How much per portion
With rashers, allow 2-4 depending on size and what else is to be
served.
Allow 1-2 bacon chops depending on size; 1-2 gammon steak, depending
on size. 1 gammon rasher.
For meat on the bone, allow 225-350g / 8-12oz raw per portion; for boned
meat, allow 175-225g / 6-8oz.
Boiling Bacon
When dealing with large smoked joints it is advisable to
soak them in cold water for 8-12 hours. Small joints may be cooked
unsoaked, unless you are susceptible to saltiness.
With the milder cures and green or unsmoked joints, there should be
no need to smoke - or for a maximum of 4 hours. After soaking, remove
from the soaking water, rinse under fresh cold water and always cook in fresh
water.
Instead of soaking, the joint may be placed in a pan of cold water
and brought to the boil. Through away the water ( including the excess
salt ) and start again with fresh water.
The joint should always be weighed, for the length of cooking time
depends on the weight. For joints up to 4.5kg / 10lb, allow 20-25 minutes
per 450g / 1lb plus 20 minutes over - Giving the longer time for really thick
joints. For Larger joints, allow 15-20 minutes per 450g / 1lb plus
15 minutes over.
Place the bacon in a large saucepan, skin side down, cover with cold
water and bring to the boil. Remove any scum that appears on the surface.
For flavour you can add 1-2 onions, peeled and quartered, 2 carrots,
peeled and quartered, 1 bay leaf and 4-6 peppercorns.
Start timing the cooking from when the water reaches the boil.
Cover and simmer gently - do not fast boil - and add extra boiling
water if necessary.
When cooked, if to serve cold, leave in the water - off the heat -
for an hour, then remove and leave till cold. Remove the skin when
cold.
For a hot joint, drain well and ease away the rind. Serve as it is
with a parsley or mustard sauce or, if to serve cold, the fat may be sprinkled
with brown bread crumbs ( or the bought variety ) and served with
salads.
Baking and Glazing Bacon
Weigh the joint and calculate the cooking time as for boiling.
Boil for half the cooking time, then drain the joint and wrap loosely
in foil and stand in a roasting tin. Bake in a moderate oven
(1800C / 3500F / Gas mark 4 ) until 30 minutes before
the end of cooking. Increase the oven to hot ( 2200C /
4250F / Gas mark 7 ), unwrap the joint and strip off the skin.
Cut ( or score ) the fat into a diamond pattern, sticking a clove into
each diamond if it appeals to you, and sprinkle the surface liberally with
demerara sugar. Pat the sugar in and return to the oven complete the
cooking time, and give a crisp and golden brown coating to the
joint.
Cooking Rashers of Bacon
Bacon has plenty of fat so needs very little added fat
to cook it, unless you want to pile on the calories. For grilling,
broiling or frying the rind may be removed or left on as preffered. Lay
the rashers on a grill rack or in a grill pan and cook under a pre-heated
moderate grill or broiler, with no added fat or oil, until the fat is beginning
to colour. Turn over and continue cooking the other side. Some
people prefer their bacon almost raw; others almost a crispy cinder, so the
degree of cooking depends on taste.
For frying the lean rashers, a smidgen of fat or oil heated in the
pan will prevent sticking, but the fat will soon run from the fat on the
bacon; with streaky or fat bacon, no fat or oil is required - simply put
into a cold pan and as it heats up so the fat will start to run and the rashers
begin to cook. Again, fry on both sides to the required degree.
Drain on absorbent kitchen paper towel before serving.
For bacon rolls, the rind must be cut off and the bacon rolled up
neatly but not too tightly. They are best cooked under the grill, broiler
or in a moderate to hot oven until just browned all over. For frying,
they should be impaled on skewers or wooden cocktail sticks so they don't
unroll when they are turned over.
Carving Ham
All cooked ham and bacon should be carved thinly; thick slices and
chunks do not do justice to the flavour and texture of the meat. Use
a special ham carving knife or a fairly large cook's knife, which must be
very sharp. Boned and rolled joints are easy to carve, but those with
bones can be a little more tricky.
Prime Forehock
This is best carved keeping the fat side underneath.
Hold the protruding bone firmly with the fork or a cloth and carve
in vertical slices up to the bone, then repeat from the other end. When
the bone is reached, carve long, downward slanting slices at an angle to
the bone. Turn over and carve the remaining slices down to the
bone.
Gammon Hock
Firmly hold the shank end ( or bone ) with a fork or a
cloth and carve in wedge-shaped slices from one side of the bone, turn the
joint over and repeat.
Corner Gammon
Begin at the thicker end and carve in wedge shaped slices
which are thicker on the wider curve and thinner on the side from which the
bone has been removed.
Whole Gammon or Ham
There are several methods of carving a gammon or ham, this
is probably the simplest. Remove a small slice from the knuckle end
of the bone. Carve in long oblique slices to the bone on either
side.