The Best Instant Pot Gammon with Ginger Beer and Rooibos Tea

This Instant Pot gammon cooked in ginger beer and rooibos tea transforms a traditional Christmas dish into something extraordinary. The cooking broth combines classic aromatics of carrot, celery, bay leaves, and onion with spicy-sweet ginger beer. Earthy rooibos tea adds delicious depth and rich dark colour. The tender, delicious gammon is finished with a sticky honey mustard glaze that caramelises beautifully in the oven.

Key Takeaways

• Cooks in 60 – 90 minutes total in the Instant Pot (15 minutes per 500 grams)
• Stovetop method included for those without an Instant Pot
• Gammon can be cooked in advance and glazed on the day
• Cooking liquid makes incredible ramen broth or poaching stock
• Serve hot or at room temperature for easy entertaining

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does gammon take in the Instant Pot? Cook gammon for 15 minutes per 500 grams on high pressure. A 2-kilogram gammon will take 60 minutes, whilst a 1.5-kilogram piece takes 45 minutes. Always allow for natural pressure release, which takes approximately 15-20 minutes. This ensures the meat stays tender and doesn’t dry out.

Can you cook gammon in advance for Christmas? Yes, gammon is perfect for advance preparation. Cook the gammon completely, then cool in the cooking liquid and refrigerate for up to 2 days. On serving day, remove from the fridge 30 minutes before glazing. Score the fat, apply glaze, and grill until caramelised. Gammon is perfectly acceptable served at room temperature, making timing flexible.

What can I do with leftover gammon cooking liquid? The ginger beer and rooibos cooking broth is incredibly flavourful. Use it as a base for ramen, strain and freeze for future use, or reduce it down to make additional glaze. The aromatic, slightly sweet liquid also works beautifully for poaching eggs or vegetables.

How do I cook this gammon on the stovetop? Place gammon in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Discard water, then add all ingredients with 1.5 litres of ginger beer (instead of 1 litre), ensuring the gammon is covered. Add extra water if needed. Simmer on the lowest setting for 20 minutes per 500 grams. Cool in the cooking liquid.

Why do you discard the first boiling water? The initial boil removes excess salt and impurities from the cured gammon. This step, called blanching, prevents the final dish from being overly salty. It also removes any surface residue, resulting in clearer, cleaner-tasting cooking broth.

Can I use a different type of beer? Ginger beer is non-alcoholic and provides distinctive spicy-sweet notes that complement the rooibos beautifully. You could use alcoholic ginger beer or regular beer, though the flavour profile will differ. Traditional recipes often use beer or cola, but ginger beer adds unique warmth and complexity.

How do I know when the glaze is thick enough? The honey mustard glaze should coat the back of a spoon and be syrupy but still pourable. It takes approximately 30 minutes to reduce 1.5 cups of cooking liquid to the right consistency. The glaze thickens further as it cools, so slightly looser is better than too thick.

The cooking liquid is such an elixir I had to use it in the making of the glaze and saved the rest for future use. I think it would make an amazing base for ramen or as a stock to poach things in.

Why This Cooking Method Works

The Instant Pot revolutionises gammon preparation by dramatically reducing cooking time whilst keeping the meat incredibly tender. High-pressure cooking forces liquid deep into the meat fibres, preventing the dryness that sometimes plagues traditional methods. The sealed environment traps all the aromatic compounds from the ginger beer, rooibos, and spices.

Ginger beer brings spicy-sweet complexity that elevates gammon beyond traditional preparations. Its warmth complements the pork beautifully without overwhelming it. The rooibos tea contributes earthy depth and creates a gorgeous mahogany-coloured broth. This uniquely South African touch adds subtle vanilla and honey notes.

The vegetable base of celery, carrot, and onion provides savoury foundation, whilst whole spices like allspice, cloves, and black peppercorns create aromatic complexity. Natural pressure release is crucial—it allows the meat to relax and reabsorb juices, ensuring every slice is moist and delicious..

Essential Tips for Perfect Gammon

Choosing Your Gammon: Select a piece between 1.5-2.5 kilograms that fits comfortably in your Instant Pot. Smoked gammon adds extra flavour depth, whilst unsmoked gammon has milder taste. Both work beautifully with this recipe.

Infusing the Rooibos: Allow rooibos tea to steep for at least 10 minutes in the hot ginger beer mixture. This extracts maximum flavour and creates the characteristic dark colour. Red rooibos (not green) works best for traditional flavour.

Making the Glaze: Reduce the cooking liquid slowly over medium heat. Rushing creates bitter, burnt flavours. Add mustard halfway through to preserve its sharpness. The glaze should be syrupy but still flow easily. It thickens considerably as it cools.

