Camp Coal Gammon
A cured pork joint soaked overnight, then smoked slow over a two-zone fire. Car camping only.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 65
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 8, scales
- prep
- 30 min
- cook
- 240 min
- total time
- 270 min
- water
- 4000 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Real dishes
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Cured gammon or uncooked ham joint | 4 lb | bone-in holds moisture better; boneless carves easier |
|---|---|---|
| Cold water for soaking | enough to submerge | changed a few times |
| Hardwood chunks | 3-4 pieces | soaked or dry, added to the coal bed |
| Brown sugar | 1/2 cup | |
| Mustard | 2 tbsp | |
| Whole cloves | 1 tbsp | optional, pressed into the scored fat |
Method
- Soak the joint in cold water 12 to 24 hours before you cook, changing the water when you think of it. In camp that means a covered pot or a sealed bag in the cooler. Skip this and it eats like a salt lick.
- Pat it dry. Score the fat cap in a diamond pattern, cutting through the fat but not into the meat. Press in cloves if you want them.
- Build a two-zone fire: coals banked on one side, nothing on the other. Add a wood chunk. You want the grate around 250-285 F, not hot.
- Set the joint fat side up on the cool side, lid on or a foil tent over it. Add a wood chunk every hour and feed a few fresh coals to hold the temperature.
- Cook to temperature, not to the clock. A 4 lb joint runs roughly 3 to 4 hours. Use a thermometer.
- At 150 F internal, brush on the sugar and mustard mixed together. Any earlier and the sugar burns black before the meat is done.
- Pull at 165 F. Let it sit 20 to 30 minutes before carving or the juice ends up on the cutting board.
Gammon is cured, not cooked, and the cure is the whole problem. Brine leaves a lot of salt in the meat, so the long cold soak is the step that decides whether this is dinner or a joke. Change the water a few times and it comes out seasoned instead of aggressive.
The rest is heat management. Indirect coals around 250 F let the fat render slowly while smoke works into the outside, and a probe thermometer replaces guessing entirely. The glaze goes on late for one reason: sugar over live coals turns to carbon fast, and there is still an hour of cooking left when it looks done.
Packing
The joint travels in the cooler, double bagged, with the soak water going in the same bag the night before. Sugar and mustard premixed in a small screw-top jar. Bring a probe thermometer; there is no substitute.
Variations
- Swap the sugar glaze for maple syrup and a spoon of cider vinegar.
- Cold leftovers sliced thin are the next day's lunch, no reheating needed.
- No wood chunks: a handful of dry chips in a foil pouch with holes punched in it does the same job.
https://braaiculture.com/smoked-gammon-recipe