Gammon Steaks

How to buy gammon steaks

Spotting the right gammon steak can be a bit of an art, but there are a few tell-tale signs that a piece of gammon is perfect.

Namely, you’ll want to look for a gammon cut that:

• Has a high proportion of meat to fat with a thin rind
• Is pale pink in appearance and any fat should be off white in colour
• Has a low percentage of added water

In supermarkets, you can usually buy gammon steaks in packs of 2 or 3.  When buying pork you can also look for the Red Tractor logo.  Red Tractor is an assurance scheme available to inform consumer choice.

If buying from your butcher it’s worth asking about cooking tips, as they’ll likely know more about the specific cut than anyone else. Plus, butchers know a thing or two about cooking, so you may be able to steal a nice recipe from them too!

If you’re not based in the UK, you may see gammon labelled as “ham” in the supermarket. Be sure you know the differences between gammon and ham.

Serving sizes: How many gammon steaks should you buy?

Serving sizes are pretty straightforward for gammon steaks. Usually, buying one steak for each person is enough.  Usually, packs of gammon steaks weigh around 450g, equating to 225g per steak.

How to Store Gammon Steaks

Storing gammon steaks depends on when you’re going to eat them. Ideally, use gammon steak as soon as they are purchased. Otherwise, they can be stored in the fridge at 5°c or below for up to 2 – 3 days (check your fridge is cold enough by using a fridge thermometer) and up to 4 – 6 months in the freezer at -18°C.

When storing in the fridge, ensure the gammon steaks are wrapped well or put in a sealed food container at the bottom of the fridge. In the freezer, just wrap the steaks well (either in foil, cling flim or plastic freezer bags or parchment paper) to prevent freezer burn.  You can read more here about storing pork.

How to Cook Gammon Steaks

There are two popular ways to cook gammon steaks: pan-frying and roasting. Each is different, with their own unique cooking times, temperature and seasonings. They are great cooked on the barbecue too.

Want to know how to cook gammon joint? Then discover our how to cook gammon joint guide.

Pan-frying gammon steaks

Pan-frying gammon steaks is relatively simple. To pan-fry the perfect gammon steak, simply:

1. Heat your favourite oil or butter in a pan, preferably a big cast-iron or non-stick pan
2. Coat each side of gammon steak in black pepper. Avoid using salt as the cut is naturally salty already
3. Place the gammon steak in the pan. It should be hot enough for it to make a bacon-like sizzle
4. Cook for roughly 3 minutes on each side
5. The gammon should have a nice, golden-brown crust and be a dark, pink colour

Roasting Gammon Steaks

Oven-baked gammon steaks are just as easy to make as their pan-fried counterparts. To create the ideal oven-roasted gammon steak, simply:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 180°C Fan, Gas Mark 6.
2. Lightly coat the gammon steaks in oil on both sides and some black pepper. Feel free to use a seasoning of your choice.
3. Place the steaks on a baking sheet lined with foil or baking parchment. Cook for roughly 8 minutes on each side.

Discover more with Love Pork today

So, there you go – now you know how to cook gammon steaks like a seasoned chef. Gammon steaks benefit from being easy to store and cook, plus they’re scrumptious all year round.  To get the best from pork, discover our recipe page.