Scoring the Fat: Remove the thick outer fat layer before glazing, then score the remaining fat in a crisscross pattern. This allows the glaze to penetrate and creates beautiful presentation. Cut scores about 1 centimetre apart and 5 millimetres deep.

Glazing Technique: Position the oven rack low so gammon sits 15-20 centimetres from the grill element. Watch constantly once you start basting—the sugars in honey caramelise quickly and can burn. Apply glaze in thin layers, building up colour gradually. I prefer to do this in a moderate oven at around 170-180 °C.

Make-Ahead Strategy: The beauty of gammon is its flexibility. Cook completely, refrigerate, then glaze on serving day. Or cook and glaze in advance, serving at room temperature. Both approaches work brilliantly for stress-free entertaining.

Instant Pot Gammon with Ginger Beer and Rooibos Recipe

Tender gammon cooked in spicy-sweet ginger beer and earthy rooibos tea, finished with honey mustard glaze.

Print Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Ingredients

For the Gammon:

• 1 large smoked gammon approximately 1.5-2.5 kilograms
• 4 rooibos teabags
• 750 millilitres strong ginger beer
• 2 celery stalks roughly chopped
• 2 medium carrots roughly chopped
• 1 small white onion roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon allspice berries crushed
• ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• 3 bay leaves

For the Honey Mustard Glaze:

• 375 millilitres 1½ cups strained cooking broth
• 60 millilitres ¼ cup honey
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Pinch of ground cloves

Instructions

Preparing the Gammon:

• Bring the gammon to room temperature and remove all outer casings including string. Boil the kettle.
• Heat 250 millilitres (1 cup) ginger beer in the microwave until hot. Add 250 millilitres (1 cup) boiling water. Add the 4 rooibos teabags and steep for at least 10 minutes. Remove and discard teabags.
• Place roughly chopped celery, carrots, and onion at the bottom of the Instant Pot. Position gammon on top of the vegetables.
• Add bay leaves, allspice berries, peppercorns, and cloves. Pour the rooibos tea mixture and remaining 500 millilitres ginger beer over the gammon.
• Seal the Instant Pot lid and adjust the vent to sealing position. Set to manual pressure on HIGH. Cook for 15 minutes per 500 grams of gammon (a 2-kilogram gammon cooks for 60 minutes).
• When cooking time finishes, allow natural pressure release (approximately 15-20 minutes). Do not quick release.
• Remove gammon carefully and set aside. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding solids. Reserve liquid.

Making the Glaze:

• Pour 375 millilitres (1½ cups) strained cooking broth into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. To remove some fat, allow the liquid to settle and hten skim the fat layer off with paper towell.
• Add honey and ground cloves. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until syrupy and reduced by half.
• Add Dijon mustard halfway through cooking time. Stir to incorporate. The glaze will thicken further as it cools.

Glazing and Serving:

• When ready to serve, remove the thick outer fat layer from the gammon. Score the remaining fat in a crisscross pattern, cutting about 1 centimetre apart and 5 millimetres deep.
• Place gammon on a baking tray. Position oven rack low (gammon should sit 15-20 centimetres from grill element). Preheat the oven to 170-180C or the grill.
• Roast/grill the gammon until fat begins to render, approximately 5 minutes. Remove and brush with glaze. Return to the oven and repeat, glazing a few times.

Notes

Stovetop Method: Follow steps 1-2 above. Place the gammon in a large pot, cover with water, boil, then discard the water. Return the gammon to the pot with the vegetables, spices, 1.5 litres of ginger beer, and the rooibos mixture. Add water to cover if needed. Simmer on lowest heat for 20 minutes per 500 grams. Cool in cooking liquid. Proceed with glaze as above.

Make-Ahead: Cook the gammon completely, cool in the liquid, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before glazing and serving.

Glaze can also be made in the Instant Pot using the Sauté function.

Serving and Storage Suggestions

Decorate the serving platter with fresh bay leaves, rosemary sprigs, pomegranate seeds, or grilled peach halves for stunning presentation. Serve extra glaze in a small jug alongside for those who want more sweetness.

Leftover gammon keeps refrigerated for 5 days. Slice thinly for sandwiches, dice for fried rice or pasta carbonara, or cube for quiche or frittata. The versatility makes it an excellent value.

Store the strained cooking liquid separately. It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Use it as ramen broth, adding miso paste, noodles, soft-boiled eggs, and spring onions. The ginger beer and rooibos create incredible depth that rivals traditional bone broths.

 

 

Servings: 10 serves 8 – 10

Author: Sam Linsell

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• Vietnamese caramel salmon
• Ostrich steak tagliata

This post is proudly sponsored by Instant Pot South Africa

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