How to cook gammon steaks

Gammon, egg and chips is a British classic for a reason, and I like to serve mine with a ring of sticky tinned pineapple, too. Juicy gammon steaks are a real weeknight winner as they’re relatively inexpensive and quick to cook.

Alice Shields is our acting food editor and knows her way around a midweek meal. She loves using gammon steaks in her weeknight recipes as they’re economical and quick to cook. Read on for her top gammon cooking tips, or check out more of Alice's recipes.

Gammon steaks are generally sold in packs of two and may vary in shape from almost round to longer ones, more like a fat rasher of bacon. I find that gammon steaks often have a layer of fat and rind around one side, which needs trimming off or ‘snipping’ to stop the meat curling up as it cooks. The easiest way I do this is with a pair of kitchen scissors, cutting through the rind into the fat at 2cm intervals.

You can cook gammon easily in many different ways. The steaks cook well in a frying pan – I use a large one if I’m cooking more than one at a time. If you’re making a sauce, you can pour it into the pan at the end to baste the gammon.

Grilling is another alternative I turn to for hands-off cooking , but take care not to dry the steaks out by cooking them for too long. Make sure the grill is hot and cook them quickly. The same applies to a griddle pan, which I like for adding char lines to the look of your gammon steaks.

Gammon steaks can also be cooked in a slow cooker. I rest each steak on a thick slice of onion in the slow cooker, add a liquid such as stock or cider, and cook for 7-8 hours on Low.

Oven-baked gammon steaks recipe

Serves 2

• 1 tsp rapeseed oil
• 2 gammon steaks

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Oil the steaks and put them on a baking sheet, season well.
2. Cook for 7 mins and then turn over and cook for another 7 mins.

Pan-fried gammon steaks recipe

Serves 2

• 2 tsp rapeseed oil
• 2 gammon steaks

1. Heat the oil in frying pan large enough to hold 2 gammon steaks. Season the steaks. Put them into the pan and cook on a medium heat for 5 mins – they should have started to brown slightly.
2. Turn the steaks over and cook for another 5 mins. If they are not cooked through, cook for 1 min more on each side.

Our 5 top gammon recipes

Gammon steaks with leek & celeriac mash and apple sauce

This is a brilliant alternative to a Sunday roast, with clever additions of veg that means it is 3 of your 5 a day. Stir buttery leeks through celeriac for an alternative to classic mash, and serve with tangy mustard apples.

Gammon with watercress & mustard lentils

Mustard goes really well with gammon, as does the earthy flavour of the lentils. This is a quick and easy dinner with just four ingredients, ideal for midweek cooking.

Gammon & cauliflower cheese grills

This unusual way to cook gammon steaks is a fun way to combine two classic British dishes. Topping gammon with cauliflower cheese adds a veg and sauce all in one, and only requires five ingredients.

Sticky gammon steaks

Serve gammon steaks with this fresh-tasting, zingy bulgur wheat salad. The glossy honey glaze for the gammon adds bags of flavour.

All-in-one gammon, egg & chips

Cooking your gammon steaks on a tray with all the other ingredients makes this classic combination very easy. Dinner for one ready with just 5 minutes of prep time!

Find more gorgeous gammon recipes...

Gammon recipe collection
How to cook and prepare gammon and ham

How do you like to serve gammon steak? Leave a comment below...