unless something else is specifically stated in the recipe, always use the air fry option.
There are other air fryers that have an additional heating element which cooks from underneath rather than just the top. Just as with the other settings, unless you are using a recipe which states to use a second heating element, stick with just using the top down air fry option.
Of course if and when you become more confident with air frying, using recipes and the settings of your air fryer, you can start adapting them to suit.
Can Food Be Cooked From Frozen In An Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook from frozen you usually will need to reduce the cooking temperature and increase the time to make sure your food is cooked right through to the middle.
It is best to check my individual recipes for cooking from frozen advice as some items are a little different. And there are occasionally exceptions to the rule.
Can I Reheat Food In An Air Fryer?
Yes. As a general rule I reheat food for roughly 1/3 of the original cooking time at the same temperature. Or at 10 degrees lower for half the time for larger items.
Are Air Fryer Liners a Good Idea?
Unless otherwise stated, I do not use liners when air frying. Basket and rotary type air fryers are designed to be used without liners. Mini oven types will generally require some kind of tray like with a regular large oven although most come with crisper racks to use.
There are many air fryer liners available including quite thick silicone ones. These will affect the cooking times and possibly temperatures of your cooking/baking. I also don’t like how cooking juices are prevented from dripping through the basket rack. This can stop food from crisping all the way around.
When I do want to collect the juices, I mostly use some foil, or occasionally a foil tray which can be washed and reused.
If you do prefer to use them, once you have got a feel for how they affect your cooking and baking, you may need to make adjustments to the recipe accordingly.
More Air Fryer Recipes
All my recipes with instructions for how to cook or bake them in the air fryer can be found in my Air Fryer Recipe Index.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
Pin Air Fryer Small Gammon Joint with Easy Glaze For Later
Hit one of the share buttons to save this page to your Pinterest boards so you can come back and find it at anytime!
Keep Up to Date
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to my newsletter and avoid missing out on any of my newest and bonus content. Don’t worry, I promise not to spam you or bombard you too often. Plus you’ll receive a copy of my FREE 7 Day International Meal Plan!
Also please don’t forget to follow me over on my social media channels over at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. I love to interact with my followers and I’d love you to share my content with your friends too.
The Recipe
Air Fryer Small Gammon Joint with Easy Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 kg Uncooked Ham (Gammon)
- 3 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- ½ tsp Sea Salt Flakes
Instructions
- If your air fryer requires pre-heating, start this setting now.
- Thoroughly dry a 1kg Uncooked Gammon/Ham Joint . If it comes with a plasticky warp holding the joint in shape leave this on.
- Wrap the gammon in foil. Make sure the seal is at the top of the joint so nothing leaks during the cooking process. You don't need to wrap very tight.
- Place the foil wrapped gammon into the air fryer basket. If like me you need to remove the crisper plate to make extra room, this isn't an issue.
- Air fry for 45 minutes at 190c/375f.
- While the gammon cooks, add 3 tbsp Light Brown Sugar, 1 tbsp Wholegrain Mustard, 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard and ½ tsp Sea Salt Flakes to a small bowl.
- Mix to fully combine the glaze ingredients and set aside.
- Carefully remove the gammon onto a plate and open up the foil.
- Pour all the juices that have collected in the foil into a bowl. You can use this to drizzle over the ham when serving. Set aside.
- Replace the gammon back onto the foil and cut off the plastic cover if necessary. If there is any string to remove, do this too.
- Cover the gammon with half of the sugar/mustard mix.
- Focus on the top and just over the sides, it'll drip down to the bottom as it cooks.
- Carefully place the ham back into the air fryer. Fold the foil down so it fits neatly but will still catch any drips from the glaze.
- Air fry for 10 minutes at 190c/375f.
- Pour over the rest of the glaze and gently spread it out.
- Air fry for a final 10 minutes at 190c/375f.
- Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.For cold cuts, chill the ham overnight then thinly slice.
Notes
- The air fryer version of this recipe is tested in a Cosori Lite (CAF-LI401S) with a 3.8 litre capacity. The square(ish) shaped basket is 21cm x 21cm and 24cm on the diagonal.
- Not all models advise preheating is required. Please follow the recommended instructions for your model. Mine has a specific preheat setting which is 4 minutes at 205c.
- For this recipe, I can easily fit a 1kg/2lb gammon joint in the basket at a time. This gives plenty of room to allow air to circulate.
- As all air fryer models are a little different, you may find that you can fit more or less in at a time.
- Required cooking times and temperatures can also vary between models and brands. If you know that your air fryer runs a little hotter than most recipes suggest, use a lower temperature. And vice versa. Equally if you find that food cooks more quickly in your machine than instructions usually state, reduce the cooking time (or check it earlier) and vice versa.
Dave says
There are just two of us, so your recipe is perfect for us. The gammon was really juicy and tasty.
Lesley says
What a great recipe for cooking smaller joints of gammon which I often do. This was faff free and I loved the mustard glaze, which made very tasty sandwiches with the leftovers.